Rachel & Jared
Wedding Party
Rachel Azarow
Bride
Even though she was born in NYC, Rachel's dream would be to live on a horse farm, probably somewhere in Virginia. Rachel has been in love with animals since childhood, and, even though she is allergic to many of them, she still loves riding horses (and does whenever she gets a chance) and makes friends with every cat or dog she comes across. She earned her BA in English from the George Washington University and her JD from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York. Building off her interest in helping others, she is interested in pursuing a career in public interest law. In her down time, Rachel loves caring for her cat, her plants, and Jared.
Jared Dashoff
Groom
In West Philadelphia, born and raised. Ok, not West Philly, the Northeast part of the city, but one gets the picture. Jared did spend a lot of his childhood "chillin' out, maxin', relaxin'" although it wasn't quite "all cool" and he was always a better defender than a shooter in basketball. Also, he has never been to Bel Air. Now, Jared, who has a BA in Political Science and a Master's of Public Policy from American University, enjoys sports (both watching them and playing them when he can), crossword puzzles, reading, trivia, and spending time with his to-be wife.
Jenn Azarow
Maid of Honor
Jenn, Rachel's sister, is conversant in Japanese and Hebrew, enjoys attending Yankees and Knicks games with her father, Rob, and is a huge fan of Starbucks, Apple products, and her cat, Natasha. After completing her BS in Mathematics at Dickinson College (the arch rival of her parents' alma mater, Franklin & Marshall College), Jenn spent six months abroad in Jaffa, Israel, where she volunteered with Save a Child's Heart, a non-profit that provides life-saving heart surgery and follow-up care for children from developing countries. She has been back in NYC since June 2016, living with her parents on the Upper East Side. Rachel was thrilled to live in the same city as Jenn for her final year of law school, before returning to DC to begin her new journey with Jared!
Alan Dashoff
Best Man
Growing up in Philly there are a few things that are certain: the sports teams will suck and you will root for them anyway; your favorite cheesesteak place is the best, no questions asked; and your friends are your brothers. That last one is doubly true when your actual brother is your friend. Alan and Jared have shared a lot over the years, including birthday parties since they are two years and 11 days apart. Currently, they share a love for Philadelphia sports teams, and yelling at the TV when those teams are doing poorly (which is, unfortunately, often). Alan graduated from Temple University with a BA in Sports Management, lives in South Philadelphia, and works for Aramark.
Ricky Barbanel
Bridesmaid
Ricky and the Bride lucked out during their freshman year at The George Washington University, when they were both assigned single dorm rooms in the only residence hall made up of singles, but they were even luckier to have rooms directly across from each other! These two were the closest thing to freshman roommates as you could get in a building with all singles, and their close friendship continued throughout their time at GWU and beyond. Even having the entire country between them, their East Coast/West Coast friendship picks right back up where it left off with long phone calls in the middle of the night and sporadic cross-country visits.
Peter Lougee
Groomsman
Peter and Jared met during grad school at American University and quickly found out they, along with a few other students, rented apartments in the same building. After graduation, they became roommates while both remained in DC to start their careers. Over the years, they have found mutual interests in science fiction, good beer and whiskey, board games, and trivia, sometimes with politically incorrect pub trivia team names.
Alexandra Mueller
Bridesmaid
At one of Alex's early birthday parties growing up, the Bride turned to her parents and asked, "If [Alex's parents] are my 'Aunt' and 'Uncle,' then which one is Mom or Dad's brother or sister?" Alex and the Bride's fathers became best friends at the University of Michigan Law School, and with six kids between the two friends, the kids all grew up with an extra set of cousins living just one town away in NJ and who have been there for each other through thick and thin.
Brent Franklin
Groomsman
Along with the laws of supply and demand there is one definitive law of economics: to survive a graduate level course, one must have true friends and those friends must take good notes. Both Jared and Brent learned this rather quickly, perhaps quicker than how to graph out cost curves. The two bonded over an interest in education and municipal policy, and the economist's sport -- baseball. Jared forgives Brent for being a Blue Jays' fan. Brent notes he needs no forgiveness; the Blue Jays have two World Series rings in the last 30-odd years.
Amy Azarow
Mother of the Bride
Amy attended Franklin & Marshall College where she danced, majored in English and Political Science, and met Rob. Amy is a fervent patron of the arts, frequenting the ballet, concerts, and the theater in NYC. She also loves visiting the Saratoga Performing Arts Center during summers at the lake house. If you ask her, Amy will tell you that her greatest accomplishment in life has been raising her two intelligent and caring daughters. Rachel and Jenn continue to seek out her sage motherly advice on a daily basis.
Joni Brill Dashoff
Mother of the Groom
Joni is a biological research assistant by training, working at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and has been a co-author on many papers related to cancer research over the years. In her spare time, she reads science fiction and fantasy; attends SFF conventions with her husband, Todd; and is a member of the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA), the Girls' High School of Philadelphia alumni association, and other organizations.
Rob Azarow
Father of the Bride
Rob is a partner at the law firm of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer in the New York City office. He earned his JD at the University of Michigan and his bachelor's degree at Franklin & Marshall College, where he played football and met Amy. In his time away from the office, Rob enjoys golf, the theater, reading, and spending time with his wife and daughters. Rob and Amy continue to provide unparalleled advice, guidance, and support to their two daughters. Rachel hopes to follow in her father's footsteps by becoming a highly regarded and well respected attorney, though in a different field of law.
Todd Dashoff
Father of the Groom
Todd is an actuary, earning his masters in Actuarial Science from Georgia State University and a bachelor's from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He worked for GEICO and Ernst & Young, before moving to a boutique actuarial firm in suburban Philadelphia. He shared his mathematics skills, love of puzzles and puns, penchant for failing sports franchises, and his interest in science fiction with Jared. The two now have a standing call on Friday afternoons to discuss the weekly "meta" crossword puzzle, compete in crossword puzzle tournaments, and solve online puzzle hunts with a team from across the globe.
Rabbi Scott Perlo
Officiant
Rabbi Scott Perlo is leader in the field of Jewish open outreach. He's taught Torah to thousands of unaffiliated Jews, their partners and those interested in Jewish life of any background, including working with Millennials and addressing the specific needs of the next generation of Jewish life. Scott has served as a rabbi at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, rabbi-in-residence at Moishe House and The Professional Leaders Project, and intern at IKAR in Los Angeles. Scott now serves as Associate Director, Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at the 92nd Street Y in New York. A regular writer, Rabbi Perlo has been published in The Washington Post, The Forward and The Huffington Post. A California native, he gets back to his beloved Pacific Ocean to surf and to dive whenever he can.
Candy Borales
Wedding Planner (aka: Nuptial Ninja)
Candy believes being 5 minutes early IS on time. She thinks inequality is stupid. She is not an actual ninja (but maybe she might be). http://www.candyandco.com/
Kelly Prizel
Photographer
Kelly is a FEMINIST, pet mom, a dinosaur nerd, a huge Jad Abumrad fan, and an avid watcher of The Wire. Also, you should know, she's half of a wife-wife team. Natalie, whose day job is teaching Victorian Literature at Princeton, is her second shooting side-kick, co-pet-parent, and the Bert to her Ernie—but not quite as cranky, just practical. www.kellyprizel.com *Engagement photos of the couple, several appearing on this site, were taken by Kelly.