FATHER OF THE BRIDE

Russell is the proud father of the bride. Russ used to watch Baywatch with the very young Julia. He sometimes read to her as well, and encouraged her to apply to Hogwarts.

Russell is a newly retired Family Physician, living and previously practicing in Listowel, a small town in Southwestern Ontario and Julia's birthplace.

He was born in England and was kidnapped and brought to Canada in 1989. He still has a deceptive accent.

Russell’s interests include music, golf and pets. He and Evi have three cats and deeply resent being called crazy cat people.

His retirement goals are: to learn to play the saxophone, to renovate and build a music/entertainment room and to build a water feature or Eco-Pool.   Russ has not yet made progress on these aspirations.

MOTHER OF THE BRIDE

Evi is Julia’s mom and a retired rural family doc from small town, Ontario where Julia and her sister, Kiri were raised as free-range kids when that was still normal and not a scary, alternative parenting style. She describes Julia as a shy, quiet, and thoughtful child who has grown into an intelligent, artistic, self-assured, and dare she say, not so quiet young woman who, after some shopping around, has found her person in Nate.

Evi grew up in Ottawa with hard working, opinionated immigrant parents, two sisters, a menagerie of stray cats and dogs and her German speaking grandma. The household philosophy was clear- know what’s going on in the world, stand up, speak up for what’s right and don’t whine - you don’t have it so bad.

Evi has remained a lifelong stray cat magnet and an unapologetic lover and defender of animals of all sorts. Plants too, but she is a rather laissez-faire gardener, an enabler of “weeds” (just plants with a bad reputation) which generously provide for her backyard honeybees and their native cousins.

As a physician, Evi has had the privilege of knowing and supporting folks from birth to end of life and medicine has given her the opportunity to spend a dozen years working across Canada and overseas before settling in Listowel. Russell and Evi met on the job in New Zealand after both their lives were re-directed by an odd pair of circumstances - the wanderlust of a footloose English gal named Fiona and an act of state orchestrated sabotage by the French in Auckland harbour.

Intrigued? Find her to chat under the midnight sun in June!

MOTHER OF THE GROOM

Julie is Nathan’s mom, taking shared responsibility for any single child traits, he may or may not possess. It’s 100% true that she cheered at almost every game Nate played on grass, ice or wood and was thrilled to continue the tradition at Hooplaw this year (see you next year, Brit).

Coming from a musical family, Julie knew Nate had music in him, enthusiastically exposing him to piano, guitar and trombone. Alas, the allure of sports won out, but ask Nate and Lola to share their epic trombone performance; Julliard did not call! She is now conversant in the rules of football, baseball, soccer, and of course, basketball.

While on her last undergrad workterm, Julie met a planner suffering from a hangover. It was not love at first sight, but the Pelech charm worked and he followed her back to Waterloo for grad school. Now, Julie and Yurij live in Mississauga, surrounded by forest, laughing at the antics of their 4th Portuguese water dog, Coen, one that actually swims!

Julie was blessed with fabulous grandparents. So, when her first love of glacial geomorphology lost promise, she naturally shifted her life’s work from old mountains to old people. When Nate was 5 months old, she started her gerontological consulting practice and he has been helping out ever since. He acquired a ‘unique set of skills’ that may or may not have helped him land his articling job. 

She is a library and National Geographic nerd, a bibliophile, prolific maker of mini chocolate chip muffins and blueberry pancakes, and cook for hordes of boys with insatiable appetites. She has walked Camino, reached Annapurna basecamp, searched for coos and still awestruck by glacial features everywhere. She is excited to be heading to a place not yet explored where once again, Yurij will be dragged to new eldercare homes of interest, but only after her favourite son marries her dream daughter-in-law.

FATHER OF THE GROOM

Yurij is Nathan’s dad and fellow sports enthusiast, which is a gross understatement of fact, just look at their text histories.

