Our Wedding Party

Steven Sone

Best Man

While attending Guelph-Humber in Toronto in 2004, Scott and Steve connected over their love of video games (Counterstrike and Battlefield), cold beers on a patio and rock music (Tom Morello!). Steve is an avid skiier and they (including Pearly and Steve's wife Shaalee) have made it an annual tradition to plan a group ski trip every year. Steve recently traveled to New York to go on a ski trip to Vermont with the couple. Another annual tradition is spending New Year's Eve with Steve and Shaalee at a local bar in Toronto with the last stop always being Steve and Shaalee's apartment to ring in the new year. In 2023, we were finally able to celebrate the holidays together again with Steve and Shaalee and met their new son, Dexter.

Dexter Sone

Ring Bearer

Jane Yu

Maid of Honor

This wedding would not be possible without Jane! In this rare digital day and age, it was Jane who introduced Pearly and Scott to each other. Pearly met Jane at Penn State back in 2005 at an 18+ pop-punk show at the Crowbar. Pearly made a comment on Jane’s white sneakers getting dirty after the show and found out they were both from New York. They became good friends and got even closer after college when Jane moved to NYC from Long Island. It was a few years after graduation when Pearly mentioned to Jane that she was not making much connections through the dating apps that Jane wanted to try setting up Pearly and Scott in person through a group happy hour (so it would be less awkward if they didn’t hit it off). Thankfully, Pearly and Scott did make a real connection. Over the years, they have gone on small and big trips (hiking upstate, Korea, etc.) with Jane and now nearly a decade later, Pearly and Scott are taking the next big adventure - getting married and they couldn’t have done it without Jane!

Barb Brownlee

Groomswoman

Barb and Scott met around 2010 through their shared love of live music. Barb introduced Scott to many indie and dance concerts in downtown Toronto including at the Horseshoe Tavern and the El Mocambo. Barb has always been a pioneer in taste and culture so Scott (an original member of Barb’s "cubs") is grateful for her guidance. Pre-pandemic, they took surfing lessons together in L.A. and even took a trip to New Orleans just before the shutdown! Barb enjoys hosting guests in her newly built sauna and spending time with her furbaby, Sigma at Toronto’s finest dog parks.

Christian Yung

Bridesmaid

Christian is one of Pearly’s oldest friends. They met at David A. Boody junior high school when they were about 12 years old…when they were prepubescents! They were placed in the same art magnet class and spent a lot of time making art projects with questionable materials on a public school budget. Between the two of them, only Christian has retained her artistic craft and has produced some impressive woodworking pieces! They also bonded over their love of the anime show, Digimon (Taiora 4 lyfe!) and went on to the same high school (Midwood) as well. Christian and Pearly share a birth month in February and have made it an annual tradition to celebrate their Aquarius birthdays together. One friendship tradition that has not endured is celebrating (SAD - Single Awareness Day) together since they were teenagers. Christian and Pearly have grown up over the years together and have seen each other transition through various life stages over different partners, jobs, career changes and even first-time homeownership. Fun trivia: Christian was on the other side of the door when Scott and Pearly shared their not-so-secret first kiss at Scott’s apartment. Oops! Christian has always been a constant figure in Pearly’s life and is a great source of support in both Pearly and Scott’s lives.

Raymond Chan

Groomsman

Ray and Scott met through happy hours in New York City. Their mutual friend Kenji introduced them and discovered that they both loved hockey. While Scott is a Maple Leafs fan, Ray has expanded Pearly and Scott’s hockey fandom to include New York teams. Go Rangers/Islanders! Ray is also an occasional babysitter to Pearly and Scott’s car, Ruby. When Pearly and Scott has to fly out of LGA for their trips, Ruby gets to stay in Flushing with Ray in her VIP private parking spot. Ray is also the unofficial tour guide for Flushing and have accompanied the couple to many visits to neighborhood hotspots like the BBQ skewers cart, Shanghai You Garden for soup dumplings, White Bear dumplings and the infamous Roosevelt Sports Bar (RIP) where Ray would feel right at home chatting up with the other dive bar patrons.

