Candace & Rafael
Wedding Party
Ashley Hantman
Matron of Honor
Endocrinology Fellow traveling from Huntington Station, New York --19 years of friendship-- Candace met Ashley in 7th grade chorus class. Ashley was an alto and Candace was a soprano. When Candace looked over to assess her new chorus classmates on the other side of the room, she spotted a short, blonde haired girl wearing a brown Rolling Stones hoodie—Ashley. Candace, being the girl who always wore an oversized AC/DC hoodie, knew that they would be friends immediately. They've been two peas in a pod ever since. Fun Fact: Ashley's been on two television shows (Say Yes to the Dress and CNN) and was featured in the New York Times for her work with COVID-19 patients.
Ricardo Belloso
Best Man
Sales Manager traveling from Brooklyn, New York --15 years of friendship-- Ricardo and Rafael had some mutual friends in Caracas. They started going to soccer games together and quickly realized that they both despised wealthy and powerful teams that win often. They also worked together at the same law firm for almost a year. Ricardo and Rafael text on a daily basis to complain about everything, which both truly enjoy. Fun Fact: There isn’t a single song that Ricardo knows the full lyrics to.
Estefania Bustamante
Bridesmaid
Dentist traveling from Caracas, Venezuela --4 years of friendship-- Nine months after Rafael and Candace started dating, he told her that his family was going to be visiting from Venezuela for a few months. Naturally, Candace was nervous to meet them. As soon as she met his parents and sister, Fefi, she was put at ease. They were warm, caring, welcoming, and had the same sense of humor as Rafael, which Candace loved. She bonded instantly with Fefi and knew that they would be friends, even if she wasn't dating her brother. Candace is ecstatic to gain such a wonderful sister-in-law. Fun Fact: Fefi only eats cheese when it's on pizza.
Luis Eduardo Lopez
Groomsman
MBA Student at Universidad del Pais Vasco traveling from Santurtzi, Spain --25 years of friendship-- Luis Eduardo is Rafael's cousin. Rafael met Luis Eduardo when he was a few hours old and they have been close ever since. Rafael recently introduced Luis Eduardo to his now-favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned. Rafael was introduced to the same drink by Candace. Fun Fact: Luis Eduardo is a very successful retired TV commercial actor.
Liz Mahoney
Bridesmaid
Regional Account Manager traveling from Fort Lauderdale, Florida --10 years of friendship-- Candace met Lizzie in Organic Chemistry class at Florida State University. They quickly became close friends after countless study sessions in Strozier Library. All those sleepless nights culminated in finding a college roommate and fantastic travel buddy in one another. Candace and Lizzie have gone on multiple adventures together, including backpacking throughout Europe during the summer of 2017. Fun Fact: Lizzie has driven cross-country 6 times.
Charlie Garcia
Groomsman
Sales Manager traveling from Mexico City, Mexico --20 years of friendship-- Rafael and Charlie lived on the same street growing up and went to the same school. They met in the 7th grade and bonded over sports, video games, and music. Rafael and Charlie used to play poker together almost every weekend. Once, Charlie had only one chip left and somehow still managed to beat Rafael, who had at least 50 chips. Rafael still blames luck for what happened. Fun Fact: Charlie has watched The Office only four times.
Stephanie Talachian
Bridesmaid
Speech Language Pathologist traveling from Baton Rouge, Louisiana --29 years of friendship-- Candace and Stephanie met in dance class when they were just a few years old. Bonded by dance recitals, leotards, and lots of tap routines, Stephanie and Candace have been friends almost their entire lives. Their families have taken numerous vacations together and even celebrate some holidays together. Fun Fact: Stephanie frequently treats prisoners as part of her job.
Daniel Goncalves
Groomsman
Project Manager traveling from Barcelona, Spain --15 years of friendship-- Rafael and Daniel met in an English class in college. They quickly found out that they had a similar sense of humor and passion for sports and music. Rafael and Daniel once stormed the pitch in a professional soccer game after their favorite team became champions. Fun Fact: Daniel can bend his thumbs back over 90 degrees.
Arielle Hynes
Bridesmaid
MBA Student at Georgetown University traveling from Arlington, Virginia. --13 years of friendship-- Candace was assigned random roommates her freshman year at Florida State. Candace drove up early before the semester had begun to unpack and settle in. While taking a nap in the middle of the day, Candace had heard a knock on her dorm's door. On the other side was Arielle coming to introduce herself as her new roommate. Arielle was the first person Candace met at FSU and they have been friends ever since. Fun Fact: Arielle was a district champion weight lifter, previously held the title of cat coordinator, and once got hit by a car in Vietnam.
Francisco Peceno
Groomsman
Lead Project Manager traveling from Madrid, Spain --20 years of friendship-- Rafael and Francisco lived on the same street growing up and went to the same school. They became friends after playing soccer together and seeing each other frequently. Francisco introduced Rafael to one of his biggest vices, an online soccer game called Hattrick. Francisco also designed the website for Rafael's first rock band. Fun Fact: Rafael helped Francisco with his homework for English classes throughout high school and college.
Andrea Moran
Bridesmaid
Category Manager traveling from Jacksonville, Florida --10 years of friendship-- Candace and Andrea met through mutual friends during the summer of 2013 at Florida State. Through lots of late nights at Bullwinkle's Saloon in Tallahassee with PBR in hand, they became close and eventually, roommates. Their friendship blossomed by attending numerous FSU football games together, having weekly "family" dinners, countless pool parties, and poker nights. Fun Fact: Andrea has a beautiful puppy, Stella, a Boykin Spaniel.
Ronnie Gonzalez
Groomsman
Mechanical Engineer traveling from Lake Worth, Florida --9 years of friendship-- Ronnie saw an ad in college about a rock band that was looking for a guitar player and after a great audition he met Rafael, who was the bassist of the band. Rafael and Ronnie share a passion of going to as many rock concerts as possible. Candace, Rafael, and Ronnie are currently all in a rock band together and jam every weekend. Fun Fact: Ronnie is obsessed with lasagna.