Alyssa & Rob
Meet our VIPs
Dave Chessin
Best Man
Whether Dave wanted this to be the case or not, he was Rob's first friend. Inspired to follow in his big brother's footsteps, Rob joined Dave at Lehigh University, where he also joined the same fraternity and really leaned into the whole brother thing. Today, Dave lives in Wayne, close to where he and Rob grew up. Rob and Alyssa enjoy going to his nieces and nephews’ various sporting events, and we don’t hate that Dave and his wife Michelle have a beach house they let us use.
Katy Lack
Maid of Honor
Published authors, OG polo influencers, and generally the funniest people in the room, Katy and Alyssa have been best friends for more than half their lives, and Katy holds the honor of having one of the three phone numbers Alyssa knows by heart. Having racked up countless adventures and memories, many of which our mothers would probably yell at us about, these two remain thick as thieves to this day, although in a slightly more mature way than in their high school days. Oh, and most importantly, go Tar Heels, Duke sucks!
Chris Auferio
Groomsman
Chris & Rob met on the gridiron way back in 1984, and throughout the years took joy in destroying Wyckoff’s football team. While they've long since hung up their cleats, Rob and Chris still dominate in (fantasy) football, can spend hours talking about cryptocurrency, and will happily debate you about where in NJ you can find the best pizza. Chris and his wife Caitlin enjoy double dating with Rob and Alyssa, who are trying their best to peer pressure them into moving to the 'burbs!
Whitney Wells
Bridesmaid
Whitney showed up on the scene 3 years into Alyssa's reign as the center of attention. While initially not the biggest fan, Alyssa decided that she made a pretty decent sidekick and playmate, and worst case, someone she could pin stuff on. Sorry Whit... An accomplished collegiate athlete, Whitney spent several years living abroad before returning home with the 5th light of Alyssa's life (#s 1-4 -> Rob, their three cats)... her nephew Sethew. Today, Alyssa and Whitney have a strong meme chat game, and Whitney lovingly threatens to send her children to live with Lala and Rob at least bi-weekly.
Dan Emont
Groomsman
Dan and Rob go all the way back to the sandbox of nursery school, and have been friends ever since. Sharing a passion for food and a love of travel and adventure, Dan and Rob have traveled extensively together, and it's very rare that either of them takes a bite of a meal without first texting a picture of it to the other. Always a good sport up for a challenge, last year Dan signed up for the biggest adventure to date... helping Rob and Alyssa move.
Courtney Walsh
Bridesmaid
Courtney and Alyssa met each other nearly ten years ago when they started working together. While they first became close as they trauma bonded over that #RetailLife, their friendship quickly transcended work and they have enjoyed many Friendsgivings, beach trips, couch sleepovers, and random nights out with each other. Courtney and Alyssa's shared dream is to retire to a big beach house with a menagerie of wildlife not meant to be pets, including raccoons, kangaroos, skunks, and bobcats. Fun fact, Alyssa officiated Courtney's wedding to her husband Tom!
David Dougherty
Groomsman
David and Rob met each other while working at Pier Sixty, and quickly became close. David inspired Rob to get into running, and the two have run many races over the years. They share a love of food, have crushed more than a few excellent meals throughout the years, and enjoy giving each other random but hilarious gifts. Fun fact, Rob is godfather to David's daughter, Hudson!
Delaney Goodwin
Bridesmaid
Once Delaney and Alyssa made peace with the fact they are basically the same person, their friendship took root and grew into something wonderful. Alyssa is Delaney's go-to for anything related to Excel, hanging a tv, or advice on how many daily vitamins are enough; Delaney is Alyssa's go-to for all things skincare, shared moral outrage, and cat memes. An unlikely pair, these two are as good of friends as they are bad at talking each other out of questionable decisions.
Michael Hyman
Groomsman
Unbeknownst to them at the time, Mike and Rob's paths crossed years before when Mike went to summer camp with Rob's brother, Dave. They officially met each other during Mike's 'super senior' year at Lehigh, though, and their friendship continued to grow as they moved to NYC. They have traveled the globe together, conquering southeast Asia and Columbia, and most recently, Kingston, NY, where he lives with his better half, Anne, and their two dogs AJ and Winston.
Ashleigh Sears
Bridesmaid
If someone kidnapped Ashleigh and Alyssa, there would be no ransom call because the kidnapper would drop them back off after only a few minutes. Ashleigh and Alyssa met in NYC over a decade ago and quickly realized they had a shared love of general shenanigans, bread, and making everything an outrageously good time, and became fast friends. Distance might keep these two physically apart, but that only makes their time together even more special.
Darren D'Aloia
Groomsman
Darren and Rob go all the way back to Theunis Dey... #iykyk. The D'Aloia family welcomed Rob with open arms, and Rob has many wonderful memories of their family shore house and the many party weekends over the years. While Rob and Darren's friendship has grown since first grade, Darren has not lost his childhood joie de vivre and is the ultimate hypeman.
Roy Salley
Groomsman
Rob and Roy have been PALs since their days together back at the Wayne PAL. Rob and Roy lived in Jersey City together with Chris Auferio back before Jersey City was cool... Roy Salley, trendsetter. You heard it here first.
Jarrod Brandman
Groomsman
Jarrod and Rob have known each other since their days in high school, but their friendship really flourished during their time as fraternity brothers at Lehigh University. Jarrod was a Wayne Hills basketball legend, and still has a sick handle with a basketball. Even though he's a Nets fan, Rob doesn't hold that against him.
Jon McLellan
Groomsman
Rob and Jon met at Lehigh University, and kept their frat brotherhood days rolling into their first big boy apartment in NYC. Residing at the infamous 306 E. 15th, Rob and Jon enjoyed years of fun and special memories, including when Rob introduced Jon to his now wife, Kristy. Jon has the white hot intensity of a thousand suns, is tremendously artistic and creative, and Rob is lucky to call him a friend.
Anthony Carcaterra
Groomsman
Anthony and Rob met during their time working at Pier Sixty, where Anthony took Rob under his wing and mentored him on all things purchasing. Bonding over a passion for food and pedicures, Rob and Anthony's friendship has continued to grow over the years.
Ed Hadad
Officiant
Ed and Rob met at Lehigh University, and bonded their freshman year while painting a basketball court onto a driveway. Over the years, they both lived in NYC, and while Ed was traversing the globe on an epic adventure, Rob and Mike joined him to explore Cambodia and Thailand together. Rob has many fond memories of joining the Hadad family on their summer vacations in Maine, and Ed's dad is one of Rob's favorite writers. Ed inherited his dad's way with words, making him the perfect person to officiate Rob and Alyssa's special day.