Sydney & Douglas
Wedding Party
Sarah Chapman
Matron of Honor
Sarah is Sydney's older sister, and only sibling! They grew up as true Jersey girls having sister sleepovers, sunbathing at the shore, and playing on the same softball team together (...for only one year!). When they were younger, Sydney and Sarah would often be confused as twins, even though they have quite the opposite traits - blue eyes vs. brown, jet black straight hair vs. wavy brunette, and pale sunburnt skin vs. easily tanned. The three years between them didn't matter because they were super close growing up and it showed to others as well! Now Sarah is super crafty, an incredible mom, and a fellow HP lover. Although she's halfway across the country in Austin, TX, Sydney is so excited for her sister to be by her side on this big day, especially 8 months pregnant!
Rafael Centeno
Best Man
Rafael (Raf) and Doug grew up half a block away from each other, from being childhood best friends to now adult best friends 20 years later. They still love the same things that brought them together at a young age - watching sports, playing sports, and talking about sports. Even though they are more prone to injury at their old age, Doug and Raf love to compete on the soccer field still to this day in multiple DC soccer teams. When they aren't kicking the ball around, they love to try out new DC restaurants, play a round of golf (or two), and go skiing together in West VA. Raf is not only competitive, but he is also kind, charismatic, and selfless. Doug has had Raf assist plays on the soccer field his entire life and is now ecstatic that he will be doing the same on Doug's wedding day.
Emily Kausch
Maid of Honor
Emily and Sydney have been best friends for over 20 years, meeting in first grade. They were attached at the hip for all of grade school, so much so, that their fourth grade teacher once told them to get used to being apart. While they spent their formative years attending One Direction concerts, Sydney's family Passover seders, and Six Flags summers together, after high school they went their separate ways attending college in different cities. However, Sydney and Emily have kept their friendship (or sisterhood) strong! Most recently, Emily joined the couple's Central America campervan trip, agreeing to hike 5,000 feet to the top of a volcano. Emily is incredibly smart, adventurous, and always down for a good time. Since they were 7 years old, Sydney has envisioned Emily by her side on her wedding day. Sydney is so ecstatic to finally have that dream come true on her big day!
Sheldon Pais
Groomsman
Sheldon and Doug first met in high school, playing on the soccer team together after Sheldon first moved back to the US from a long upbringing in Germany. Most recently, Sheldon and Doug have bonded over ALL DC sports teams, attending Nationals, Commanders, Capitals, and DC United games together. Their life in DC often had them biking to not just live sporting events, but new local restaurants (i.e. KBBQ) and hot new events happening in DC. Sheldon is what you could call the life of the party, always ensuring everyone is having a good time, and making his famous cocktails for all to enjoy. Him and his fiancé, Jody, and their beloved pup Stella have always been there for the couple, willing to go on camping trips in their new Telluride camping setup. Doug is glad to have Sheldon be there for him on his big day!
Glenda Reyes
Bridesmaid
Glenda is Doug's older sister, and now one of Sydney's closest friends! Throughout the pandemic, Glenda and Sydney baked many desserts together, joking that they would one day open the "G&S Bakery" with Glenda's preciseness and Sydney's creativity (or chaos). They share a love for reading, online yoga classes, and puppies (especially Mars and Cora - the couple's Aussies). Glenda is always there for Sydney, often listening to her vent and providing advice for when she needs it, especially when it comes to outfit ideas. Glenda is incredibly caring, kind, and intelligent! Sydney cannot imagine her wedding day without Glenda at her side, and is excited to officially call Glenda her sister-in-law!
Alex Aragon
Groomsman
Elmer (Alex) is Doug's cousin or more of a brother for his entire life. Growing up, they spent countless summers walking to the neighborhood 7/11 to secure taquitos and Flamin' Hot Cheetos before they were cool. Their love for cars grew into a rivalry when Alex chose Honda and Doug chose Volkswagen for their first cars. Despite their opinions between Japanese and German engineering, Alex and Doug enjoy catching up on their lives over good food. Alex is an amazing communicator and tells the best stories, willing to listen and provide honest advice. While Doug is a couple years older than Alex, he admires him over his hard work ethic due to being a business owner and role model to his younger siblings. Doug and Alex are pumped to keep their cousin love strong at Doug's wedding weekend.
Mary Alojado
Bridesmaid
Sydney and Mary met on their first day of class at UVA's McIntire School of Commerce, with their eyes on the prize... a CPA license and accounting degrees. In-between studying for long hours and pulling all-nighters for group projects, they loved to winery hop, attend sports games, and complain (often) about the hard work it was to become an accountant. Now that Mary and Sydney aren't studying, they love to try new food spots together, so much so that they were once featured on DC's Truckeroo homepage eating ice cream (very on brand). Mary is hilarious, incredibly smart, and the most honest & loyal friend. Sydney would not have graduated without Mary and now cannot get married without her by her side!
