Wedding Party
Alex Vandestadt Arndt
Alex and Rose have been friends since freshman year of college. They met while rushing the same sorority, and instantly hit it off. Throughout their friendship, they have enjoyed trips to the beach and cabin, dancing anywhere and everywhere, bean and cheese tacos, running through the hallways of their dorm, friendship dates in Austin, way too many (okay, no such thing!) purple margaritas, and endless laughter. Alex cannot wait to stand by Rose’s side as she marries her best friend.
Danielle Guerra
On a warm summers day in late August 1993, both Rose and Dani graced the world with their presence—just hours apart. Dani was born slightly earlier, making her a little older and much, much wiser. After initially meeting at Forest Trail elementary, the two bonded over being Virgos and, of course, a love for cheese. From summer vacations on the Oregon coast to yearly trips on their birthday, Rose, Dani, and Olivia (their third counterpart) have been inseparable ever since.
Alyssa Marazzo
Alyssa first heard about Rose after Chris met her at their beloved Forlini’s (RIP to a real one). It became clear to Alyssa right away that the two were a perfect match. When the pandemic hit, and Rose briefly moved into the Marazzo's New Jersey home aka Palazzo Marazzo, she grew close to everyone and, most importantly, won over the family dog Finley. Rose has felt a part of the family ever since.
Samantha Oliver
Sam and Rose were serendipitously paired as roommates during a study abroad semester in Italy. While Rome-ing about Europe (and not not getting pulled over by Italian police one time in Sardinia), they became the best of friends. Sam and Rose continued living together in the Big Apple after they graduated from college, creating even more memories as roommates. They’ve since stamped their passports in many countries all across the world, including Morocco, Spain, Croatia, Turkey, and Greece.
Allison Pace
Rose and Allison met Sophomore year in college, where Allison spent many weekends visiting Trinity University. When Allison moved to NYC in 2016, Rose was the first person to welcome her to the Big Apple, making her feel right at home. They fell in love with New York, sang a lot of Broadway show tunes, and missed their home state of Texas together—most notably, the Hill Country. They are bonded over basketball, a love for enchiladas, and the fact that all of their exes live in Texas. Over the years they’ve become even closer exploring every corner of NYC, celebrating life’s milestones, and antiquing in the Hudson valley.
Olivia Parker
Olivia and Rose met 25 years ago (!!!) at Forest Trail Elementary in Austin, Texas. Go Fighting Falcons. They became BFFs, eventually forming what would become the legendary (read: infamous) ROD social club, alongside their third muskateer, Dani. Olivia and Rose both live in New York City, and spend lots of time laughing at the same jokes they were laughing about 20 years ago—now just with a drink in hand.
Lila Ritger
Rose and Lila met at Trinity University in their first year Chinese language class. While you might be wondering how Lila and Rose bonded over Chinese characters and tones, you would be correct to assume they didn’t. (Rose dropped the course). Lila and Rose wound up joining the same sorority at Trinity, and from there the rest was history. Over the years Lila and Rose have lived together twice, visited NYC to interview for jobs together, complained about the lack of TexMex options in Manhattan, and made the most out living in NYC in their 20s.
Caroline Roberts
Caroline and Rose met their first year at Trinity University in San Antonio, and instantly became dynamic brunette besties. They went on many college adventures eating all the Tex-Mex food, enjoying margaritas, going to costume parties, and rushing together. They ended up joining the same sorority and becoming college dorm suite-mates. Although both born and raised Texas girls, Caroline and Rose have lived all over the country. Despite the distance, they have remained besties for 8 years (and counting!), and always make plans to travel and see each other. They have celebrated and supported the most important life events together, from career advancements to engagements. Rose was a beautiful bridesmaid in Caroline’s 2023 wedding and she can't wait to stand by Rose’s side next!
Brian Apkarian
Brian and Chris met in 2009 at William & Mary, when Chris found the fraternity on campus with all of the other Italian guys from the Tri-state area. Both NYC residents after college, it was decided by their friend group that Brian and Chris were the perfect duo to get the party started. After various brainstorming sessions at Forlini’s restaurant discussing their mission and location, they quickly realized that the answer was right under their forks. Their famed (read: infamous) Manhattan social club “Freaky Fridays at Forlini’s” led to tons of laughing, dancing, singing, and, most importantly, the courtship that brought Rose and Chris together. Today, they are both proud owners of artwork from the table dedicated to them at the now-closed eatery (Rip Forlini's), and are taking their talents to new heights as members of an actual social club, the Columbus Citizens Foundation, where Rose and Chris will hold their wedding reception.