The son of Ukrainian immigrants, he is proud of his heritage and has curated a new legacy for the family’s kapusta smasher. Truth be told, it’s his zhinka (wife) who truly keeps the Ukrainian traditions alive. According to his mother, Yurij was destined to be a priest. Originally phys ed called to him with the prospect of spending every day in gym clothes, but he found his passion in urban and land development planning. He was planning a new remote community on Manitoulin Island when he made his underwhelming first impression on his future wife, Julie.

He is intrigued by all things urban, to him cities are fascinating systems of community and people in motion. He loves to hold civic leaders to account and revels in the fact his son now confers with him on planning details.

His choice of cars consistently facilitates his lead foot. Someday, he will once again be the proud owner of a 1970 Datsun 240z and a convertible Saab, the latter Julie will definitely commandeer.

Yurij is a walking encyclopedia of trivia and rock music history, the more obscure the band the better. He is a voracious reader of news both in hard copy and online where the sports sections are always read first. He is an avid collector of sports memorabilia having secured Nate his coveted Yzerman jersey, the purchase justified as support for the team fundraiser. He coached many of Nate’s soccer and basketball teams, most notably his 48-point game as MVP. A believer in practice and solid ball handling skills, Yurij and his co-conspirator (Julie) hauled a top of the line basketball net across international borders to install on the Pelech driveway. It’s seen many a one-on-one where familial bond is temporarily abandoned in the name of hard-core competition. Hockey sits among the great sports too, with three NHLers celebrating Yurij as GUOAT (Greatest Uncle of All Time). 

Yurij dreams of being on the court again playing on his son’s team, passing Nate the ball just ahead of the buzzer, to watch him sink the winning basket. While he cannot comprehend why Julia doesn’t love sports, he believes without a doubt that for Nate, she is the best teammate imaginable.

SISTER OF THE BRIDE

Kiri is the infamous older sister of the bride, the second most important person in attendance at the Latuskie / Pelech wedding, slightly edging out the groom for this coveted position.

Kiri and her husband Brett have been together since high-school, they are hoping to weather the next financial crisis like they did in '08.  Kiri and Brett don't talk to each other as much as Julia and Nate do because they have welcomed the 21st century and enjoy streaming shows and watching golf on the Sharpin box. Ask Kiri (or Brett) about IPTV availability near you. 

Kiri's favourite wedding pastimes include: (i) performing interpretive dances and low-skill lifts on the dancefloor; (ii) arranging guests in provocative poses for guestbook photoshoots; and (iii) bribing bartenders to distribute shots especially when prohibited by the venue.

Fun facts:

Like Drake, she started from the bottom at Shoppers Drug Mart, working there for 14 yrs. V chic uniforms. V good discount.

Brett was recently horrified to learn that Kiri sometimes eats sugar cubes if there is no candy in the house.

Kiri, not generally known for her patience, once stood in front of her washing machine for over 30 minutes at 2am waiting for it to finish its final minute of cycle. To be clear, "00:01" was displayed on the digital screen the entire time.

Kiri has been known to perform heists at local eateries to secure glassware for her kitchen. Norway's finest better beware.

BROTHER-IN-LAW OF THE BRIDE

Brett is married to Julia’s sister, Kiri. In early 2008, Brett set the standard for the high-calibre men to whom the Latuskie women are devoted. The jury is still out whether or not Nate meets the standard, but the wedding isn’t until June so there is still time.

Brett and Julia did not begin as the strongest allies in the family, but nearly two decades of shared eye rolls or brow raises over mutual disbelief of the absurdity of Kiri & Evelyn’s antics has strengthened their sibling-in-law bond. They now find themselves on the same team during disputes - except during the annual Monopoly game at the cottage, where they remain adversaries. 

Fun facts about Brett:

He lives in Listowel, despite it not being in his plans. In fact, he ended up living in a commune with Julia’s parents, known as the Binning St. Gang.

He is father to the adorable white dog, Jalapeño Harvarti (Jally), who appears on Julia’s Instagram frequently.

He shot a 68 last year. He’s very willing to talk about it.

Corinne and Julia’s friendship goes way back. If you think childhood, think further. Think in the womb. Nope, not a shared womb, but wombs in close proximity if you will. You see, their friendship had ties years before they even came into existence. Intrigued? Read on for more.

