Wedding Party

Tessa Gandhi

Maid of Honor

Growing up five and a half years apart, I always idolized Tessa as my older sister. Anything Tessa did, I also wanted to do. Despite the age difference, we always loved to play together and Tessa was the best role model I could have asked for growing up. She has been with me through every core moment of my life and I can’t imagine anyone else standing by my side as I get married.

Aaron Perez

Best Man

I met Aaron in 3rd grade at St. Helen's Catholic school, and we became friends during a fateful lunch recess when Aaron spilled a bunch of Sunny D all over me and we spent the lunch period getting to know each other. Since then, he and I have shared over 20 years of getting in trouble for laughing during classes, playing middle school and high school sports together, staying up past our curfews watching movies and playing video games together, and, perhaps most significantly, dancing together. My love of performing and dancing came directly from spending hours learning choreography and technique from Aaron. To this day, the music of Usher, Michael Jackson, and Justin Timberlake will make us bust a move like you wouldn't believe.

Daniela Martin

Bridesmaid

Daniela and I met when I was assigned to be Daniela’s welcome buddy on Daniela’s first day at Lydiksen Elementary school. It was our first day of fourth grade. At first, Daniela said she didn't need a welcome buddy and so I continued playing with my usual group of friends. After a few weeks Daniela started spending recess with me and my friends and we quickly became best friends. Almost every weekend was spent at each other's houses having sleep overs, dance parties, and making memories of a lifetime. We have spent the last 20 years as friends with each other's families growing to feel like their own. Daniela’s mother, Marina, will be officiating the ceremony.

Gabriel Pitta

Groomsman

I'm a proud Kuya (big brother) to Gabriel. I have a lot of fond memories with him and my sisters growing up in the Bay Area, visiting family in Monterrey, and moving to Fresno. We've shared the ups and downs of life together, and it brings me immense joy to have Gabriel be my groomsman on my wedding day. A lot of who I am has to do with my friendship with my brother. For instance, I'm a big nerd at heart, and a lot of it stems from Gabriel and I cultivating a shared love of movies, games, and fandoms growing up. We even stayed in touch over the pandemic by playing Halo online together. I'm excited to celebrate my wedding with Hailey with Gabriel by my side.

Kate Van Donge

Bridesmaid

Kate and I met during freshman move in on our first day at UC San Diego. While me and my parents were unloading boxes into my dorm room, Kate popped her head in to introduce herself. After ditching the all campus dance to go get ice cream from the market instead, we became inseparable. We lived together all through college and afterwards. She was there the night Josh and I met, and I can’t imagine not having her next to me the day we get married.

Garrett Wright

Groomsman

Garrett and I also met in 3rd grade in St. Helen's when Garrett was assigned to be Josh's dedicated 'class buddy.' The teacher sat Garrett next to me so that I would have a friend since I'd previously been homeschooled. Once class started though, Garrett turned to me and said "Hi, I'm Garrett, it's nice to meet you." To which I responded by raising his hand to hail the teacher and exclaim, "Ms. Winstead, Garrett is trying to talk to me, and it's against the rules to talk during class." Garrett subsequently lost a star and was unable to go on the end of year reward trip for people who didn't lose stars. Thus was the start of a beautiful friendship. Garrett and I played sports and performed in the school's jazz band together. My love of music and art came from always being impressed by Garrett's artistic prowess, and my friendship with Garrett has been immensely helpful in my becoming less of the square I was in 3rd grade.

Marina Martin

Officiant