Deanna met Amina at Orange County School of the Arts in 10th grade, they’ve been best friends ever since. After high school, long phone and video calls kept their friendship alive and more meaningful as the years went on. Amina is currently in her sophomore year at Chapman University getting her Masters in School Psychology. She is hardworking, so empathetic, and following through with her goals! Married for almost 4 years now, Deanna got to be her maid of honor in January 2019.

Deanna met Nichole in her first year at PLNU. Their friendship blossomed throughout undergrad while working out together, studying, and long talks and walks. After undergrad, they’ve continued to spend time together, but with a special addition! Now Nichole’s daughter, Autumn Rose, is Deanna’s goddaughter! Nichole is a wonderful mother and it has been such a joy to watch her and Kenneth raise Autumn.

Best friends and study buddies since freshman year at PLNU. Ashley and Deanna met in Anatomy and Physiology and studied together throughout their undergrad years. Many late nights studying with unforgettably hilarious inside jokes throughout college made nursing school bearable. Ashley and Deanna lived together for 2 years with Amyra, went to Peru together, and continue their friendship with coffee dates, eating yummy food, and shopping!

Best friends since sophomore year at PLNU. Amyra has always inspired Deanna to get out of the house and try new things. Roommates for 2 years with Ashley after graduating and adventure buddy to Spain and Peru. Amyra brought along Deanna to go hiking, backpacking, kayaking, paddle boarding, international traveling, skiing/snowboarding, and other activities Deanna wouldn’t normally do on her own before graduating college. Amyra has lived in Guam for the last couple years serving in the Navy, yet her friendship with Deanna remains close through facebook messenger phone and video calls.

Deanna met Griselda in her first year as a RN. They both were in the new graduate RN program on 7 West PCU at Sharp Memorial hospital. Griselda and Deanna began to become good friends through the long night shifts and going out salsa dancing! Even though they do not work in the same place anymore, they still get many opportunities to catch up and continue growing their friendship. Griselda consistently makes time to laugh and enjoy the beauty of life around her!

It’s easy to take a sibling for granted growing up! All the years of home life spent together (playing, dancing, fighting, traveling, etc.) has bonded Deanna and Justine for life no matter where they are. Only three years apart separated their lifestyles for a while as adults, however, more recently, they have had more opportunities to spend more time together! Deanna is so grateful for time with Justine! Justine is 24 years old and living in Long Beach with two of her best friends. She is the life of the party, always seeking and living out ways to make this life memorable. She’s got a talented eye for aesthetics and also an amazing dancer. Deanna is so proud to be Justine’s sister.

One of the best dads out there. Hardworking, encouraging, loving, caring, present, creative, and always willing to share his experiences to help guide others in life, including Deanna’s. He’s not only a great father, but also an active keyboard player in a cover band called Central Line, a wonderful cook in the kitchen, and a host to many house gatherings to bring together community. He’s a role model for Deanna and always a mentor she can look up to.

The strong super woman that raised Deanna and her two younger siblings alongside Ken. Always there for her family no matter what, doing her best work to provide for and encourage them. She is enjoying the new empty nester life with dad, traveling, seeing live music, and spending time with their community with house gatherings. It’s so great to see her doing things for her own enjoyment because for a couple decades she put her family first, and now it’s her turn.

The youngest of the Okajima kids and the most down to earth. Even though much taller than Deanna, he will always be her baby brother. He is an incredible and inspiring artist and dancer; Deanna is so overjoyed to see her brother following his passion and so proud of him!

Deanna’s cousin (mother’s side of the family) Andrea and her husband, Phinney McIntire’s daughter, Madeline. She is 2 years old and a big sister to her new baby brother, Maxwell. The McIntires are flying all the way from Chicago, IL!

Deanna’s goddaughter, who recently turned 3 years old in August. Autumn is Nichole Natividad’s (bridesmaid) and videographer, Kenneth Gonzales’ first born. Autumn brings so much positive energy in this world. She is so bright, intelligent, and has an inquisitive nature. Deanna loves seeing her grow up!

