Wedding Party
Renae Sculnick
Maid of Honor
Renae and Daphne have been best friends since they were toddlers. Their parents were avid sailors and they met while the two families were sailing to Catalina. Growing up together, they have made memories that have made them as close as sisters. Since that first meeting in Catalina, they have made the Catalina crossing many more times. They have traveled the world together including to Taiwan, Iceland, England, Isle of Man, and Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Through the years, Renae has been there for Daphne through all major life events. She has not only been a best friend, but also in many ways has been a mentor, so it is only natural for her be Daphne's Maid of Honor on this very special day.
Brandon Millikin
Best Man
Brandon and Jake go way back to elementary school. They became really close and had similar interests. There were points when they were inseparable. If Jake wasn't at home, he was probably at Brandon's house. They have shared many memories from going to high school parties together to spending weekends snowboarding in Mammoth. Brandon was always there to support Jake in everything that he did. He was always the first one there whenever he needed anything and has been Jake's best friend through it all.
Ksenia Luu
Maid of Honor
Ksenia and Daphne met when they were going through their sorority recruitment. They became close very quickly and were practically inseparable during this time. They had desks set up right next to each other so they would study together every day. While studying, they would only have to look at each other and would know exactly what the other was thinking: "It's time to go to the bars!" After college, Ksenia moved to Texas and Daphne moved to Taiwan; however, they still made sure to stay in each other's lives. Together, they survived crazy Texas weather, spent the night at a native tribal site in the middle of Taiwan, and hung out with gangsters in Vietnam.
Dax Pascua
Best Man
Jake hasn't been friends with Dax as long as Brandon, but over the last decade, Dax and Jake have become very close. They have taken a work relationship and turned it into a personal relationship that has led to Dax becoming one of Jake's best friends. Dax is Jake's room-buddy whenever going out of town for work. Outside of work, they've participated in the Catalina Ski Race, spent time in San Francisco, and have gone on many boating and off-roading trips in Parker.
Angelica Nierras
Bridesmaid
Angelica and Daphne met in Taiwan on a "blind friend date". As two Chinese Californians living as expats overseas, they bonded and became close friends. They have bar hopped in Hong Kong, Chrismas'd in Seal Beach, and tea'd in London. During Covid, with Angelica in London and Daphne in Seal Beach, they spent every Sunday cooking a new recipe together through Zoom calls.
Sean Day
Groomsman
Sean is Jake’s brother in law, but in a lot of ways he has been like a real brother. He has known Jake since he was just five years old and has watched him grow up. They even pestered each other like brothers do. Jake has too many memories with this guy to even count. Sean has been there through so many moments in Jake’s life, Jake couldn’t imagine him not being there by his side for this one.
Shawana Lee
Bridesmaid
Shawana and Daphne met while in college, where Shawana was Daphne's Big Sis at their sorority. Despite Daphne actually being a little order than Shawana, Shawana really did fully fulfill the role of "Big Sis". Shawana's strong confidence, bubbly personality, and fearless ability to stand for what she believes in left a huge impact on Daphne. Daphne attributes a lot of her personal growth during that time to Shawana. Shawana showed her how to be a strong woman and also how to have fun and live life without regrets.
Joseph Gigante
Groomsman
Joseph is another one of Jake's childhood friends. Joseph and Jake went to school together, lived in the same neighborhood, and have shared many memories . He was another one of the guys who was always there for Jake, through thick and thin. They would go dirt biking, off-roading, and participate in general tom foolery.
Amanda Lansford
Bridesmaid
Amanda and Daphne were sorority sisters in college. After graduation they became roommates and rented a series of apartments in Seattle that they named “The Dollhouse” series. Together, they experienced the growing pains of learning how to live on one’s own while dealing with antiquated buildings and strange landlords. They did all of this while of course living it up as young professionals in the city.
Cody Johnson
Groomsman
Cody was another one of the guys who went to school with, and lived in the same neighborhood, as Jake. Cody was literally Jake's next door neighbor. They have shared lots of memories together and he was one of the guys who always had Jake's back. Brandon, Joseph, Cody, and Jake were inseparable. They were always eating at Brandon's house and getting themselves into trouble. The memories that they have created together are the types of memories that last forever.
Sydney Jawanda
Bridesmaid
Sydney and Daphne were sorority sisters while at college. They quickly became close friends and spent much of their Seattle academic and social lives together. After leaving Seattle (Daphne for Taiwan, and Sydney for law school in Oregon), they continued to remain close. They traveled to Texas together to visit Ksenia, and Sydney flew to Taiwan to visit Daphne where they experienced indigenous Taiwanese dancing and the deliciousness that is stinky tofu!
Damien Takahashi
Groomsman
Jake and Damien met through the racing world when Jake was just a kid. Damien was a huge influence on Jake during that time and payed a huge part in helping Jake get in touch with not only car culture, but also with his Japanese culture. Damien has been there for Jake through ups and downs and has been like a mentor and brother to him. He always treated Jake like he was one of his own (tribalism).
Tatiana Grunauer
Bridesmaid
Tatiana and Daphne met through mutual friends. They were brought together when a group of friends decided to travel to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. After just a couple of months of training together and getting to know each other, they jumped head first into a week long intense adventure. They bonded over their love for adventure travel and have been adventuring together ever since!
Sean Austin
Groomsman
Sean and Jake met in high school. Sean is the type of guy who is super genuine and will bend over backwards for you, and he always did so for Jake. Sean, like Jake's other childhood friends, was always there when Jake needed him. Sean always had a way of making Jake laugh, especially during tough times. Sean and Jake spent many memories with one another, especially after high school.
Lindsie Merrick
Bridesmaid
Lindsie and Daphne also met through their wild adventure in Tanzania. They have been outdoor buddies ever since, embarking on backpacking trips to places like Havasupai and Catalina. Lindsie’s constant enthusiasm has been such an inspiration to Daphne and she is so excited to have Lindsie by her side as she embarks on this next life adventure!
Justin Parham
Groomsman
Justin is Jake's first cousin on the Tanaka side and the only other male cousin in their generation. In a family full of women, it was only natural for these two to bond over the fact that they were the only boys. During family gatherings, Justin and Jake were always the ones in the corner joking around and laughing about inappropriate things. Jake and Justin have very similar mannerisms and senses of humor which brought them even closer as they were growing up.