Victoria & Ilan
Wedding Party
Megan Ulczak
Maid of Honor
Megs is my best friend, and as my dad says, his 'other daughter'. She's one of the 'Pius Girls', the term we use to refer to our group of 5 still in touch from grade school (having met the group at the advanced age of 11, I'm basically not even a Pius Girl). Megan has seen me through some of the best and worst times of my life. She knows me better than almost anyone else alive. She also remembers most of the details of my life - she's like an external hard drive of memories. She once not too long ago told me what I had to eat for lunch on a particular day in 7th grade. Megan is an artist with something like 7 jobs and lives in Oak Park, IL with her husband Nick, who is in fact Santa Claus. They have two rescue kitties named Olive and Ray.
Theresa Trimarco
Maid of Honor
That's right, I have two! Theresa is the other Pius Girl in this crowd and also my best friend (I have two of those, too). Of all of our friends from childhood, Theresa and I share the most similarities in life paths, which has made her one of my most relatable companions. Theresa also understands me on a level I don't understand myself. She's part of my heart. This lady is a super successful audiologist and has been married to Anthony longer than anyone else has been alive. A few years ago, Theresa and Anthony moved to Boise, which is why Ilan and I keep going there. They recently had two babies - a dog named Pearl and a human named August!
Kristina White
Bridesmaid
Kristina is basically my sister-in-law because her husband, Colin, is basically our other brother. When Kristina first joined the family, I was annoyed by how perfect she was and the fact that she runs 10 miles every morning while I lie in bed drinking four cups of coffee and reading @RealDonaldTrump. Nonetheless, I forgive and adore her. Kristina is a PARTNER at a law firm in Chicago and still does all the cooking. She is currently my favorite person to make eyes at when the family does ridiculous things. I have claimed Kristina and Colin's residence as my Chicago townhouse. It's very comfortable.
Desiree Germick
Bridesmaid
Des is my brother DJ's fiance and my future sister. I've never had a sister, so this is a very exciting prospect for me. Des is one of the kindest, most easy going people I know. She makes amazing cupcakes and my brother super happy. She's a terrific addition to our clan, rounding out the total number of Fiore family cats to 5. Although DJ and Des met in Oakland, Des grew up in Northwest Indiana, just outside of Chicago. Coincidence?! My parents once told me they were "SO HAPPY" DJ ended up with another Midwesterner...but then they stopped talking because, you know, awkward. Des just moved back to Chicago with DJ. They're getting married June 30th of next year! Weddings!!
Julia Cohen
Bridesmaid
Julia is Ilan's older sister and my other future sister-in-law! When Ilan was telling me about his family for the first time, he described Julia as 'the nicest person I know'. Now that I know her, I see why her little brother adores her. Julia is a professor of Jewish history at Vanderbilt, where her husband Ari is the OTHER professor of Jewish history. (They are very smart people). Their also very smart and absurdly cute son Ben is 2 and the light of everyone's lives in the extended Cohen crew. We have a mug with Ben's face on it - great mug. Ben, Julia and Ari just returned from a year in Oxford where they were visiting professors. They're now resettling in Nashville, which is sort of close to Chicago, so we'll take it!
Allie Field Bell
Groomslady
Allie is one of Ilan's closest friends and technically in the groom's bridal party. However, I (Tori) have fallen in love with Allie and am claiming her as my own. Allie and I both like whiskey and making fun of Ilan. Allie's originally from Sebastopol, but has ALSO LIVED IN INDIANA! (Come on, what are the odds?) She's a writer who just got a masters and is being actively mentored for screenplay writing by a Hollywood big shot. For reasons I don't understand, Allie recently moved to Tucson, which I find too far from here. Although she will stand on Ilan's side (eye roll), she's a girl and gets to do all the girl things with us.
Dylan Tarnoff
Best Man
Of all of my friends, I've known Dylan the longest - we go way way back to 4th (or was it 3rd?) grade. Once we reached middle school age, we started hanging out everyday after school and getting really good at video games (he got good, I got okay). Then came high school, where we were allies in pretending to be cool. It wasn't until college (and our hippie phase) that I realized how important Dylan's friendship was to me. He is the only one, to this day, who has been there though each of my life phases and has grown with me throughout. From our nerdy video game days, to our full moon drum circle days, to our adult-ish homeowner days, I know I can always count on Dylan to be there. Dylan and his lovely wife Kathrine are recent parents of an adorable little creature named Jonah.
Eitan Cohen
Groomsman
I'm not quite sure when my 'little' brother became my 'bigger-than-me' brother, but I'm sure Eitan knows. I'm just thankful we were past our physical altercation phase when it happened. Eitan is one of the smartest people I know. He can tell you about anything from religious history to horticulture to whiskey to pretty much whatever else you might want to know. Eitan and I both decorated our very first Christmas tree together last year because it made Tori absurdly happy. He took the top branches. I'm so appreciative of my little bro and am thrilled to have him in the wedding party. Eitan is currently living the dream in Hawaii and is a father to an floofy little pooch named Munchkin.
William "Boz" Bazargani
Groomsman
Boz is the most capable person I've ever met. There's never been a job, a climb, or a task that Boz couldn't do. I'll never forget the one summer when we built a climbing gym in Davis. Boz lost his cell phone that summer so every morning he would show up to my trailer, wake me up, and we'd head to Dutch Brothers to grab a coffee before work since he had the keys and I couldn't start without him. We probably listened to Rhianna a hundred times that summer while suspended from the ceiling. Don't judge us, Rude Boy is a very motivating song. Boz is now living the dream on the east side of the Sierras climbing all sorts of boulders and loving life with his goober dog Mika.
DJ Fiore
Groomsman
I've known DJ for about as long as I've known Tori. A couple weeks after Tori and I started dating, we ran into DJ and Don on the sidewalk which turned into a surprise meet the family brunch! It must have gone well, because we did it again the next day (unfortunately, the second date was marred by Don's negative experience with a chorizo omelet). DJ and I knew we were perfect for each other right away. Over the relatively short time we both lived around Lake Merritt, we bonded over all sorts of activities such as A's and Warriors games, whale watching, bbqs and brunches, and camping. Our favorite pastimes include such things as making fun of Tori, teasing Tori, and also, making fun of Tori. DJ is an all around great dude and I'm excited to have him as my brand new brother-in-law.