Myles is Deanna’s 6-year old cousin from her dad’s side of the family. Son of Yuri and Craig Oda! Yuri is Ken’s younger sister. Myles loves to ride his bike and lives such an active lifestyle! He is also learning to play piano and has interests in so many things! He is so intelligent and excels in school!

Eric's best friend from high school. The two decided to be roommates when they both got into UC Davis where the two played hours upon hours of videogames. The two continue to spend time hunting dinosaur-like monsters with huge weapons and visiting their favorite burrito spot whenever Eric's in Sacramento. As you will likely see during the wedding, Jeff Huang is an amazing dancer and inspires Eric to improve his own dancing to keep up with Deanna.

Shishir and Eric met as dorm mates at UC Davis. Always chasing down new hobbies, Shishir introduced Eric to longboard skateboarding and the two created the Davis Longboarding Club with Kyle Catabay and Jeff Huang. Another avid gamer, he keeps up with Eric and Jeff whenever the three of them feel like shooting zombies. In addition, he would always be the first to rally his friends to go to dollar scoop Tuesdays at Baskin Robbin's. Eric has never been able to recover from his ice cream addiction since...

Kyle and Eric also met as dorm mates at UC Davis. Kyle's competitive spirit spurred Eric to do well enough in college to get into medical school. Wanting to test each other's lack of shame, the two would get into daring each other to do ridiculous stunts in college. Kyle once paid Eric 2 double doubles from In and Out to jump into a freezing pool in the middle of winter. In a separate instance, Kyle was goaded into twerking in the middle of a cafe while their friends were getting boba tea. Needless to say, the two have matured a bit since then.

Truc is one of Eric's best friends from residency training. Along with Cody, the three would spend time decompressing from the stresses of being residents by enjoying all of what San Diego has to offer. Truc introduced Eric to the Moscow Mule, and it has become Eric's favorite cocktail ever since. He has a knack for making conversations with strangers and becoming friends with them. Many of the guests invited to the wedding are friends who Eric and Deanna have met thanks to Truc Ho. In addition, he is a talented musician and plays keyboard and sax in the cover band Friction_SD.

Cody is Eric's other best friend from residency training. Along with Truc, Cody inspires Eric to try new things and introduced him to the excitement of live music festivals. Cody normally has the loudest voice in the friend group, for better or worse. However, he is appreciated for rallying people to go and enjoy San Diego's night life. He loves animals and inspired Eric and Deanna to adopt their own cat named Kumo. He has developed a strange bond with Kumo and would often stop by unannounced to see the adorable little rascal. Cody is also a very talented musician and plays a variety of instruments for Friction_SD.

Edison is Eric's younger brother, but Eric has always found him mature beyond his years. While growing up, the two would compete in fighting videogames. Catching onto this competitive spirit, their father, Tim, made a fun bet to see which of the two brothers would be taller at the end of Edison's senior year in high school. Eric narrowly won $500 dollars by 1/2inch! To this day, Eric holds this achievement over his brother's head! (See what I did there?) Today, it is questionable who is taller...All joking aside, Eric is extremely happy that Edison has moved to Irvine for his new job with Amazon, making him easier to visit.

Super dedicated and hardworking father. Eric distinctly remembers having his first cup of coffee while helping him open shop in their family's Chinese restaurant. He showed Eric the importance of working hard and how to handle himself while stir-frying Chinese food in a flaming wok.

An amazing woman that uses her strong work ethic and personality for the benefit of her family. Always the willing hostess, she is always excited to welcome guests into her home and help her husband Tim prepare delicious Chinese meals for them.

Oldest of the Leung brothers. Elmin is the jokester among them. The three share a brother's text chat where he likes to share the most ridiculous memes and videos. Elmin recently purchased a home with his wife Cathy in Sacramento.