The wombs in question are those of their mothers, of course. Evi Westen and Susan Qureshi. That’s a story for another day. The point is, they were thrust together as babies at their parents’ social gatherings, and fortunately, it was a connection that stuck. 

Childhood included hangouts in Omi’s attack, loitering in the Central Public School playground, secret hideouts in the 4x4’ space in Evi and Russell’s closet, and Corinne being in awe of Julia and Kiri’s pristine beanie baby collection. Corinne first noticed Julia’s eye for design (and need for control???) while playing the computer version of Sims. Julia also introduced Corinne to the computer game Playing with Fire and the one with the penguins - YOU KNOW THE ONE JULIA. These are core childhood memories for Corinne, she realizes as she types this out. 

Fast forward to adulthood - Corinne had one of the best girls’ trips of her life visiting Julia in the summer of 2018. Julia is indeed the hostess with the mostest. Like, she bakes………… casually…………

Julia was also a beautiful bridesmaid in Corinne’s wedding in 2023! Which brings us to Corinne’s hot husband, Scott. 

Scott first came into the picture when Corinne received a text invite to Scott’s family’s Thanksgiving while she was at Kiri and Julia’s house. Corinne vetted the text aloud with the girls, as she was flattered but found it odd to be invited to an intimate family gathering after having only a couple dates.

Scott and Julia attend the same work conferences, and he is constantly fielding comments from men at these events, as well as from his single friends - it goes a little something like this: 

Men: “Yo, have you seen that hot blonde from RBC?!”, “Hey, what’s Julia up to?”, “Who’s that cutie?”

Scott: “Sorry fellas, she’s my wife’s best friend and she’s taken.” 

Well, lucky for the groom, she will officially be taken as of June 2026.

Fun Facts about Corinne and Scott: 

They have the most perfect angel baby funny boy - Miles “Smiles” Morrison - born in January 2025. He is their favourite thing in the world. 

They have a hilarious cat named Monty.

Fellow lovers of travel. 

Corinne and Scott met on Bumble. 

Corinne and Scott visited a winery in Italy with Julia and Nate on their honeymoon. 

Scott and Nate share a love of basketball. 

Kyla and Julia (that’s the bride) go way back. They worked together in high school where Kyla (1-yr Julia’s senior) was Julia’s “manager” and has since been essential to Julia’s career success as a crucial job reference.

Kyla enjoys inviting herself to Vancouver to visit Julia and intends to do so for the remainder of her life – Nate is thrilled about this FYI. Please see photo evidence: the most recent trip Kyla invited herself to (photo creds: Nate). Let the record show we went to Hawaii after this because Kyla is also a very fun ~~**travel girl**~~ just like Julia & Nate OKAY.

Some fun facts about Kyla:

Kyla likes long walks on the beach with her little rat dog

Kyla is one of the few single attendees so it is everyone’s responsibility to find her a hot Norwegian man on this trip okay?

Kyla lives in Port Elgin, ON at the beach and is an Appeal’s Specialist at Manulife Financial

Kyla has been kicked out of a total of three (3) bars for being shoeless (Julia had to extract glass from Kyla’s feet in Portugal) so if you see a shoeless gremlin on the dance floor just know she’s exactly where she wants to be

Reza was introduced to the bride through his lovely lady Brit (see adjacent bio). Through repeated (and forced) exposure, a friendship soon blossomed between him and Nate. He can be found in Vancouver, often dining at Julia and Nate’s where he will swear he couldn’t possibly eat anymore, but continue to have seconds, thirds and clean them out of their candy supply.

Please keep an eye out for this if you’re seated near him at meal time. 

Some fun facts about Reza:

He is a dog lover and has raised a regal old pug named Hugo.

He is a king of first impressions. While meeting Nate’s parents for the first time, he tried to impress them by eating an entire blob of wasabi on sushi night. 

Entering his thirties, he had the cliché existentialist spiral and took up running as a pass time. He no longer gets passed by the old ladies on the seawall.

He is a Liverpool fan (an unlikely alliance with a lesser Chelsea fan).

Like the bride, Britney is a product of the metropolis of Listowel.