Alexander Bliss
Ever since Chris climbed on my shoulders, and yelled “freak the mighty” as we ran toward the end zone in a gym-class flag football game, our time together has been defined by one phrase: “hijinx are the best part.” Calling ourselves the “Gentleman Adventurers,” we did our best to live up to the motto. Whether it was circumnavigating Iceplace in 24 hours listening to Jimmy Buffet’s “Volcano” on repeat, traipsing through the wastelands of Chernobyl, or consulting with the tourism board of a small Sri Lankan village, Chris has taught me to find the adventure in everything. I can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for Chris and Rose.
Paul DeGregorio
La storia di Paul e Chris inizia al liceo. Sono diventati rapidamente amici a lezione d’italiano – hanno creato grandi canzoni come “Dammelo Maria” e sono andati in un bar di Brooklyn come studenti minorenni per vedere Jovannoti (un grande cantante italiano). Dopo l’universita, hanno vissuto insieme a Hoboken e New York – davvero alcuni dei migliori anni esplorando la citta. Loro hanno avuto molte avventure! Oggi, anche se vivono ai lati opposti del paese (Chris in NYC e Paul in Seattle), rimangono vicini tramite SMS e telefono.
Translation:
The history of Paul and Chris really begins in high school. They became fast friends in Italian class, during which they created great songs like “Dammelo Maria,” and ventured to a bar in Brooklyn as underage students to see the great Italian singer Jovannoti. After college, they lived together in Hoboken and New York, which were some of the best years spent exploring the city. They had so many adventures! Today, even though they live at opposite ends of the country (Chris in NYC and Paul in Seattle), they remain close via text and phone.
Kyle Harrison
While most theologists trace the start of Chris and Kyle’s friendship back to William Annin Middle School, this has been disputed by some scholars, who have found mementos carbon dated to the Bamboozle Enter Shikari mosh pit in 2009. A champagne bottle found in Tony Soprano’s driveway has been carbon dated to 2013 and is sometimes cited as the catalyst. However, a growing number of modern historians attribute the start of Chris and Kyle’s adventure together to the jungles of Rwanda, searching for gorillas in the mist. What follows is widely accepted by the scientific community (with the exception of several fringe historians, who theorize that Chris ascended to a higher plane of existence after experiencing the majesty of riding a horse at full gallop) as one of the deepest and most storied friendships in history. Chris and Kyle went on mountain biking excursions down Bolivia’s “Death road,” spent weekends baking sourdough bread with Chris’ knee scab as a starter, free soloed cliffs to pray in ancient churches in Ethiopia, and searched for the ruins of the fabled ‘Paco’s Tacos’ in Panama. There was love, laughter, tears, two stepping, pizza, McDonald’s, “Oh hi Mark!”‘s, tuk tuks, motorcycles—and archaeologists are only just now beginning to uncover what happened next.
Samuel Hoy
Sam and Chris met in 2011 at William & Mary. Sam became Chris' "little brother" in their fraternity, despite the fact that Chris has always viewed Sam as more of a father figure. They lived together in New York for three years, brought together by their mutual love of UberEats and hours of television consumed in the dark. (Yes, they're both doing okay—why do you ask?). To this day, they remain enthusiastic and prolific contributors of content (of varying quality) to a longstanding "group message" of college friends.
Thomas Marazzo
Chris and Tommy met for the first time on November 12, 1994, at Summit Overlook Hospital. While Chris was already happy being the older brother to Alyssa, he was ecstatic to have a new little brother that he could force to play as Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog. From standing up to bullies to having catches in the front yard and playing soccer with our childhood dog Darby, Chris served as a wonderful older brother and role model for Tommy. Chris and Tommy have both lived in New York since 2017, sharing a love of bagels, pizza, and watching Joey Chestnut eat 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes every 4th of July. They both also are partial season ticket holders for the New York Mets, bonding over a love for a constantly disappointing baseball team.
Nicholas Minutaglio
The first time I met Chris, I knew that him and Rose were a match made in heaven. Chris is a wonderful, kind, and caring addition to the family. I can’t wait to celebrate their love together amongst friends and family. Congratulations y’all!
Herrick Savage
IRENE
A play in one act.
Chris and Harry drive west on I-64 out of Williamsburg, Virginia. Storm clouds darken the afternoon sky. Wind gusts from the approaching hurricane jostle the 20-year-old BMW coupe. The top is down. Rich Boy screams out of the car stereo.
CHRIS
(shouting)
South Dakota actually has the highest cattle to human ratio of any state in the U.S.
HARRY
(also shouting)
Oh really? Nice
END.
Benjamin Tumolo
Ben and Chris have been buds since childhood, growing up just a few minutes down the road from each other in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. They learned a lot together through their time in the Boy Scouts, on the track and field team (Ben was much faster), and hopelessly philosophizing about classical movies during sleepovers. Today Ben still has a true friend in Chris. Put simply, they get each other in a way that only old friends can.