The bride’s best friend for too many years to count! They met in sixth grade when Kyra had just moved to Omaha. Legend has it that the bride was the first person in the class that smiled and said hi to Kyra. Leo Birthday Twins and keeper of each other’s secrets. Every brunette needs a blonde best friend and Kyra is Natalie’s.

Becca and Natalie met in a freshman year computer science class - or was it when they realized that they lived in the same dorm, five floors apart? Maybe it was when they realized they’d both joined the same sorority, Gamma Phi Beta. Since then they’ve been roommates both in college and beyond, invented “girl dinner” before the inventor of tiktok was even born, and continue to miss their favorite college bar and its carne asada fries and margs.

Morgan is still the most loyal trapshooting fan the Marian trap team has ever seen. She and Kyra would come watch the team’s meets in any weather - rain, shine, snow, or all in one day! Morgan and Natalie are equally offended when a sandwich comes with salad instead of fries by default, and both know that there’s magic in a bake sale Scotcheroo. Natalie is incredibly jealous of Morgan’s dance moves and is forever grateful to Morgan for patiently doing her hair and makeup at any and all “going out” events.

Kelly and Natalie worked together while Kelly was a student at UC Berkeley - and Natalie tricked Kelly into staying and working there with her to this day! Together they give the best campus tours, mentor and support and get way too attached to their student teams, and overall provide the much needed comic relief for the department, while still keeping the classrooms on campus supported and running smoothly. Kelly proves that you can be both hilarious and highly competent. She keeps Natalie grounded - probably because Kelly’s heart belongs to the land and is 70% compost.

The groom had the highest grades in his class until his future best friend—and best man—came along in sixth grade (Hi, Mrs. Lowery and Mrs. Durst!). Since then, Chaaru has been an endless source of funny quotes—intentional and otherwise—and lunchtime grapes. Along with the bride and the groom’s mom, Chaaru keeps Alex at least averagely fashionable.

Another excellent addition to Rolling Hills Middle School’s Class of 2007, not least in part due to his mathematical chops (who is this mystery newcomer to our 8th grade Geometry class?). Alex and Alex bonded in high school over Monopoly and hide and seek with friends. During their four years together as apartment-mates (and two years as roommates) in college, when the groom wasn’t staying up doing homework, he was staying up playing (mostly learning) League of Legends with Alex.

Math isn’t a party—until Ross and Alex enter the room (AP exam) with their party hats and bead necklaces. A person who can and does do everything, Ross still makes time for escape rooms, Monopoly, and Warlight with friends. Together with the bride and groom, Ross, a talented musician himself, enjoys supporting up-and-coming artists/singer-songwriters such as River Iris, who actually was Natalie’s roommate freshman year at Cal!

While initially a “recurring side character” in the groom’s life, Jason has become one of Alex’s closest friends—as well as the member of the Big Four (along with Ross and the bride and groom) with the highest success rate in escape rooms. Founder of the “Cal Tennis Team Alternate” group, Jason’s initial desire to hone his skills transformed into a weekly tennis get-together with friends. Jason also regularly discovers gems of Nintendo Switch games, including Watermelon Party and Killer Queen Black.