Matt & Giuliana
Wedding Party
Katie Wuestney (Graham)
Matron of Honor
Katie and Giuliana met at a friend's birthday party. Katie accidentally wore Giuliana's left converse home from the party. The next day Katie ran up to Giuliana (whom she barely knew) and frantically told her that she wasn't wearing her left shoe and that she (Katie) had her shoe. Unfortunately she had forgotten the single black converse in a bag on the bus but not to worry, she would call and get it back. Giuliana never got her shoe back. Katie helped buy Giuliana a new pair of converse which she has to this day. They have been best friends for 13 years. Katie lives in Ballard with her husband Cody and is currently getting her PhD in nursing at WSU with an emphasis in dementia research. She is a kind, loving person and one of the few people who can match Giuliana in raw energy.
Patricia Oliverio-Lauderdale
Bridesmaid
Patricia is one of Giuliana’s cousins. Through family vacations, holidays, and her own wedding Patricia has always been able to lend a listening ear and a sassy comment when needed. Since Giuliana sometimes lives under a pop culture rock Patricia introduced her to many a phenomenon such as 'Legally Blonde', 'Grease', 'Sex & the City', and 'Friends' for which Giuliana is eternally grateful. Patricia and Giuliana share a love for wine (and memories of their Grandfather not so subtly sneaking it to them at lunch) the beach (especially the ones in southern Italy) and traveling to exotic places (Japan is on both their bucket lists). Patricia lives in the Bay Area with her husband Michael. She is a communications manager at Intel and recently became a certified scuba diver!
Abbie Rothstrom
Bridesmaid
Abbie is the older of the grooms two younger sisters. Of the Rothstrom children Abbie is the most organized, but she also used to be the trouble maker of the group. As the middle child she would often mess with her siblings. Her most famous story is of her as a sub-5-year-old child playing with her mom's engagement ring and dropping it into a door frame through the latch on the day they were moving. She blamed the missing ring on her baby sister, Ellie. Only recently (think Abbie in high school) did she come clean - and they managed to retrieve the ring years later! Abbie is a fun loving soul and knows what she wants. Abbie is a new graduate and has started her first job as a 1st grade teacher in Spokane!
Ellie Rothstrom
Bridesmaid
Ellie is the grooms youngest sister. She is the creative one of the group and can often be found painting, drawing, or otherwise artfully expressing herself. The first time that Ellie and the Giuliana met she was in the 6th grade and very eager to get to know her older brothers new girlfriend. Unfortunately for them both they went to a carnival together, where Giuliana sat next to Ellie on a very rickety ride and got very motion sick. Ellie tried to ask Giuliana so many questions, while Giuliana ignored her and then sprinted away from her the moment the ride was done. Clearly an impression was made. Ellie is a small group leader at her church in Spokane and finishing up her 3rd year as an English Major at Whitworth University!
Matt Plut
Best Man
Isaac Newton’s little-known 4th law reads as follows: “one-third of all white guys is named Matt.” So, we were bound to have another Matt in the group. There is no better second Matt than Matt Plut. Matt is Giuliana's brother and he and the groom have been friends since meeting. They have especially bonded over Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, history and a love of food. Matt aspires to out-eat the groom, and the groom is ready for the challenge. Matt is also an exceptional skier and is determined to bring the groom with him down cliffs and into backcountry bowls. Matt is a daredevil and enjoys adventure. His interests also include playing guitar, MMA, and gaming as well. Matt is a very good friend, brother, and son. He lives in Seattle and is working in ‘Game tech’ for Amazon Web Services.
Richard Jimenez
Best Man
Richie has been Matt’s best friend since High School. They frequently refer to each other as “Hermano,” the Spanish word for brother. Their friendship took root when they spent about 2 hours after football practice talking about Star Wars. They have gotten into many (mostly harmless) shenanigans together. Distance have physically separated them, but things haven’t changed when they get together. He has always been a loyal friend - they will be hermanos for life and hopefully open a taco truck one day, if they can get their wives on board. Richie’s family’s tacos are nationally recognized, so it should be an easy sell eventually. He is a 1st lieutenant in the Army and is currently serving our country thus he is unfortunately no longer able to attend the new date, but he will be with us in spirit!
