Anissa & Piercen
Wedding Party
Naomi Burton
Maid of Honor
Naomi and Anissa met in Kindergarten at Haisley Elementary in Mrs. Stroll's class. Clearly, they hit it off and have now been friends for over 26 years, going through grade school and college at Michigan State together. Their childhood consisted of countless "play dates" which turned into "hang outs" when Anissa's older brother told them it wasn't cool to "play" anymore. Hours of imagination were spent in the basement of Anissa's house, coming up with games and taking every single one too seriously (house, school, and of course Bills Clinton's lawyers were among the few). Both families have been friends over the years, becoming even closer after these two daughters "abandoned" their mothers leaving Ann Arbor. A huge amount of love and bond even stronger, nothing will come in between them!
Amy Waddell
Matron of Honor
Amy and Anissa met freshman year of college at Michigan State, and both majored in Elementary Education. They were also in Alpha Phi together which brought their instant bond even closer. After finishing the year of student teaching, the two made a very quick decision to pack up and move to Florida to start their first teaching jobs. Moving to South Florida was a dream for these two 22 year olds.. it was work all week and spring break all weekend! They were inseparable over these years, living, working, and starting a new life across the country without any family. They soon found a new Florida family with BACAF (Brianna, Chelsea, Jeff). The current distance between them has been difficult but the time spent together is even more important and their love for wine will never fade!
Sarah Rajewski
Bridesmaid
Anissa and Sarah (aka Jew Jew) met at MSU in Alpha Phi. Sarah transferred to MSU her sophomore year and thank god she did as the two became thick as thieves. Whether in East Lansing, Ann Arbor, or Up North in Boyne, you can find these two running countless errands, driving all over town, getting their nails done and shopping for anything they don't really need. The laughter between these two is often contagious, especially when reminiscing on their time at MSU. Sarah is the ultimate prankster and frequently recruits Anissa to partake in the trouble, to which Anissa always happily obliges. When Anissa moved to Florida with Amy, Sarah remained a close and reliable friend. Now with less frequent time together, Anissa appreciates their friendship even more than before.
Bayley Wright
Bridesmaid
Bayley is Anissa's future sister in law and Piercen's younger sibling. From day one, Bayley has welcomed Anissa into the family with open arms. Even though she lives in Brooklyn, Bayley has been able to travel back to Florida often which has been a large part in the two getting to know each other over the past few years. One defining moment of their friendship was when Anissa had a total cake fail with Publix for Sheree's birthday. The incident left Bayley crying laughing in the middle of the bakery. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAMEL SHWEED! Beyond the frequent laughs these two have a lot in common, most importantly their love for dogs and little baby Lottie. A favorite past time of theirs is spotting pups out in public (or just Jake and Riley). Anissa can't wait to officially have her as a sister!
Sarah Steigerwald
Bridesmaid
Sarah and Anissa met their freshman year at MSU while suitemates in Holden Hall. Anissa’s first impression of Sarah was not good, thinking Sarah was too high maintenance, putting curlers in her hair for a floor meeting with our RA. This was short lived as they quickly became inseparable. Sarah was the reason Anissa joined Alpha Phi and Anissa is forever grateful for that. Throughout college they took several weekend trips back to each other's hometowns, with trips to Grove City, PA usually including Pittsburgh to see Sarah’s other besties. Post college they have planned girls' trips with the other "Stepsisters" to see each other, which they both agree doesn't happen enough. Pro tip: If you ever catch this girl after one of these vacays, get her some dairy, it’s her hangover cure.
Courtney Bizzis
Bridesmaid
Courtney and Anissa hit it off right away when they met in High School health class and have been friends ever since. Courtney is twin sisters with Kellie, and Anissa has had the pleasure of often being caught in between the two over the many years! For college, Courtney ventured to Kalamazoo College where she played basketball. Any college break they would reunite, both always ready for a fun time! Friendship has come easy to them over the years, even as longer times have passed between visits, they pick up right where they left off. Once Courtney began working for the Detroit Tigers, the two have had annual visits in Florida during spring training. Courtney often extended her trip to see Anissa (to her advantage) and both would travel down to Naples to visit the two cutest grandparents.
Casey Schachner
Bridesmaid
Casey is Piercen's oldest sister and future sister-in-law to Anissa. Casey and her husband Kurt, who is also a groomsman, are new parents to the precious Lottie Kai. Casey has lived in Montana and Tennessee since Anissa has been a part of the Wright family and is now recently headed back to the coast of Savannah, Georgia. Even though they have been states apart, these two have had no issues developing a relationship over the years. Anissa might say that bond started over Casey introducing her to Bru's Room Triple Threat Wings on a trip back home to Delray! Casey's warm and caring heart and extreme go-with-the-flow attitude is something Anissa has been drawn to from day one. Anissa is thrilled to be getting not only one but two sisters!