Sara Yoon

Bridesmaid

Sara became one of Scott’s first friends when he first moved to NYC/the U.S. Thankfully, Sara has graciously accepted Pearly into their friend group when Scott and Pearly began dating (See photo gallery for the first evening they introduced themselves as dating to their friends at Scott’s birthday party). Over the years, Sara, Scott and Pearly bonded over their love of music and have even attended many concerts and music festivals together (Osheaga in Montreal, Austin City Limits, multiple Gov Balls, LCD Soundsystem, Carly Rae Jepsen, Michelle Branch, etc.). Attending the Glasgow music festival and a Taylor Swift concert together is still on their bucket list! Besides planning/traveling for music festivals, Sara is usually the friend who takes the role of initiating and planning for most of our group trips, keeping track of accommodations, activities, restaurant reservations and expenses in organized spreadsheets. Her attention to detail is unparalleled! We’ve had many successful ski and festival trips, thanks to Sara. Like Scott and Pearly, Sara is an only child, and contrary to popular belief/stigma of only children, Sara is one of the most selfless and generous people there is. Pearly and Scott are eternally grateful to have Sara in their lives.

Gregory Mitterman

Groomsman

Greg is one of the first people Scott had met when he moved to NYC/the U.S. They had met through their mutual friend Kenji over several group happy hour hangouts and they bonded over their love of craft beer (especially rare artifact beers). A few years later, Scott and Pearly moved into their second apartment together in Astoria, which was coincidentally located on the same street as Greg’s apartment. Over the years, they’ve had many hangouts all over the city, and visited many breweries and attended many beer festivals, hot sauce festivals and concerts. But some of their favorite memories include getting food from Athen's Grill and hanging out at each other’s apartments in Astoria, especially during the pandemic days as part of their Astoria bubble. Pearly and Scott are grateful to have Greg as a great friend even if they are no longer street neighbors :(

Elizabeth Park

Bridesmaid

Liz is another of Scott’s early friends that has graciously ‘adopted’ Pearly into the group. But at times, Liz is more of a big sister/mentor to both Pearly and Scott. No surprise there since Liz is one of New York City’s finest music educators. Liz was an experienced source of advice and recommendations when Pearly and Scott were building their home together as Liz had gone through the same fixer-upper process years ago when she purchased her home — and at which we have had the privilege of attending many memorable BBQ parties! Liz is also Pearly and Scott’s fairy car godmother since they had to park Ruby at Liz’s private driveway for the few months they were still living in the city with a car but no designated parking. More importantly Liz has been a great source of mental support when Pearly and Scott were going through many challenges (health issues, home renovations/repairs, contractor issues, etc.). Liz has been a supportive friend for Pearly and Scott through the ups and downs of adulthood and the couple is grateful to have her continued support and friendship.

Laura Thompson

Mother of the Groom

Laura grew up in the rural parts of Cobourg, Ontario, Canada with two brothers. She often tells stories about the back-breaking labor of growing up on a farm picking beans. If she took any breaks her father would yell out 'heads down asses up!'. After graduating high school in Cobourg, her and then-boyfriend Gary Thompson (Scott's dad) set their eyes on Toronto and moved to the big city. They had their only child, Scott in Toronto. After Scott was born, Laura decided to enroll in Seneca College to obtain her degree in order to provide a better living for their family. Laura worked as an auditor for various IT departments (Scotia Bank, Tangerine) for many years before she retired. Nowadays, Laura is a full-time adventurer and golfer. She has traveled to many places like Dubai, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Singapore and more. While she may not be the most skilled cook, she is always ready to pick up the tab for many good restaurant meals. Laura spends her time perfecting her golf swing and hiking the many nature trails around Toronto. She is a member of the Toronto Field Naturalist group and volunteers feeding the homeless at her local church.

Yue Su Zhang

Mother of the Bride

Yue Su Zhang grew up and lived in Taishan, Guangdong, China for nearly three decades before she immigrated with her family (parents, 3 sisters, 2 brothers) to the United States in the 1980s. In 1987, after a failed attempt to get on an MTA bus to the hospital in a winter storm, she gave birth to her only child, Pearly. Yue Su worked as a seamstress for many years. Nowadays, she likes making frequent trips to Chinatown with stops at the bakeries and different markets. She likes to take her lunch at one of New York City’s many public parks when the weather is nice outside. Yue Su is a longtime listener and supporter of AM 1480 public radio.

Gary Thompson

Father of the Groom

Attending in spirit, Scott's father passed away in 2017 from glioblastoma. Gary enjoyed working on his '69 Dodge Coronet, daily coffee from Tim Hortons (two cream and one sugar) and many camping trips in a Jayco trailer. While visiting Scott and Pearly at their apartment in Astoria, he would take upon himself many home improvement projects. He installed blinds and storage shelves after making several trips to the local home depot. Customers of home depot would approach him with questions and Gary would drop everything to help. He was a wonderful Dad, husband, son and brother and will always be missed and lovingly remembered.