Tatiana & Charles
Wedding Party
Carla Schrader
Maid of Honor
Carla is Tatiana's younger sister by three years. As sisters, they have seen each other through all of life's ups and downs and share countless memories from childhood and beyond. They established a "friendly" family feud when Tatiana attended UVA and Carla attended Virginia Tech; luckily, they were able to stay friends despite this rivalry. Even though they are different in many ways, Carla and Tatiana have always felt lucky to share the special bond that only sisters can have.
Olivia Harriman
Bridesmaid
Olivia is Charles' younger sister and Tatiana's future sister-in-law. Tatiana's first memory of Olivia is when Charles surprised Tatiana with a weekend away in DC, and hired Olivia to be the dog sitter for Tatiana's puppy, Lola. Although Tatiana was nervous about leaving her baby with someone she didn't know, Olivia proved herself responsible and has been the top choice for dog-sitting duty ever since. Tatiana is very excited to gain such an amazing second sister, and is especially looking forward to being the official taste-tester for all of Olivia's delicious baking endeavors.
Amanda "Mandi" Atkins
Bridesmaid
Mandi is one of Tatiana's oldest childhood friends. They met in 1st grade at Williamsburg Montessori school. Tatiana, Mandi, Carla, and Mandi's younger brother William became fast friends and could be found gallivanting in the woods, building forts, putting on dance shows and running lemonade stands throughout elementary school. Mandi and Tatiana shared a love for horses and were determined to save up enough money to buy their own miniature horse. Even though that didn't happen, they remained friends even after going to different high schools and colleges, and through multiple moves and life changes. Tatiana was thrilled when Mandi moved back to Richmond, and the two have enjoyed getting to reminisce on hilarious childhood memories whenever they are together!
Clare Simasek
Bridesmaid
Clare is one of Tatiana's oldest friends from Williamsburg, VA. They share a special "Twinny" bond, as they were both born on the same day, 7/11! Clare and Tatiana first met in middle school, then continued to grow their friendship through high school where they were co-valedictorians. They knew they would both attend UVA, but did not know they would be randomly placed in adjacent dorm suites! From that day on, they spent nearly every day together, growing even closer as they shared their college experience. When Tatiana moved to Richmond and began OT school at VCU, she convinced Clare she would love Richmond and Clare soon followed and began PT school at VCU as well. Tatiana feels so lucky to have a friend like Clare who she has gone through all seasons of life with!
Karen DeMarco
Bridesmaid
Karen and Tatiana met in graduate school at VCU in 2015. They became fast friends, even though it took Karen a while to get acclimated to being friends with people from "the south". Karen and Tatiana shared many late nights studying Anatomy, balanced out by plenty of weekend adventures bar hopping in Richmond. Karen was unofficially adopted as another Schrader sister by the end of grad school. Because they were the only single girls left by the end of OT school, thanks to Karen, Tatiana ended up making a dating app profile which is ultimately how she met Charles. Thanks Karen!! Down the road, Charles would repay Karen by introducing her to her current boyfriend, David. The four have enjoyed several couples trips together with many more to come in the future.
Megan Thompson
Bridesmaid
Tatiana and Megan met in graduate school in 2015, and hit it off from the first day of orientation. Megan was looking for another roommate so Tatiana jumped in to fill the role. They quickly went from roommates to best friends and supported each other through all the ups and downs of OT school, whether that was late nights in the library or at Christian's pizza. They have countless memories of cheering on their college basketball teams at a bar together, decked out in jerseys with a beer in their hands. Megan and Tatiana went through multiple moves together, and Tatiana will forever be grateful to Megan's husband George for being their personal mover more than 4 times. Now that they have settled in Richmond, they continue to enjoy their friendship through this next phase of their lives.
Rachael Carlin
Bridesmaid
Rachael and Tatiana met at the University of Virginia on their first day of college, as they were placed in adjacent dorm suites. Rachael was hesitant to be friends with Tatiana, since she thought she looked intimidating having such arched eyebrows. Luckily, Rachael was able to look past this and the two were soon partners-in-crime for every daytime and late-night adventure. Rachael and Tatiana bonded over their love for party-planning, making sure every weekend was filled with a fun event hosted at their apartment. They could usually be found (legally) at the liquor store, stocking up for the next party. Since college, despite being states apart, Rachael and Tatiana remain close friends and continue to plan weekend trips and girls get-togethers whenever they can.
Zach Harriman
Best Man
Charles’ little brother, his best friend, and now his best man. Zach and Charles are ten years apart but even when Zach was in diapers they were outside playing basketball or tossing a lacrosse ball in the front yard.
Matthew Pulley
Groomsman
Matt and the groom have spent enough time together on the golf course that they’ve probably solved world hunger and just haven’t told us yet. Charles and Matt became friends in the 10th grade and over the past decade Matt’s filled all kinds of roles. He’s been a roommate, a therapist, a drinking buddy, but mostly importantly - a damn good friend. The two worked together at the Myrtle Beach Olive Garden for two summers during college. If you see him at the wedding, ask Matt about his alma mater - Virginia Tech.
Nick Degirolamo
Groomsman
The 6 time Fantasy Football League Champion 🏆 Insane, we know. His hobbies include voodoo magic and … just kidding. Nick and Charles met in their Biology Lab class the freshman year of college. A shared affinity for sports brought them together and over the years they’ve gone to dozens of WVU games together. During their sophomore year Nick and Charles went to see a Nickelback, Hinder, and Three Days Grace concert for Charles’ birthday 😂
Brent Thomas
Groomsman
Brent and Charles became friends their freshman year of college. Brent is a guy you can always count on and he’s always putting others before himself. If you see him at the wedding, ask him about his beloved soccer team, Liverpool.
Russell Peterson
Groomsman
Russell is one of the regulars at Lola’s Public House (our backyard bar). Charles and Russell met after Charles moved to Virginia in the 7th grade. Russell quickly found himself on Tatiana’s good side as he’s a lifelong Wahoos fan. If you see Russell during the wedding, pick his brain about whiskey & bourbon.
Mason Hodges
Groomsman
Mason and Charles became friends in middle school while playing on the lacrosse team. They both went to WVU and spent time as roommates. After college, they both moved around but always kept in touch.
David Palisano
Groomsman
One of the best people you’ll ever meet. David has become one of our greatest friends. His specialties include movie quotes, dad jokes, and a mean forehand on the ping pong table. If you see David during the wedding ask him about his beloved Buffalo Bills.