We wouldn’t want to exchange our vows without these people by our side!
Shelley Palmer // officiant
Shelley and Pamela have been sisters on the path alongside one another since 2013/2014. They were integral, legacy members of a unique and beautiful global learning community of sisters called RED for nearly a decade, where they personally grew in sisterhood and relationships at large.
Pamela asked Shelley to officiate because Shelley is simply an embodiment of pure, all-encompassing love. She has been married for 33 years, a living example of abiding love and free-spiritedness within partnership. Professionally, she owns and runs a preschool and is an embodiment & relationship coach.
Sarah Prindable // maid of honor
Pamela and Sarah met in seventh grade and eventually fell into step as besties by the next year. Even though they were separated by high school, they still spent what felt like every last second over school breaks at each other’s houses always getting into shenanigans. 😂
They both individually took the scenic (spiritually awakening) route through undergrad, involving many adventures in Europe (separately and together), and Sarah eventually paved her way into the kundalini yoga world. She is now an established yoga teacher and master energy healer, married to Andy Prindable with two littles, Asher and Hayden (who was recently born in June!).
Though Sarah was born in Australia in a different year, the two of them have almost the same centers defined in their Human Design charts! If you asked Pamela, she would say it’s an obvious sign they are soul sisters through and through. 🥰 #rideordie
Stephanie Hsieh // sister of the bride & maid of honor
When Pamela was a lonely only child at five years old, she positively begged her mother for a little sister. At six and a half, that little sister arrived: Stephanie was born. It wasn’t exactly what Pamela had been expecting 😂 so she was insanely jealous that suddenly the world’s cutest baby started getting all the attention. With such an age gap, they grew up in practically two different worlds, separated always by school or life stages.
Together as children, they brought levity to each other’s lives (and of course, the torments of being siblings, which Anthony apparently knows nothing about 🤪), inventing their own silly accents (“I do voices”) and nonsensical inside jokes.
Of course, over time, the age gap became a bit less significant, though they remain very different individuals. Stephanie is a talented baker who for years has created epic, indulgent Christmas cookies in a feverish act of love for the people in her life (we will see if one day she opens a bakery).
A generous and caring friend, Stephanie is also the affectionate mother of a golden long-haired mini dachshund named Sonny, whom she parents with her live-in partner, Mike. Together, they host most of the Hsieh family get-togethers especially because she keeps an immaculate and beautiful space, a trait Pamela and Anthony admire and wonder where it came from. 😂
The relationship between these sisters is layered and complex, yet beneath it is a rich, lifelong history and a deep well of love.
Pamela and Anthony are especially thankful she is able to stand beside us for this wedding, as this is something like the 23rd wedding she and Mike have attended since 2021.
Michelle Rasine // sister of the groom & groom’s maid of honor
Bentley Rasine // godson & ring bearer
Hunter Rasine // nephew & ring bearer
Despite being born after Anthony by a year and a half, Anthony looks up to Michelle for her patience, grace, and insights on navigating family dynamics. A high school special ed teacher, Michelle married Ben at the age of 24 (after being together eight years) and gave birth to Anthony’s godson Bentley, followed by Hunter, the two nephews we have the pleasure of having as our ring bearers.
As we both felt it’s completely impossible to summarize our relationships to our siblings in so few words, Anthony wanted to conclude with this pithy expression to summarize: “She my sister.”
Bentley is the quintessential firstborn kid, who’s as content playing with Legos on his own as he is having a Nerf gun battle with all his friends.
Hunter is a free-spirited young one who looks up to his brother and loves to get into mischief! Don’t be fooled by his rascal façade; underneath he is truly sweet and loves his family.
Julia Morton // bride’s handmaiden
Pamela and Julia technically met after Julia had performed onstage at a community event, for less than five minutes — but a couple years later, they ended up in their RED community together looking to book an Airbnb to share for an event in Boulder. They hit it off right away bouncing sparkly energy off each other all week long, enjoying & delighting in their big fun beingness in an extraordinary way. It wasn’t just another random room-share at a conference — it was like an ongoing Airbnb party! The two of them have kept in touch over the years truly as sisters on the path of growth and students of authentic relating, personal responsibility, and embodiment.
It turns out Julia is a megafan of all things wedding, and when Pamela reached out to her about the ceremony she offered to lend a close hand for the prep work, dubbing herself the official wedding “handmaiden,” which made both of them smile.
Years ago, Julia invested in some fairy lights for good wedding juju; she has lent them to multiple couples to use on their wedding day and to keep the current of love flowing — those lights will be present as Pamela’s “something borrowed” on ceremony day!
Wiktor Kobos // best man
As Anthony’s brother from another mother, Wiktor and Anthony have known each other since high school. Wiktor is a physically big man with an even bigger personality. The first thing Anthony thinks of when he thinks of Wiktor is his smile and his generosity, shaped by years of simple, down-to-earth time spent together. Anthony fondly recalls just sitting in the car with Wiktor listening to music talking about life.
Though they share a past with no small amount of playful jabs between them and their other friends, Anthony says, “I can tell him anything going on for me and he won’t judge.”
From what Pamela has seen, it completely goes both ways: The two trust each other with their lives (“I’d take a bullet for him”) and fully appreciate the other’s abiding sense of loyalty.
