Wedding Party
Marisa Vela
Matron of Honor
Marisa is Monica's older (and wiser) sister by 18 months, but more than that, she started as Monica's earliest friend. Monica has many memories of playing for hours on end with Marisa and genuinely didn't mind Marisa bossing her around all the time. You will often hear them refer to each other as "Du" rather than their actual names, which is a long story that you can ask either of them about. Marisa has always had an extremely generous heart and has made a career out of helping people by raising funds and organizing events for various deserving nonprofits. She has also given Monica the best gifts in the form of her three daughters (and flower girls!) Eliza, Emmie, and Elaina. Monica loved standing by Marisa on her wedding day, and now she can't wait to have Marisa stand by her side as well!
PJ Chearmonte
Best Man
PJ is Giacomo's youngest brother and growing up he was always trying to keep up with the big kids and do everything they did. With a 10 year age gap between Giacomo and PJ, Giacomo wasn't always the best influence on his brother! PJ lived with Giacomo in Houston for one summer while working an internship and, after graduating from college, moved to Austin (only 2.5 hours away from Houston). Now PJ is the one keeping Giacomo young; they enjoy getting to spend time together golfing, grilling & cooking, and watching the Buffalo Bills games. PJ brings a positive and outgoing approach to everything & Giacomo is excited to have him by his side!
Eliza Vela
Flower Girl
Eliza is Monica's oldest niece and also Monica's goddaughter. Her favorite color is magenta, her favorite book is "The Babysitter's Club: Marianne's Bad Luck Case," and she wants to be a pop star when she grows up who sings for the world and flies around in a private jet. The thing she is most excited about for being a flower girl is wearing a beautiful dress!
Emilia Vela
Flower Girl
Emilia--lovingly known as "Emmie"--is Monica's second oldest niece. Her favorite color is yellow and her favorite book is "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh." She loves making art and hopes to be an art teacher when she grows up. She is very excited to throw flowers at "Mo and the Pizza Man's" wedding!
Elaina Vela
Flower Girl
Elaina is Monica's youngest niece, and the youngest member of our wedding party. Her favorite color is purple and her favorite books are the "Frozen" mini books. Her older sisters think that she will be either a stunt double or a race car driver when she grows up, and they say she is most excited to be a flower girl so she can "dump the flowers on the floor."
James David White
Ring Bearer
James--lovingly known as "JD"--is Monica's godson and son to one of her best friends from high school. His favorite book is "There's a Monster at the End of This Book" (which was also one of Monica's favorite books growing up!) and he wants to be a ninja when he grows up. In his own words: "I am excited to be the ring bearer because I wanna give out rings and I love Tia Mony and Zio G."