Sharadhi & Kunal
Wedding Party
Diya Shah
Flower Girl
Shar and Kunal's niece will not only provide flowers for the party, but you will find her on the dance floor teaching the Aunties and Uncles who's boss.
Rohan Shah
Flower Boy
Kunal and Shar's nephew loves parties and has a trick for you...When you see him, give him your birthday and he'll tell you what day of the week it was this year.
Anuj Patel
Groomsman
Kunal's cousin Anuj is not only family, but one of his closest friends. They grew up in Santa Cruz together and spent their entire childhood wrestling, breaking windows, tables and all sorts of things at their families houses. When most of their family was dancing at garba, you would find Anuj and Kunal outside playing football. You'll find him all weekend "managing" the Patel family and sharing a few thoughts on what it was like to grow up with Kunal.
Pallavi Joshi
Maid of Honor
Pallavi, Sharadhi's cousin, is essentially her older sister. Having finally found her way to the Bay, Pallavi is an Etsy extraordinaire, Pani Puri making queen, and helps keep Shar's Indian jewelry/accessory collection up to date. Having nursed Shar back to health many times, both in India and the US, Pallavi's care taking skills cannot be matched. With their shared obsession of the InstantPot, Pallavi and Shar are looking forward to many more family dinners in California.
Sarah Anand
Maid of Honor
Sarah and Sharadhi actively disliked each other until the age of 8, at which point they did a 180 and have been best friends ever since. Having lived with Shar in college, Sarah's definitely got the gold mine of embarrassing stories about Shar. Ask her about the one time she helped Shar talk her way out of her speeding ticket in Eloy, Arizona. But the embarrassing stories definitely go both ways. Also ask Sarah about that one time she accidentally filled up diesel in her car.
Tommy Stricklen
Groomsman
Tommy is one of Kunal's oldest friends. They enjoyed their tee-ball years together and from a very young age, created an incredible bond. They moved up to SF and celebrated birthdays, New Years and so many significant moments in their lives. When you see Tommy, ask him about how Kunal got his nickname and how many times they went to Philz in the course of a year, before any of their friends woke up.
Kendall Saville
Groomsman
Don't be deceived by that hat into thinking he's a true Brit. He may be busy taking photos as part of the Bridemaids party, but in his spare time, Kendall volunteers to participate in Indian Ceremonies and is always willing to put a coconut on top of his head.
Akila Prasad
Bridesmaid
Akila and Shar were not the most normal kids, which is why they also became best friends. Their activities included trying to make magic perfume from crushed up flowers (and occasionally trying to reattempt this in college), making egg shell candles, watching Cast Away one too many times, and trying to break each other's foot because they REALLY wanted to have crutches. When you see her, dare her to eat a rose.
Harlean Ahuja
Bridesmaid
You'll definitely hear Harlean before you see her. 5 foot nothing, Harlean packs a punch and will bring the party everywhere she goes. Shar and Harlean, or Sharlean as they like to call themselves, were roommates in college and have been through questionable Ben and Jerry's heartbreaks, questionable dietary restrictions, questionable ear piercings, and much more in their 10+ years of friendship. Ask Sharlean about the time they barely made it to their own graduation.
Ryan Pedersen
Groomsman
Ryan, or as the Patel family still calls him to this day, "PD", is the wildcard. If you are looking for dirt on Kunal or need an incriminating story he not only has them, but he also has zero filter when telling them. If he gets too deep into his "stories", feel free to remind him that Shar consistently beats him in beer pong to this day.
Cartier Brutschy
Groomsman
They say first impressions count. Mr. Cartier took that to heart the first time he met Kunal and stumbled into a Vegas hotel room with a 30 pack and a box of Franzia. Cartier and Kunal frequented Scottsdale long before Shar was legally able to drink and the fun didn't stop there.
Sheetal Singh
Bridesmaid
Sheetal, or Sheets as her friends call her, has been one of Shar's besties for 20+ years. From making up dances to "Mr. Brightside" in saris, to watching "Tuck Everlasting" in Sheetal's movie room, to attending their first frat party, to wine tasting in Napa, to Euro trips and too many steps in Croatia, and petting every dog they see along their way, Sheetal and Shar have seen it all. When you see her, please ask her to do her best minion impression for you.
