Wedding Party
Alexa Rudakoff
Maid of Honor
Alexa and I have known each other since Grade 7, back in our formative years at West Island College. Like many great friendships, ours had a brief dramatic pause in high school… only to be reignited when we were *randomly* roomed together on our travel studies trip to Ecuador. Turns out, being dropped into the Ecuadorian jungle is the ultimate friendship reset. We’ve been thick as thieves ever since. If you know Alexa, you know she is the most type-A, organized, disciplined human alive (honestly, goals), and somehow balances that with being the most phenomenal, ride-or-die friend. I truly could not imagine my wedding day without her by my side.
Derek VanGenderen
Best Man
Derek and I technically met in high school—but our story begins somewhere far more romantic: the bike section at Sport Chek. We ran in very different circles. Derek was firmly planted with the jocks… and I was, let’s say, pursuing other extracurriculars (none of which involved athletic ability). I had recently bought a bike and I decided to give it a wash. Unfortunately, I also managed to wash all the grease off the chain. So I took it to my local Sport Chek—and lo and behold, Derek was working in the bike shop. Long story short… Derek did absolutely nothing to fix the problem. I ended up returning the bike and buying a new one somewhere else. But somehow, despite that strong start, this kicked off a friendship that will last a lifetime. Since then, we’ve been travel buddies, roommates, and somehow trusted each other enough to be the Best Man at each other’s weddings. Derek is still the first person I call when I have exciting news—or when I need a second opinion (which I take with a grain of salt).
Aria Cusano
Bridesmaid
Aria and I met in a tiny, crowded dorm room during one of our first days at the University of Calgary. We became instant best friends the moment we realized we were in the same program. Fate, obviously!! Aria has a wicked good memory and lovingly reminds me of all the questionable decisions we made during undergrad (some things should stay in the vault). She is a walking ball of sunshine; the kind of person who lights up every room she walks into and somehow makes everything more fun just by being there.
Ken Chen
Groomsman
Ken and I also go way back to high school—where, much like Derek, he was one of the jocks playing football… for a team that, to put it politely, specialized in character-building losses. We didn’t really become close until university, where we conveniently discovered we shared a lot of the same friends. Post-university, Ken became a staple at poker nights and Friday nights at National, where you could reliably find him doing one of two things: arriving early… or being passed out on literally any chair with an armrest. To this day, Ken holds a very unique and impressive title—he is both the first person to show up to the party and the first one to fall asleep at it. Consistency like that is hard to find.
Natalie Thompson
Bridesmaid
Much like Aria, I met Natalie during one of the very first days of law school at the University of Alberta. Natalie swooped in to help me during a bit of an unfortunate Pre-O situation (if you know, you know!) and from that moment on I thought, “Oh… this is my GIRL.” Natalie is the heartbeat of every party and the person you want beside you in both your best and worst moments. She brings the fun, the loyalty, and the strength — truly one of the strongest people I know.
Brian Freel
Groomsman
Brian and I met in third year university when we were put into the same group for our Introduction to Marketing class—a course that, for us, quickly became less about marketing and more about survival. Our group consisted of a few… let’s call them memorable personalities. Brian and I bonded quickly over the realization that we were the only two “normal” ones—though that’s still up for debate. Naturally, this shared trauma turned into a lasting friendship. Since then, Brian has been a consistent presence at parties and never misses an opportunity to hang with the guys. He’s the kind of person who always shows up—and somehow makes every event better just by being there.
Madeleine Blouin
Bridesmaid
Maddy and I were in the same articling class at Osler… so yes, we are very much trauma bonded. There is something about surviving articling together that fast-tracks a friendship for life. Maddy is my Bella Hadid: effortlessly cool, wildly fun, and somehow always looks put together no matter what chaos is unfolding around us. Maddy also has a knack for giving the best advice and being the therapist you didn’t know you needed.
Sam Shankel
Groomsman
Sam and I met through what we’ll politely call a “mutual friend”… on a double date. A bold way to start a friendship, but somehow it worked. Not long after, we discovered we were both friends with Brian—which, in hindsight, probably should’ve been a warning sign for both of us. At some point (no one really knows exactly when), Sam seamlessly became a regular, as if he had always been there. No formal invite, no onboarding process—just showed up and never left. Sam later moved to Toronto, where we reconnected and he played a key role in introducing us to our Toronto friend group—essentially becoming our social coordinator, whether he signed up for it or not. Sam remains a true gentleman. He’s the guy you can always count on.