Kevin Alvarenga
Groomsman
Kevin and Doug met at UVA, not through meeting each other, but due to their Salvadoran moms hitting it off at orientation. Kevin always joined Doug on his drives back to NOVA, often venting about the UVA coursework. Having both been Foreign Affairs majors, they share a common interest in current events and diplomacy, which can turn into deep conversations about the current state of the world. Naturally, they both ended up in DC, however, they also traveled with one another across the globe including skiing in Canada and drinking mezcal in the Yucatan. Kevin is a very laid back, go with the flow kind of guy, who genuinely cares about everyone (a mensch you could say). Doug is excited for Kevin to be standing next to him on his special day.
Natalie Centeno
Bridesmaid
Natalie and Sydney met through Doug and Raf's bromance on one summer's day at Virginia Beach in 2016. Natalie just returned from a year long trip teaching English in Spain, and Sydney was a little nervous about making a good impression to Raf's long-time girlfriend. After a quick gossip session over a DIY mani/pedi, they became the best of friends! When they aren't cheering on their men at soccer games, Natalie and Sydney are drinking rosé, dancing to Bad Bunny, and listening to The Toast together. Natalie is a master caligrapher, hype queen, and an incredibly genuine human. Her joyous laughter can make even the Grinch smile! The wedding would not be complete without Natalie up there by Sydney's side!
Damien Reyes
Groomsman
Damien is Doug's younger brother of seven years. Due to the age difference, Doug has always been there to support Damien through anything life and the world threw his way. Doug taught Damien how to drive, and used that skill years later to help drive the 10+ hours to pick up Mars in Kentucky. Through that 20 hour roundtrip car-ride, Doug and Damien bonded over childhood memories, wishes for the future, and arguments over Mars' name. Despite Damien saying he came up with "Mars" (which isn't true), Doug always knew Damien would be there to support him as well. Damien is the artistic sibling of the family, always bringing another perspective to the room. And now Damien will bring his support for Doug on his big day!
Jeanette Belfiore
Bridesmaid
Jeanette is a fellow CPA and previous DC resident (Dupont of course!). Sydney and Jeanette met through their time in public accounting and became work wives from Day 1. Their friendship blossomed after losing miserably at a company corn hole tournament, where Jeanette's non-accountant friends won first place. Ever since, Jeanette has been determined to win by hosting an annual corn hole tournament herself, so much so that she ditched Sydney as her partner (it was warranted). Jeanette traveled with the couple in their campervan to ski the Rockies, hosted them in Colorado, and introduced them to good ole country line dancing. Jeanette is kind, humble, and competitive. Sydney is so excited for Jeanette to be by her side on her big day!
Justin Watts
Groomsman
Justin was one of Doug's first friends at UVA, meeting at the transfer dorm together. They hit it off immediately by conspiring to get to know the girls at their dorm, by writing "Movie Night Thursday" on each of the female floors' whiteboards. Little did they know, that through their shenanigans, Doug and Sydney would meet for the first time, as well. They love golfing, talking about UVA sports, and trying out Charlottesville breweries, always sharing laughs and inside jokes from their college days. Their friendship has taken them as far as Iceland to explore some of the world's most beautiful terrain and gas station hot dogs. Justin is caring and always has a joke ready in his back pocket. Doug is excited for Justin to keep the laughs going on his wedding day.
Kelly Corrado
Bridesmaid
Kelly and Sydney met in elementary school and become best of friends in sixth grade Spanish class. They bonded over their puppies, beach bumming, and love of photography. Their love of photography wasn't admiring magazine spreads. Rather it was taking amateur headshots on Kelly's "professional" camera, doing their hair and makeup with YouTube tutorials and running around town finding the best backdrops. It didn't turn out so well as they didn't become professional journalists, rather Sydney as an Accountant and Kelly as a Physical Therapist. Kelly has always been incredibly loyal, super supportive, and up for a good time! Sydney is so excited to have Kelly in front of the camera this time and by her side on her wedding day!
Christopher Yam
Groomsman
Chris and Doug also met at UVA together, another transfer dorm bromance. Even though Chris is hard at work becoming a doctor, he is always willing to put down the textbooks to catch up over amazing Chinese food. In the past, Chris has invited Doug over to his family home for an authentic hot pot extravaganza. Doug's love for hot pot sky rocketed, so much so, that Chris once transported all of the hot pot supplies to a cabin in West VA for a skiing weekend. Chris is a talented musician, trustworthy friend, and genuine individual. Doug always enjoys hearing about Chris's favorite new underground hip hop artists, and is now pumped to jam with Chris on his wedding day.