Courtney & Shira
Our Family
Randi Levy
Mother of the Bride
Randi is not just Courtney's mom... she is the wedding planner too! And although this is her first daughter to get married, it is far from her first rodeo when it comes to party planning. She throws the most BEYOND events! In her spare time, you can find her on Facetime with Spencer, killing the fashion game, coming up with incredible puns, and singing to the family dog, Simon, at a pitch that can only be described as "boiling tea kettle."
Sandi Daniels
Mother of the Bride
Sandi - or Saunj, as she is affectionately known - is thrilled to be walking her favorite child down the aisle. Her proudest accomplishments include earning her Masters Degree later in life, and being a mom. While she loves all of her children equally, there has always been something so special about her funny, talented, incredibly intelligent, beautiful Shira. She truly makes her proud. Sandi wrote this all by herself.
Mitchell Levy
Father of the Bride
Mitchell is a doting father of three (and soon to be four) girls. His interests include classic cars, trendy athleisure, Mandel bread, shmying around Bethesda, kibbitzing with friends, spending quality time with family, drinking iced tea with *extra* lemon, and eating the edges off of cookies, which he'll tell you is the best part.
Ellen Daniels
Stepmother of the Bride
Ellen is Shira's stepmother. She came into the picture when Shira was just 6 years old, and is basically the reason Ellen dated Shira's father in the first place. When Shira and Ellen first met, Shira told her, "I'm not going to listen to you. But don't worry. It's not because you're not my real mom. It's because I don't listen to anyone." They've been very close ever since.
Gloria "Mimi" Cornblatt
Courtney's Grandmother
Gloria, known as "Mimi," first became a grandmother when Courtney was born. Once Court was old enough to talk, they would speak to each other in a made-up language in front of other people for fun. Mimi's interests include making incredible spreads for two people which could easily feed 10, figuring out how to navigate her various social media pages, being super stylish, and waking up house guests at 4 am when she retrieves crushed ice from the fridge dispenser for her morning Diet Coke.
Hanne "Ma" Holsten
Shira's Grandmother
Hanne - known as "Ma" by her grandchildren - is the matriarch of Shira's family. When Shira was little, Hanne used to take her to see "The Nutcracker" every year, which is ironic, since she's a real ballbreaker herself. Hanne is strong willed, intelligent, and has a wonderful head of hair - all things she passed down to her most cherished grandchild - Shira. She enjoys her movie club, playing cards, traveling, reading, sending food back at restaurants, and unsuccessfully attempting to take everyone's cell phone away at Passover seder.
Taylor Levy
Sissie
Taylor can always be counted on for telling it like it is, being the voice of reason, recommending good documentaries, getting you addicted to bad shows ("90 Day Fiance"), embroidering cool things for your wall, helping you make Mickey Mouse shaped waffles, creatively organizing any space, and packing up your leftovers in tupperware. She's quite the catch, and she's single, so tell all your eligible bachelor friends!
Mona Daniels Goldstein
Sissie
Mona is the most senior (citizen) of the siblings. She is tremendously creative, an extremely successful businesswoman, an amazing mother, terrible at following GPS navigation, and a so-so white water rafter. In addition, she is currently in the lead for favorite sister because she has a beach house. Sorry, other siblings. There is still time to catch up, but it's really not looking good.
Spencer Levy
Sissie
Spencer is the baby of the family. Her interests include new sneakers, makeup, getting the perfect instagram selfie, and Benihana. Spencer was a regular at Courtney and Shira's apartment for Sunday night dinner. She was apparently so turned off by their cooking that she packed up her stuff and moved across the country. She can now be found hanging out with Ryan Cabrera somewhere in LA.
Lainie Daniels Kantrowitz
Sissie
Lainie is, hands down, the nicest (read: least bitchy) of the Daniels sisters. In her spare time, she enjoys being a vegetarian, a total stage mom + band mom, accurately predicting who will win "American Idol," warning her neighbors about problem traffic areas in Rockaway Township, and petitioning to get her favorite cancelled shows back on the air via twitter
Alissa Daniels Santoro
Sissie
Shira is very grateful to have had Alissa as a big sister growing up. After all, this allowed Shira to truly hone - and eventually master - her pranking skills. Such as the time Shira scared her when she put a rope around a doll's neck and threw it over the side of the deck while Alissa was throwing a Halloween party with her friends. But Alissa was not always the victim. For example, she was a co-conspirator in dressing little Jared in training bras.
Jared Daniels
Brother
Jared was already the only boy in a sea of sisters, and it just got infinitely worse. He is an avid Yankees fan, skilled cyclist, movie instrumental expert, pro at not showing teeth in photos, secret Celine Dion enthusiast, wearer of tiny v-neck tees, and has a truly beautiful singing voice. Dislikes include talking on the phone, talking in person, talking, and a longstanding irrational fear of Big Bird. If asked to describe himself in four words, he would likely say, "Adult in the city."
Ari Holsten
Officiant
Ari is Shira's 1st cousin, and a newly ordained "Rabbi" (thanks to the internet and the Universal Life Church). He is fresh off rave reviews from his dual performance as Officiant and Best Man at the wedding of his brother, Josh. It's still unclear if that was beginner's luck, but I suppose we will all find out together. If he screws this up, he will be promptly excommunicated from the family.