She first infiltrated the Latuskie family in the early 2000s via a friendship with the bride’s older sister, Kiri. To Evi and Russell’s delight, Britney later (re?)-befriended the youngest Latuskie daughter when she moved to Vancouver. This is also certainly a delight for Nate, as it brought Reza into his life. 

Some fun facts about Britney:

Britney is partner of Reza and step-guardian to their ancient pug Hugo.

Britney is deeply afraid of heights but very much enjoys mountain adventures, which has led to several emotionally conflicting but ultimately pleasant hikes with Julia and Nate.

Britney used to live in a country that is a haven for money laundering, rule sticklers (ironically), alpine cows, and yodelling. The bride and bride’s sister came to visit, where they ate A LOT of cheese and hiked a glacier. It was also where Britney heard the first rumblings about a Nathan Pelech. Can you guess where this was? 

Lily and Mike are friends of the happy couple’s from Vancouver. By the time the wedding rolls around, they will have moved to Toronto.

Here a few things to know about them:

Like Julia, Lily is from a small town in Southern Ontario, giving her great appreciation for life out west.

Lily also loves a great hike. She has recently recovered from a major knee surgery and is excited that Norway is her first trip post-recovery. She’d love your hiking reccos - west, east, or north (Norway)

Like Nate, Mike played university basketball and hasn’t totally let go of it.

Nate and Mike (and some others you’ll meet) work out in the morning together three times a week. This cherished tradition even survived Nate’s disdain when Mike became an Arsenal fan.

Lily & Mike love meeting new people and are both known among friends for asking thoughtful questions. Please say hello, but don’t be surprised if you end up sharing your life’s story.

Claire and Joel are so excited to meet many of the other guests and to celebrate Julia & Nathan in Lofoten!

To help introduce Claire and Joel, they have prepared a little game of two truths and a lie:

1. This photo was taken in Vancouver at the wedding of Logan (another of Nathan’s colleagues) and Ashley, both of whom will hopefully be joining the wedding festivities in Norway!

2. The photographer who made Claire and Joel look so good in the above photo was none other than the groom, Nathan.

3. This will be Claire and Joel’s first time going to Norway, and they are very excited at the opportunity this wedding gives them to explore the beautiful landscapes North of the 68th parallel.

Answer key: #2. (Maybe they made this too easy, obviously they wouldn’t have asked Nathan when Julia was right there).

HELLO FELLOW TRAVELLERS & LOVERS OF LOVE,

Nicole and Julia's friendship goes way back to high school, and has been filled with the best (and most questionable) memories ever since. Think barn parties, shed parties, shop parties, bush parties... there was definitely a theme. But nothing tops the infamous 2018 girls' trip: a wild Whistler night, a very questionable reenactment of The Revenant (earning Corinne an ‘lol good one’ from Jonah Hill), and Julia somehow charming her way into a bar with an impossible line. Iconic behaviour. 

Nicole's biggest claim to fame, though, remains forcing her way into a friendship with Julia's parents. After working alongside Russ & Evi at the hospital and clinic, she is now proud to call them her besties. Dr. Latuskie even has the evidence... a pair of black cat slippers Nicole gifted to him that he wears PROUDLY.

Cody, on the other hand, holds a historic place in the Latuskie family: he was one of Kiri's very first boyfriend back in public school (Kiri even tried passing along a gifted locket with a picture of young Cody to Nicole). He is also known for the dramatic camping performance that occurred in the Latuskie's backyard, where the 8-10 year old sleepover attendees heard bird vs cat interpreted as a killer and ran screaming back into the house.

Together, Nicole & Cody are beyond excited to celebrate Julia & Nate in beautiful Norway...preferably with no wildlife encounters this time. 

Facts about Nicole & Cody:

Married since 2021

Parents to two little squishes (Theo 4yrs, Mia 1yr)

Nicole works as a nurse & Cody works as a Sprinker Fitter

Cody's hobbies: Gym life & Hunting

Nicole's hobbies: ...bread. Just bread.

p.s. the photo above was taken by Julia when Nicole and Cody got engaged!