Our Wedding Party Cheryl Egazarian matron of honor Karen's sister and best friend is not very matronly at all. Even though she and Karen are four years apart in age, Cheryl made every effort growing up to include Karen in her world and she also unwittingly softened up their parents for Karen's trip through adolescence and high school. Karen and Cheryl have gotten closer as they've gotten older and now that they live only an hour and a half apart, they're able to see each other more often. Cheryl has a B.A. in political science from UConn, was Vice President of Allergy Control Products, and now lives in East Hartford, Connecticut with her husband, John, and their two girls, Grace, 3, and Sara, born April 22, 2003. Koonal Gandhi best man K-O-O-N-A-L G-A-N-D-H-I... his name, and more importantly the spelling of his name, will forever be an important part of Brian's life. Why? Because when they first met at the University of Michigan in 1997, Koonal was the "Pledge-Educator" for Brian's fraternity pledge class. Brian had to know a handful of key facts about Koonal (hometown: Marlton, NJ; Major: Political Science, etc.) and how to spell his name. The punishment for not knowing? Let's just say it was motivation enough for Brian and Koonal to spend some quality time together. Fraternity life is something of a memory for both Koonal and Brian, the connection is very strong. They go to baseball games together, and when they aren't in the same city, they call the other to report how good their seats are. They run together, though Brian doesn't think Koonal ever appreciated being woken up at 6am on Saturdays to help Brian train for his marathon. And of course they talk almost every day, about politics, business, travel, love, life, and yes, baseball! Koonal knows Brian as well as almost anyone -- and if you catch him at the right time, he'll tell you some good stories about Brian that you probably haven't heard before. Koonal is moving this summer from San Francisco, where he works for the Kaiser Family Foundation, to Washington, D.C., to earn his MBA and MPA at Georgetown. Stacey Staff bridesmaid Stacey and Karen met at tryouts for the Blue Comets travel soccer team in third grade and played soccer together for the next nine years. The two were inseparable on and off the field and spent much time playing with dolls, building indoor tents out of sheets and blankets, watching their Glo Bugs glow, and learning the latest New Kids on the Block dance moves. In high school, they finally got to be in some classes together and watched each other go through all the scary phases with fashion, boys, and friends. Karen and Stacey visited each other often in college and continue to visit each other as often as possible. Stacey and Karen recently crossed paths, as Stacey moved from Durham, NH to Stamford, CT at the same time that Karen moved from New York, NY to Boston, MA, forcing them to continue to commute to see each other. They get together every summer during family vacations to Cape Cod. Stacey received her Masters in Education from the University of New Hampshire. She is a third grade teacher at Julia A. Stark Elementary School in Stamford, Connecticut, where she lives with her boyfriend, Nick Wood. Charlie Schilling groomsman Charlie holds a special place in Brian's life: he's his only Republican friend. There are lots of other reasons why Brian and Charlie get along so well -- going way back -- but the details are somewhat fuzzy. What is known for sure is that their mothers attended Lamaze class together and that Charlie and Brian grew up in the same neighborhood in Seattle and played together often. Their families jointly owned a sailboat that was docked just a few blocks from their homes, but the boat sank one day, and nobody is really sure why. Charlie's family moved to DC shortly thereafter (mysterious?) and contact between them stopped for nearly a decade. Fast forward to 8th grade -- on the bus trip back from a school trip to Chewonki, Maine, Brian overheard one of his new classmates (Brian had been at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, CT for two years, Charlie had just joined the class) talking about his childhood growing up in Seattle. Brian introduced himself, and as the conversation continued, it became clear that this was a reunion rather than an introduction. They've been close ever since. They golf together, travel, talk politics and life. Charlie's golf handicap is lower than Brian's, but his political handicaps are far greater. This balance keeps the two on the same page. Charlie lives in New York City and works in the media and investment banking division of SG Cowen Securities Corporation. Darshana Patel bridesmaid Karen and Darshana met on the first day of their freshman year at UConn. They lived on the same floor in the same dorm - Keller Hall in Towers. The two became fast friends, sharing passions for Reality Bites, literature, and the occasional frat party. Darsh transferred to NYU after their sophomore year but the girls knew they had something special and kept in touch and visited each other. Karen decided to move to New York after graduation and the two lived in a studio together in the West Village for a year. They then (realizing one room was just a little too close for comfort) moved into a tiny two bedroom two blocks away. Darsh and Karen provided much needed and cherished friendship and support for each other as they changed jobs, went on some pretty bad dates, and tried endlessly to "find" themselves. They would make Annie's mac and cheese for each other, bring each other coffee from the place downstairs and watched Say Anything, St. Elmo's Fire, and Sixteen Candles for hours on end. Two years passed and both girls found boys who loved them too! Thank goodness. The two still talk on the phone often and try to see each other as much as possible. They most recently met up in Seattle for Karen & Brian's engagement party (the day after Darsh got back from her honeymoon!). Darsh lives in Portland, Oregon with her new (June 15, 2003) husband, Milan. Eduard Stolpen groomsman Brian was there when Eduard was born. He helped change his diapers. He took him to his first (Seattle) Mariners game. He's watched him grow up and turn into the type of teenager we all wish we could be: He's tall, smart, confident, a talented student and singer (a member of the Beachside Express, the men's a cappella group at Greens Farms Academy). Hey ladies, he's single too! Brian likes to think that he's taught him a few things along the way and learned some important things from Eduard along the way. And since he's playing a key role in Brian and Karen's wedding, Brian is going to forgive the fact that Eduard doesn't write or call much, and when he does call he's more likely to share details with Karen than he is with Brian. Eduard will be a Junior at Greens Farms Academy this fall. Grace Egazarian flower girl Karen's niece and Cheryl's daughter turned three on July 11. She lights up all of our lives and brings a new energy to our family. She is a big fan of Uncle Brian and even wears her crayon behind her ear to imitate him sometimes. She loves to act out scenes from Annie, make shell soup on the beach in Maine, play on her new swing set with her friends, and hang out with her cousin, Ryan. Karen and Grace can often be heard speaking a secret language, singing and dancing together, and making faces to cheer up Sara when she cries. This will be Grace's second walk down the aisle (her first was last summer in her Uncle Greg's wedding). She lives in East Hartford with her mom, dad, and little sister, and will start pre-school part-time in the fall.