Ben Rasine // brother-in-law & groomsman
When Anthony pictures Ben he sees him rolling up his sleeves, gesticulating and laughing. He is a no-nonsense, genuine family man, a hardworking father who takes great care of his wife (Anthony’s sister Michelle) and children.
While he may have a tough exterior (he was in the Air Force for four years), he loves the outdoors and to play his guitar and sing to his kids. Anthony finds him easy to get along with, and massively respects all the work Ben puts in to his life, such as his impressive & numerous home renovations or his flourishing garden. Above all, Anthony is grateful for all the years Ben has been with Michelle and for trusting him to be Bentley’s godfather.
Vernon Clifton // groomsman
Noa Clifton // flower girl
Vernon met Pamela at a regular networking lunch back in the day when Pamela still went to those things. 😉 The two of them mutually felt a sense of spiritual familiarity: This was not their first lifetime knowing each other. They became fast friends, supporting one another professionally and personally and hanging out frequently.
Of course, to spend a lot of time with Pamela is also to spend a lot of time with Anthony. Especially since Vernon lives close, the two of them enjoy running and/or working out together when they can, and dreaming up DIY household projects or sharing garden plants. It is thanks to Vernon that Anthony and Pamela finally have an efficient and functional compost bin! 😅
Vernon is also a bit of a married-life veteran, having wed his wife Meredith at the age of 23 and being the father of their two adorable children, Noa and Ben.
Noa is nine years old and is passionate about art and animals (especially dogs!), and we are honored to have her walk as one of our flower girls.
Maya Espinosa // first-cousin-once-removed/flower girl
The firstborn daughter of Pamela’s cousin Grace, Pamela used to visit her nearly every day after she was born. Maya is a multifaceted twelve-year-old who loves to text with friends, and whose interests range from sports to robotics to crochet. She even inherited one of Anthony’s praying mantises as a pet this season! We are so thankful for her willingness to scatter petals for us as a flower girl.
William Currie // bride’s best man & videographer
Back in 2015 when Pamela was learning how to edit video for her weekly jewelry styling video series on social media, she sought regular creative support at the Apple store. She easily made friends with Bill (William), who worked as an Apple Creative supporting her in her videographic expression over the course of half a year. Beyond their passion for creation, they also bonded on a variety of interests. At the time, William had had quite a bit of experience having filmed weddings, which they chatted about often.
Eventually, William set himself free of his life in Chicago to go off traveling in Costa Rica and go on a spiritual awakening. He’s been a nomad ever since, finding home in the wilderness and his brothers on the path, and even though he and Pamela haven’t seen one another in person since the Apple days, they remain close and solid friends. He moved many mountains to be able to be with us for the big day, and we are so grateful.
Though untraditional, it is a mutual honor to have him filming the events of this special occasion, which they joke to one another is a “planned love fest.” We can’t wait to see his cinemagraphic art for the first time.
PARENTS OF THE BRIDE // Ching-Jang (Charles) & Tsai Fang (Cindy)
PARENTS OF THE GROOM // Mike & Laura Mackey
very important support people
(i.e., a shoutout to our vendors)
Rojin Babayan – wedding planner (Baroj Events)
When we first got engaged in 2019, we told everyone we wanted a long engagement. Joke was on us! Probably the biggest reason we are not doing this in another decade is because of our decision to hire Rojin, who assured us it would be easy-peasy to plan a wedding ceremony in three months! 😂 While perhaps the intensely rapid decision-making process wasn’t SO easy for this creatively controlling (and blissfully ignorant) couple . . . for real, the weekly grounding we received from meeting with Rojin throughout this process and her levelheaded, super-organized and attuned professionalism is 100% what supported us in bringing this day to fruition. We also really appreciated her cultural familiarity & sensitivity, which was very supportive for a multicultural wedding.
Maloos Khonsarian – wedding photographer (Maloos Photography)
We fell in love with Maloos’s vivid couples photos that simply felt alive. Maloos introduced us to a gorgeous new location — the secluded Lighthouse Beach in Evanston (but shh . . . keep it on the DL so it remains peaceful! 😉)
Sebastian Lacala – custom bespoke tailor (Lacala Design)
Pamela has always had a strong affinity for the olden-day tuxedos with tails, complete with top hats. While, of course, this is not an 1800s-era wedding, she still really wanted to see Anthony in a beautifully fitted, custom-made tux with tails. Miraculously, one day at a wedding expo, she came across Lacala Design, which specializes in custom suits and tuxes, and she knew this was exactly where they needed to go to make that vision come true.
They worked closely with Sebastian to choose the exact details, cut, colors, and luxury fabrics imported from Europe to create this special wedding look to Anthony’s exact measurements. They are now convinced Lacala Design is one of Chicago’s best-kept secrets. The groomsmen will don his pocket squares and bowties for the big day, and Anthony will be wearing this tux every year for our anniversary (or birthday)
Oleksii (“Alexey”) Poltavchenko – cellist // Boris Krivoshein – pianist
Possibly the easiest decision we were able to make for this wedding, we knew we absolutely had to have a cello playing at our ceremony. Alexey was a breeze to work with and plays beautifully (which was really all Anthony & Pamela could ask for!).
Tina Brown & Tanya Lopez – hair & makeup (TLorén Studio)
A salon maybe 10 minutes away from Anthony & Pamela’s house, Tina owns the salon with Lauren (who coordinates all wedding hair/makeup services), and Tanya actually cut and colored Pamela’s hair recently for the first time in YEARS!!