Jackson Yale
Groomsman
Jackson is one of Matt’s cousins and a truly wonderful young man. He is incredibly kind and thoughtful, clever, very fun and unashamedly himself. He brings life and joy to wherever he is at. He regularly calls Matt and Giuliana with updates about Wazzu, to chat about Harry Potter or Star Wars trivia, and just to catch up on life. We hope you get the distinct pleasure of watching one of his stage performances as well as he has a great skill and love of acting. It has been a distinct pleasure to see the young man Jackson has become, and we are honored to have him in the wedding. He is currently a student at WSU, as well as employed as a bartender at the Lumberyard in Pullman, and in acting as a mock pet owner for the Veterinary Program at WSU for students to practice speaking with.
Jason Becker
Groomsman
Jason was Matt’s closest friend at WSU (Go Cougs). Matt met Jason his first week, and developed an incredible friendship. They lived together Matt’s Junior year, which was probably the highlight of his time at college. He got Matt involved in church in Pullman, was always ready to try new things, and determined to have a great time. Jason is one of the few people who can pull off furry pants, a cougar head, and body paint for football games. We are not convinced he wasn't Butch for a stint. Some of the best times were at their co-hosted “Stew Nights,” where they made a pot of stew over a fire pit and invited everyone they knew. He is an avid crossfitter, and will go from living on beans and spinach to eating a dozen cinnamon rolls. He currently works as a Sales Engineer in the bay area.
Michael Lesmeister
Groomsman
Mike and Matt have been friends since they lived in Walla Walla. They shared great times together over the years sharing tents at church retreats, watching WSU games, going to Cougar Country or the Coug, or even just hanging out at each other’s places. They have made many memories along the way. Often, and for no reason, Matt and Mike would find themselves hanging out and talking about life for a long time after these events. These would usually go until the point of “I should be asleep,” or “it’s so freaking cold out here.” Mike has always been easygoing and easy to talk to. Matt calls him “Salt of the Earth,” without a hint of irony. Mike works as a civil engineer and lives in Renton with his wife Dessa and their son Travis.
Amy Barbour
Flower Girl
In spirit of dreams coming true, Amy will be a flower girl to fulfill a life time goal. Amy and G have been friends since middle school, so they have seen each other through every awkward stage. They also worked together as lifeguards where their boss couldn't tell them apart and instead knew them as them the good and bad one. Anything good that either G or Amy did was assigned to Amy... you can guess the rest. These two have always been solidly in each others fan clubs: Amy has been G's #1 hype person for years and G has dedicated her life to keeping Amy out past 10pm. Amy lived in Zurich, Switzerland for 3 years with her husband, Greg. They returned to the Seattle area mid-pandemic so that Amy could attend Law School at UW.
Rachael Sherman
Flower Girl
Another adult flower girl, because lets be honest it is the best job. Rachael and Giuliana met in the FIFTH GRADE. That's right, elementary school, don't believe anything Rachael says about it being middle school. Throughout their long friendship these two have always been around for a good laugh and a sarcastic comment. While they may seem like opposites, Rachael - tall, spooky loving, creative, go with the flow; Giuliana - short, hates scary things, analytical, structured. They bring out the best in one another and help each other see things from a different perspective. Rachael lives in the Seattle area working as an account manager, she is also a talented micro-doodle artist and writer!
Colton McCroskey
Ring Bearer
When Matt first saw a picture of Colton he texted Giuliana and said "I would die for this child." The love for this kid is strong, and a bonus of postponing the wedding is he is old enough to walk now! Colton will celebrate his third birthday 2 days before the wedding, loves trucks and cars, and is a ball of energy and fun. Matt was the ring bearer at his Dad's wedding and was very excited about this honor. That is, until the day of the wedding when he was presented his little tuxedo. Confused, he asked "where is my costume?" That is when they realized Matt had heard ring BEAR. Needless to say Matt pouted all night when he realized he would not be dressed as a bear. But what better way to make that dream a reality than with this kid? Stay tuned...