Wedding Party
Erin
Maid of Honor
It all began in 1997, when Karen gave birth to a little baby named Erin and made Caleigh a big sister…and Caleigh renamed her baby sister Caroline for the first several years of Erin’s life. Erin became Caleigh’s partner in crime by birth, but she is Caleigh’s best friend by choice. Erin has always been (mostly) willing to participate in Caleigh’s “Caleigh moments”…like when Caleigh decided to cancel her 5th birthday so she wouldn’t have to go to kindergarten. Erin opened all of Caleigh’s birthday cards so that Caleigh wouldn’t actually turn 5 and could continue living at home and playing outside, care free, for the rest of her days. Or that time that Caleigh decided it would be fun to learn the Michael Jackson thriller dance on a random school night in elementary school. Erin stayed up and did the entire routine with her countless times…until they both got scared by a loud noise in the basement and promptly decided to call it a night. Erin has always had Caleigh’s back, and also kept Caleigh grounded. Caleigh couldn’t imagine getting married without Erin by her side.
Gillian
Maid of Honor
Life got even more exciting for Caleigh and Erin when their youngest sister, Gillian, came along. Gillian has always looked out for her big sisters, especially in the romance department. When Gillian saw that her big sister had reached what she thought was an appropriate age to get married (18 years old) and became concerned that Caleigh was not even dating, Gillian decided to take matters into her own hands by submitting an application on Caleigh’s behalf for Caleigh to join a popular TV show called “the bachelor”. Thankfully the bachelor never called, and Caleigh found Danny, so Gillian no longer has to worry about her big sister being forever alone. For this reason, Gillian may actually be even more excited for the wedding than Caleigh and Danny. Caleigh is grateful for the love and support she knows she will always have from her baby sister and couldn’t imagine her big day without her.
Michaela
Bridesmaid
Michaela came into Caleigh’s life when Caleigh was about 5 years old. Caleigh’s mom was diagnosed with cancer, and Caleigh’s mom’s coworkers stepped in as bonus moms to help care for Caleigh and Erin while Caleigh’s mom went through treatment. Michaela is the daughter of one of those bonus moms. Michaela very quickly became an honorary bonus sister to Caleigh and Erin (and eventually Gillian when she was born later down the line). They grew up spending time at each other’s houses, having sleepovers, and sitting on the beach enjoying pixie sticks together after swimming lessons at winding trails. Michaela was always up to some type of shenanigans, in the best way possible, and Caleigh and Erin were always ready to join her. Michaela is one of the softest hearted people Caleigh has ever met, and Caleigh is forever grateful for her friendship.
Sarah
Bridesmaid
Sarah and Caleigh go all the way back to 2014, when their philosophy professor asked his class to break into small groups for a discussion. Caleigh turned around and saw a really cool girl named Sarah sitting behind her. They started chatting and became best buds almost immediately. Uconn holds many fun memories for Caleigh and Sarah, from nickel nights and tailgates (go Huskies!) to late night gym sessions at the rec center instead of studying, but regardless of whatever activities were going on, Caleigh always seemed to have more fun when her sweet friend was there. Sarah and Caleigh have grown even closer over the years, primarily while crying over videos of cute little old people on the internet and their deep love for cats. They are currently in competition to see who becomes the crazy cat lady first...Caleigh is currently winning with 4 ;). Sarah has been an incredibly loving, loyal and supportive friend to Caleigh from the beginning and Caleigh is overjoyed to have her at her side on her special day.
Bryan Ventura
Best Man
Bryan is a brother, a car guy, a bad texter, and a Pokémon card aficionado. Back in the day, Bryan and Danny spent their time watching Friday night Smackdown and Monday night Raw. On the weekends, you could find the two on their mother’s bed practicing chokeslams, Batista Bombs, Pedigrees, FUs, and RKOs. As kids, they’d spend car rides playing Pokemon on their Gameboy Advances and chanting, “WE WANT McDONALD’S,” in hopes that their mom would eventually change her mind. Bryan is very special to Danny. He’s the brother he asked for. Danny couldn’t imagine getting married without Bryan there.
Jerry Velasquez
Groomsman
Known by many as “el Chico Colocho,” if you ever hear Danny say “dime” on the phone, you can bet Jerry is on the other line talking about the gym. Jerry and Danny have spent a lot of time together, a majority of that time was spent playing Risk until 5 in the morning, then walking down to the deli for BECs or bulldogs. Jerry has always been a good friend, and he has always been there for Danny—even on those cold nights when he slept on the couch and Danny didn’t give him a blanket. Jerry stuck it out. He’s dependable, and a great friend to Danny.
Brandon Longo
Groomsman
It all started on a summer day when young Danny walked down to the field and saw his neighbor Brandon, more commonly referred to as B-Lo. B-Lo had the old Justin Bieber haircut and was outside practicing his swing with his baseball bat. At that time, Brandon had flip phone with Katy Perry’s I kissed a girl as his ring tone. In those earlier years they’d hear that song a lot, usually when Brandon’s mom would call to tell him it’s late and he had to get back home for school the next day. Of course Brandon couldn’t leave on the first call. That’s because Brandon, Bryan, and Danny were playing NBA 2K and he obviously had to finish whatever game he was on. Through all the laughs, broken controllers, and protein shakes, B-Lo has been at the center of it all. Brandon is the life of the party and Danny is glad to be able to call him a friend.
Hasan Raza
Groomsman
It all started in French class. Hasan was sitting there when he noticed a very well-put-together, handsome young man walk through the door. He thought to himself, “That guy looks like a jerk.” That handsome gentleman was none other than Danny. Unaware of Hasan’s first impression, Danny began talking to him after class. They then made their way to the library, where they talked about Dragon Ball Z for an hour—like all good friendships begin. As the years went by, Danny and Hasan shared plenty of great roasts, along with bike rides in Central Park, trips to Six Flags, and a few hikes. Hasan has always been there—especially to lose at Rock, Paper, Scissors and get stuck paying for parking. In all seriousness, Hasan has been a great friend, and Danny is happy to have him be part of the wedding.