Kellie Loughran
Bridesmaid
Kellie and Anissa met at Pioneer High School and in no time their lives consisted of crazy nights around Ann Arbor and sleepovers at each other’s houses. There were countless hours spent in the Kaplan basement playing video games, but most importantly DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). Forever trying to score the unattainable “AA”. This feat was sometimes made extra challenging due to the extreme allergies brought on by Smokey the cat. After high school they both continued on to MSU and remained very close throughout college. Kellie, Naomi, and Anissa started taking trips down to Naples, FL to visit Gio and Flo every winter break. These trips played a big role in Anissa becoming close with the Kaplan family. Gio and Flo took Anissa in and she was given the high honor of “adopted granddaughter”
Charbel Raad
Best Man
Pierce and Charbel met during their years as fraternity brothers in Delta Chi at the University of Florida. The two initially formed a bond helping each other with whatever absurd fraternity task they’d volunteered for that year. One gold-painted keg trophy and a few impromptu trips to unfamiliar college towns later, it was difficult to find one of these two without the other. More recently, Charbel moved to Tampa and became the main audience for all of Pierce's golf obsession, a position gladly relinquished by Anissa. For whatever reason, Charbel has developed a multitude of nicknames over their years of friendship. Shirt-Belt, Shirt-Pants, Sea-Shell, Chardonnay, and Woodchuck to name a few. With each nickname comes a great story and everyone agrees it's time he got a new one: Best Man.
John Rausch
Groomsman
Pierce and John’s friendship also began while in college at the University of Florida. John didn’t know it, but his 2-sizes too big Cleveland Cavaliers jersey almost sent the Hilton Head Island native running for the hills. Pierce eventually grew to overlook John’s Ohio roots and they became roommates during their latter years at UF, an eventful time to say the least. Antics included an escalating turf war with the neighboring Hare Krishnas, running a Bed (Floor) & Breakfast for their temporarily homeless friends, and protecting their new home from imaginary invaders.
Kurt Schachner
Groomsman
Oddly enough, the origin of Kurt and Pierce’s friendship can be traced back to the University of Florida, as well. Were it not for a Gator game at Old Key Lime House, Kurt would have never met Casey, Pierce’s older sister. Pierce and Kurt met not long after that, both immediately bonding over their love of the water, discussing Delray's best dives, and trading endless stories. Pierce has had the privilege of watching Kurt and Casey's relationship flourish and their young family grow.
Karim Mahrougui
Groomsman
Pierce met his future brother-in-law Karim for the first time in the fall of 2017. Always coming off some new global adventure, Karim came to the Thanksgiving Day table with an endless supply of stories. Little did he know, Pierce too has the gift of gab and is the unofficial historian for the years of his friends' absurd antics. Getting a word in anywhere between these two requires a good story and perhaps a well-timed sip of beer. Fast forward a few years and a couple of family vacations, the two have become fast friends; now with some shared stories to tell together.
Zack Stanley
Groomsman
Pierce and Zack have always made a great team since the first day they met at UF. The duo instantly made their mark by winning the UF intramural golf championship, followed by an inspiring performance as the underdog nation of Mexico at the fraternity beer Olympics. Teamwork has been a common theme in their friendship, often helping each other tackle the great challenges of life, like the Georgia Highway Traffic Violation system or riding a tandem bicycle in Key West without dying. Being a team player can sometimes mean taking one for the team, and taking one for the team can sometimes mean living in a glorified closet for a year. Even in the face of limited square footage (and one sly homeless vandal) Zack’s friendship never wavered, making him the ideal groomsman.
Cameron Wright
Groomsman
Any story about Pierce and Cam has to start with their fathers, Steve and Gil Wright. Brothers united by a love of golf and family raised two sons who followed in their footsteps. Cam followed the game his father gave him to an early career as a golf professional in Bluffton, S.C., minutes from Pierce’s family on Hilton Head Island. Pierce’s father Steve and Cam grew close during those years in the lowcountry and Cam became an instant role model for Pierce. Pierce has always looked up to his cousin Cam’s sense of humor and his ability to be the life of any/every party. Several years (and more bogeys than he would admit) later, Pierce finds himself in a similar role as the godfather to Cam’s youngest son Greyson.
Kyle Carr
Groomsman
Aside from the ability to strike a golf ball, Kyle and Pierce’s lives have a long list of similarities. Both Kyle and Pierce went to the University of Florida, both work in the construction industry, and both have a shared love for being on the water. Another similarity they share is that they both grew up the middle child and only boy between two sisters. Years spent getting outvoted on music choice or family movie night forged a friendship that can outlast anything, including getting made fun of by the younger, funnier sibling. Pierce and Kyle have both spent the last few years in Tampa, where their long friendship has had the opportunity to continue to grow, as long as it’s before 9 pm.
Kori Padron
Groomsman
Kori and Pierce were both members of the same pledge class in their college fraternity, but their friendship didn’t really take off until that first summer. The select few that choose to spend their summers in Gainesville form a unique bond made up of equal parts boredom and Bud Light Lime. Pierce and Kori ended up becoming roommates in Delray Beach and Kori even opened up about his lifelong passion, Florida Women’s College Softball. Kori’s softball obsession combined with Pierce’s golf nerdom made for a unique sports viewing experience for any friend brave enough to walk through their door. Nights out with Kori always went one of two ways: maxing out the TouchTunes machine with Nelly Furtado or a stealthy Irish goodbye. Somebody hide the Aux Cord! #Dassit