Anita Shetty
Bridesmaid
Anita, or "Akka" as Shar calls her (meaning older sister), has helped steer Shar out of trouble (and occasionally into the right kind of trouble) for the last 20 years. Growing up, Shar followed Anita around and wanted to do everything Anita did - from having a crush on Freddie Prinze Jr., to wanting to wear glasses, to wearing the same perfume, Shar didn't always leave Anita with a lot of breathing room. However, her patience and loyalty never wavered. And as we've all come to know, "a little Anita will definitely set this party off right".
Calvin Sanchez
Groomsman
Calvin is making the long trek from Texas and bringing that southern hospitality with him. He's one of Kunal's buddies from High School and can probably name 3 different states where he's saved Kunal from a body of water. Good swimmer, better friend.
Matt Jacobs
Groomsman
If at any time during the wedding you need a lawyer, please find Matt Jacobs. He can not only share a few incriminating stories of Kunal, but he can go toe to toe with Shar on their knowledge of Harry Potter. Apologies in advance for all of his UCLA talk.
Ketki Warudkar Duvvuru
Bridesmaid
Ketki, Shar's roommate and bestie post college, has helped define much of Shar's Bay Area life - from introducing her to the best Korean Food, working at the same company together, to helping plan the best Napa trips, to family dinners, Page House memories, "keeping it real", and always leading the pack. Although she sometimes has questionable ideas like chambongs and over ordering at restaurants, Ketki's zest for life and parties truly cannot be matched.
Mohini Mistry
Bridesmaid
The only person that will give Shar (and Sarah) a run for their money in terms of clumsiness, is Ms. Mohini Mistry (she once tore her ACL getting out of a cab....). Mohini was Shar's first introduction into the Bay Area sophomore year of college, and they've been besties ever since. From celebrating their 21st birthday together in Vegas, to their 28th in San Francisco, these two love parties and keeping Ketki's restaurant orders at a reasonable level. Mohini also helps teach Shar (and Kunal, let's be honest) about all things Gujurati.
Ernie Nehrer
Groomsman
Ernie and Kunal go all the way back to little league, and their friendship only grew from there. From touring colleges, to "Team Davis", visiting Santa Barbara, all the way through to Thailand and San Francisco. Ernie, now a proud resident of the Arizona, continues to "encourage" Shar and Kunal to settle down here one day.
Frankie Mecozzi
Groomsman
A wise Frankie once said, "You never walk away from a heater". Frankie and Kunal have had an irrational love for sports that has only cemented their relationship over the course of the last 20 years. They've literally seen the best of times (see Coco Crisp) and the worst of times (Seahawks) when it's come to sports, but through it all they dusted themselves off and continued on this miserable path of fandomship.
Neha Mathew
Bridesmaid
When she's not saving the world in Kenya or Vietnam, Neha can be found living with her husband Shalin in NYC (but hopefully moving back to the Bay soon!). Neha and Shar have known each other since junior year of college, when they first experienced the joys and sorrows of a 4 lokos night, which they thankfully traded in for random weeknight power hours when living together with Ketki. Neha and Shar also share a common love for all things Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and the song "Balam Pichkari".
Jeremy Leaf
Groomsman
Jeremy is one of Kunal's buddies from college and one of the reasons he may have actually graduated. Jeremy and Kunal had a love/hate relationship with their sports teams. Kunal hated Jeremy's teams and Jeremy loved making fun of Kunal's teams. Their true bond was over the 49ers and the only way you could see these two align on sports. When you see Jeremy, please don't ask him about any college stories - it's probably for the best.
Tushar Gadagkar
Groomsman
Tushar has a significant role in the party here. He's not only Shar's brother, but he's become one of Kunal's really good friends and soon to be brother-in-law. They have bonded over amazing adventures in SF and Chicago and had an awesome time during their fun-employment phase. If you need a good story between Shar and Kunal, there's no better person to ask than Tushar - something tells us he'll be happy to shar(e).
Kunal's Cousins
Patel Brothers (More than just groceries)
Manish - Kunal's Jijai who literally carried him to the finish line of a half marathon they recently ran. Maulik - Kunal's brother-in-law who is working hard to have Shar and Kunal move "back home". Nilay - Kunal's de facto older brother. If it wasn't for Nilay, Kunal would be playing the flute instead of playing baseball. Bijal - Kunal's de facto little brother. You may know him as the best engagement MC. Ronak - Kunal's brother-in-law. He set the bar for Kunal and Shar on how to parent an-up-and-coming Patel Bro. Bhavin - Kunal's older cousin who flies across the pond for every event and makes it look easy. Sanjeev - Kunal's english cousin who's helped developed his sense of style and UK curiosity