Rachna & Eli
Wedding Party
Rachna Bal
Nearly Wed
Rachna is one half of the nearly wed couple and generally speaking, likes to do a lot of things. She enjoys learning every art form under the sun (currently it’s jewelry making), all things beauty related, music, cooking, baking, playing with her dog, and spending time with family and friends. Career wise, Rachna is currently pursuing two masters degrees, Chemistry and Cosmetic Science, from the University of Cincinnati and works at an after school STEAM educational enrichment program for kids. She is hoping to long term go into cosmetic product development and maybe even start her own cosmetic line one day. Rachna is beyond excited to marry Eli (best friend, adventure buddy, standing coffee date, etc.). She can’t wait to spend that moment with all the people who matter most to her (like you)!
Eli Cooper
Nearly Wed
Eli is getting married! He’s very excited to be celebrating how much he loves his fiancé Rachna. They met in college through mutual friends at an undetermined point during their freshman year. After becoming best friends over the next couple years, the two decided to start dating (a very good choice). Since then, they have graduated college, moved to Cincinnati, and adopted a dog. When he’s not working as an architectural drafter for SH Acoustics, Eli likes to spend his time listening to music, tinkering with things until they look like art, and hanging out with Rachna (duh :) ).
Jamie Taber
Foremost Folk
Jamie (they/them) has known Rachna and Eli since undergrad. They became friends with Rachna when they lived on the same floor freshman year, and they met Eli later that same year at a Quest event. Their friendship with both Rachna and Eli became even closer when they lived together the summer before senior year, and they have maintained that closeness in the years since graduating. Jamie is currently a doctoral student in Health Psychology and Clinical Science at the CUNY Graduate Center, and they live in New York City with their cat Maple. They do research on trans and nonbinary mental health, and in their free time they enjoy reading and hiking.
Eddie Cooper
Best Man
Eddie (he/him) is Eli’s older brother. Don’t worry, Eddie also knew Eli at Lafayette because he was a senior while Eli was a freshman. One of Eddie’s favorite moments with Eli was when Eli went on Birthright and stayed in Be’er Sheva with Eddie for a week. While renting a car didn’t go well, the two had a tremendous time watching movies in the bomb shelter. Eddie lives in Boston with his partner Jackie. He teaches high school English and coaches competitive youth soccer. He also enjoys trivia and hosts his own trivia nights—probably because he wants to test adults and tell them they’re wrong too.
Ritika Bal
Foremost Folk
Ritu met Rachna 19 years ago when our mother birthed her. Although Rachna and Ritu have a 6 year age gap, they have always maintained a closeness no matter how rough it got. Her fondest memories with her older sister are yelling at Rachna in the morning before sixth grade because Rachna always got Ritu late to school. Ritu met Eli for the first time in person at their undergrad graduation and saw how happy he made her older sister. Shoutout to Eli for driving Ritu home from the metro station that one time. Ritu is currently in the undergraduate sociology program at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. In her spare time she likes to play video games, listen to music, and harass her older siblings. :)
Bec Stargel
First Mate
Bec (they/them) has known Eli and Rachna since early in undergrad through Quest and working backstage with Eli in the Lafayette College Theater department. They have continued to be close friends with both Eli and Rachna ever since. Some of their favorite memories with Eli and Rachna involve cooking together over the summer they lived together, playing more-than-slightly unhinged games of D&D, drinking truly horrible watermelon smoothies and absolutely delicious snow cones made with real snow, and obsessing over how adorably ridiculous Nina looks in her science outfit. Bec is currently a doctoral student studying sociology at NC State University and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. When not working, they enjoy playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, rewatching campy T.V. shows, and engaging in other similarly nerdy hobbies.
Jennifer Wellnitz
Forever Folk
Jenn met Rachna and Eli when they were all freshmen at Lafayette College. Eli she met in her first ever college class. Rachna, on the other hand, she met while out walking circles around the quad late at night, talking to her girlfriend on the phone. Considering that her freshman year look was a bit on the deranged side, it was very surprising to her when Rachna came up and invited her to hang out, but they've been close ever since. Currently, Jenn is living in Raleigh, North Carolina, pursuing a Masters in Computer Science. In her spare time she likes reading, playing tabletop and video games, and drawing.
Elias Mueller
Groom's Mate
Elias (he/him) met Rachna while hanging upside down on a railing, and Eli through the Engineering department at Lafayette. His favorite memories with Rachna are those early freshman days when everyone was awkward and no one knew what was going on. His favorite memories with Eli are manic 4 AM engineering homework sessions. You might be thinking, "Those don't sound like good memories." Well, the strongest friendships are formed through adversity, or something like that. Elias is now a Mechanical Engineering consultant at Vanderweil Engineers in Boston, and enjoys playing games, making music, and hanging out with his cat Biscuit.
Rajan Bal
Forever Folk
Rajan (he/him) is Rachna's older brother. Rajan is a rather big fan of Rachna's but does not understand when she became old enough to get married. It is rather disturbing. Fortunately, Rachna chose Eli, which seems to be working out for her nicely. Rajan is extremely proud to see Rachna become the person she is today and is thrilled she found someone who makes her as happy as she deserves to be. Rajan is an attorney in the District of Columbia, where he lives with his partner Julia.
Peri Chain
Groom's Mate
As the beloved supreme overlord of all things music at Lafayette, Peri met more than her fair share of artistic types during her reign. Still, she might have missed out on two incredible humans, Eli and Rachna, had it not been for introductions simply through mutual friends. Music did bring the three friends closer together though. Soon Eli and Rachna would live on the Music Appreciation Floor (MAFia) during Peri’s time as President. Eli joined Pep Band as a figment of Peri’s now husband’s imagination and Rachna came to cheer them on while Peri conducted those crazy kids. When Peri had the bright idea of starting a MAFia House Band, Eli was ready to dust off those piano skills and sing anything from Green Day to Queen. With all this plus many late nights / early mornings spent in the common room, it’s amazing that Rachna and Eli didn’t get totally sick of Peri. For that, Peri is very thankful. She is also grateful to have Eli, such a reliable friend over the years, as a colleague at her current company – SH Acoustics – where she works as an acoustic/audio consultant. Peri’s still playing music, enjoying her guinea pigs and new puppy, and not getting enough sleep.
Anna Jordan
Forever Folk
Anna currently lives in New York, is a cool artist, has a cute cat, and is one of the best people ever. Anna and Rachna have been friends since 2011 when they were both freshmen at Sandy Spring Friends School in Maryland. This blurb is currently under construction and was written by Rachna.
Laurel
Groom's Mate
Laurel (she/her) met Eli in 6th grade at West Middle school (go Wildcats). They started their Destination Imagination journey together a year later, through which Laurel was able to witness Eli’s love for engineering and design grow exponentially. They went on to follow in Eddie’s footsteps as debate captains at Cherry Creek. Like most people, Laurel can count on one hand the friends she’s kept in touch with from the before-college times, and Eli is her favorite (don’t tell the other two). I still can’t believe she found someone who suits him so perfectly, who meets his biting sarcasm with further sarcasm, and knows how to back up his passionate arguments with calm logic. Can’t wait to celebrate you both!
Nina-Bean Mochi Booper
Ring Bearer
Nina is an adorable service dog that has known the couple since they adopted her at just 8 weeks old in August 2021. She has brought so much joy into the couple's lives and is so intelligent and caring. In her free time she enjoys snacks, playing with other puppies, chasing her own tail, hiding under the bed, and being very noodle shaped.