Wedding Party

The Brides to Be

Bride

Emily Martel

(she/her)
Emily is from a tiny town in southern Maine. She is a ceramic artist that often combines her two loves of clay and textiles into unique and beautiful pieces of art. She has also been a very active fiber artist since she was very young, knitting, quilting, and making costumes with her mother and grandmother. As for her career, she has generally worked with companies that support services that are helpful to others. Her current job is at Charm Sciences, as a QA Laboratory Technician. She calibrates the various testing equipment to be sure that the labs can achieve the most accurate results possible in the many stages of testing and composing their vital food and drink safety kits. 

Bride

Kari Hazzard

(she/they)
Kari is a data engineer who has built her career through multiple roles in business intelligence, data modeling, and software development. A native of New Jersey, she moved to upstate New York and worked for several companies in a variety of roles after graduating from college at RIT. She then moved to Massachusetts for her current role in a healthcare company in 2021 and decided to settle in Foxboro in 2022. She loves video games, anime, tabletop role-playing and board games, alt rock, and is a modest fan of hydroponic gardening.

Bridal Parties

Person of Honor

Ryo Shaw

(they/them)
What can we say about Ryo more than "thank you"? Ryo inadvertently brought us together by spontaneously deciding to create a profile on Facebook dating, inspiring Emily to do the same. Ryo has been Emily's friend for over a decade and none have had a more direct role in bringing us together than they have.

Person of Honor

Valarie Ann Marriott

(she/her)

Kari and Valarie ("Val") first met while working together in a call center. It wasn't obvious at the time, but eventually that meeting would grow into a wonderful professional relationship spanning nearly a decade. When Val became the new Workforce Administration manager, Kari joined her team and Val was instrumental in helping Kari build her career within the company. Eventually, they both went on to bigger and better things, but the connection remained and Kari is very proud to have met and worked with former boss.

Mother of Emily

Mary Jo Martel

(she/her)
This woman is the brightest, most shining example of love, kindness, and compassion. There are no mistakes, only learning experiences. She has taught me that anything is possible. She is happily retired. 

Friend of Kari

Rebecca Strauss

(she/her)

Rebecca entered Kari's life when Kari got involved with the Hillel group at her college. Rebecca was a board member and loved leading services due to her prior work as a Jewish camp counselor. Rebecca's kindness and attitude made her a constant friendly face for the rest of Kari's college years, and she was there when Kari ultimately went before a beit din (rabbinical panel) to formally convert.
Years later, they reconnected when Kari moved go Massachusetts for work, and Rebecca shared so much wonderful insight about living in Massachusetts to help Kari acclimate and settle in after a long-distance move. Rebecca organizes a delightful unaffiliated chevurah (prayer group) which meets for Shabbat dinners and board games periodically in the Boston area.

Sister of Emily

Sarah Merryman

(she/her)
She is a very kind and creative person who does everything she can for friends and family. She is the mother of the flower girl, Sylvia, and the ring bearer, Emerson. She is a very successful small business owner of a home style restaurant called Sarah’s Table.

Friend of Kari

Ren Hughes

(they/them)
Ren is the sibling-in-law of one of Kari's college friends. Kari and Ren met for the first time at a semi-annual get-together of Kari's RIT friends to play board games and watch the Super Bowl. Since then, Ren has become a delightful and supportive friend locally in New England, and one of the people Kari knows she can count on when she needs someone to talk to.

Ceremony Participants

Flower Girl

Sylvia Merryman

(she/her)
Sylvia is a lovely young lady. She is silly, kind, creative, and compassionate. She loves arts and crafts, and dancing. 

Ring Bearer

Emerson Merryman

(he/him)
Emerson is an outstanding young man. He is goofy, thoughtful, and always ready for a good time. He loves building with legos, trucks, and puzzles. 

Professional Team

Officiant

Rabbi Rachael Pass

(she/her)
Rachael Pass is a queer, feminist, Boston-based community rabbi. She is the Senior Educator of Modern Jewish Couples and teaches for the Jewish Learning Collaborative, in addition to her freelance work. Rabbi Rachael was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2021, where she wrote her rabbinic dissertation on creative Jewish rituals for those who have had abortions. Rabbi Rachael teaches and writes extensively on Jewish views of abortion, creative Jewish rituals, and feminist Jewish thought and theology. She is passionate about Jewish education, mental health, creating caring communities, and reading as many books as she can get her hands on!
You can learn more work about Rabbi Rachael's work at Modern Jewish Couples.

DJ / Master of Ceremonies

Dusty Rosata

(he/him)
Dusty is a DJ, producer, and sound designer out of Boston. His deep understanding of music, ability to read crowds, and technical know-how make him a top-notch pick in the Beat Train lineup for making something unique yet inclusive.
You can learn more about Dusty's work at Beat Train Productions.

Photographer

Christine Hochkeppel

(she/her)
Christine is an award-winning photojournalist and LGBTQ-inclusive wedding photographer in Massachusetts living on Cape Cod with her wife, Steph; lovable lab, Hunter; mischievous feline, LeRoi; adorable fluffy kitty princess, Raye; and wildly energetic rescue puppy, Toby. When she's not taking pictures, she's riding her road bike, brewing coffee, tending to her beloved house plants or cooking an overly complicated meal.
You can learn more about Christine's work at Salty Broad Studios.