Meet Our Guests
We can't wait for everyone to meet, connect, and create new friendships. To help break the ice, we've shared a few fun facts and stories about each of our favorite humans who will be present for our our wedding. Enjoy getting to know the amazing people who make up our little community.
Kate’s Mom & Dad
Krynica, Poland
Rita & Ziggy Kubiak
Rita is a talented artist with a lifelong passion for creativity. She loves painting, arts and crafts, gardening, cooking, and sewing. Many of Kate's childhood doll clothes and costume party outfits were lovingly handmade by her mom—a gift that inspired Kate's own creative spirit.
Rita also has an appreciation for music, dance, theater (especially Polish cabarets), and enjoys a good happy hour, a card game, a dance party, or decorating for the holidays.
Ziggy is an incredible chef and makes the best traditional Polish dishes. His specialty is preparing elaborate holiday meals.
Earlier in his career, Ziggy taught geography before pursuing a variety of other ventures. One of the most memorable was owning Cichy Kącik ("Quiet Corner"), a nightclub in Kate’s hometown of Siedlce that quickly became the hottest spot in town.
His extensive collection of dance music filled the house throughout Kate's childhood and sparked her love of dancing. When he's not in the kitchen or in the garden with Rita, Ziggy enjoys reading, following politics, watching world news, sports, and watching a good action movie.
In 1991, Rita and Ziggy moved from Poland to Toronto, Canada, with their daughters, Kate and little Izzy. They learned English and built a new life in a new country. Rita and Ziggy moved back to Poland a few years ago to be closer to family and old friends.
Sue & Mick Stokes
Tony's Mom & Stepdad
Columbus, Ohio
Sue has always been a bit of a firecracker and is often found laughing among friends and family – if she’s not riling someone up.
Never one to slow down, she and Mick can frequently be found traveling around in their motorhome or at the Veterans of Foreign Wars outpost, where she coordinates all the volunteer activities.
Loves painting and crafts, a good happy hour, their dog Buddy and decorating for holidays (we think our moms will get along).
Once feared by all children in his neighborhood, Mick is, in fact, a very sweet and loving man, often found cracking jokes and making people feel at ease.
Mick is a loving husband and stepdad to Tony and Sara and a Vietnam war veteran. He enjoys tinkering in the garage and around the house and taught Tony and Sara to camp – even when it was raining.
Loves cars, the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and has a knack for recipes Sara and Tony will never forget (ask him about it if you have strong stomach).
Donald & Michelle Schonhardt
Tony's Dad & Stepmom
Athens, Georgia
Don served as the Mayor of Hilliard, Ohio, for 18 years while also building his own accounting practice.
A lifelong distance runner (perhaps where Tony gets it), he's never met a house he didn't want to remodel.
Don is also the proud father of Tony and his four siblings: Casey, Stacy, James, and Samantha.
He loves a good snack, movies about space, and classic artists like James Taylor and Frank Sinatra.
Michelle is an avid gardener, enjoys crafting, spending time with friends and family, taking long walks through local neighborhoods, and admiring beautiful architecture.
She has patiently endured Don's many home renovation projects over the years—including their current one, which we're told is almost finished and ready to receive guests. We await our invite soon ;)
Kate’s Uncle
Kitchener, Ontario
Tom Kubiak
Tom is Ziggy's younger brother—15 years his junior and only 10 years older than Kate. Growing up, Kate always thought of Tom more as an older brother than an uncle. Kate spent every summer at her grandparents' farm, where she and Tom built forts in the forest, experimented with his chemistry set in the attic, and shared countless adventures that became some of her favorite childhood memories.
Professionally, Tom is an electronics designer and has spent much of his career developing hearing aid technology.
Tom is also a talented illustrator. His drawings and creativity inspired Kate from an early age. He was also the first person to introduce Kate to the English language, teaching her some of her very first words.
Today, Tom is the proud father of his 12-year-old son, Mark. The two share a love of the outdoors. They enjoy camping, make a point of going fishing in a nearby creek whenever they can (often at least once a week), and love visiting museums—especially those focused on natural history. When they're back home, you'll often find them tackling an ambitious LEGO set.
Izabela & Dan Hnatiw
Kate's Sister & Brother-in-Law
Mississauga, Ontario
Izabela (AKA Iza or Izzy) is Kate's younger sister by seven years. Kate and Izzy share a love of event planning, interior design, cheesy Netflix Series, and discovering great food (usually without Dan, who isn't nearly as adventurous!). Izzy is also an absolute wizard in the kitchen herself.
Izzy loves getting lost in a good mystery novel. She has impeccable style and might just be the best online shopper in the Greater Toronto Area. She can complete a puzzle faster than most people I’ve witnessed.
She's a wonderful sister and friend and has remained close with her high school girl posse—a testament to her loyalty and the lasting relationships she builds.
Izzy is an executive assistant at a large IT company, where her incredible organization and leadership have earned her the affectionate nickname "the bulldog" from Dan.
Dan comes from a family of restaurateurs. His father, Peter, founded the original Old Spaghetti Factory in Toronto, and today Dan and his brother continue to own and operate the restaurant. Together, they also own an Irish pub, a fine dining restaurant, and a speakeasy. Most recently, they opened Dolly's, a country music bar (largest in Toronto and the third largest in Canada).
When Dan's not at one of the restaurants, you'll probably find him watching sports, talking about sports, out on the golf course, or eating pizza. In fact, Dan has never met a pizza he didn't love.
Izzy and Dan are the proud parents of two adorable kids: Liam (4) and Emma (2).
Tony's Sister & Sara's Boyfriend
Washington D.C. and Seattle, Washington
Sara Schonhardt & Patrick Beatie
Nicknamed by Tony and friends as “Tiny Terror" because in spite of her small stature she gets sh** done! Sara is just 18 months older than Tony.
She’s traveled the world and lived in Thailand and Indonesia before moving to Washington, DC, where the Reflecting Pool is indeed a disaster.
Sara is a world-class journalist, who loves to hate a good challenge. She also loves running (Marathons). Is not a fan of snow skiing.
She’s the life of every party and Tony doesn’t know what he would do without her.
Born and raised in Alaska, Patrick never saw a mountain he didn’t want to hike to the top of. Also a world traveler, he’s lived in Guinea, Gambia and Ghana. Patrick survived Christmas 2025, also known as Tequilagate, and we’re so glad we have not scared him away.
He enjoys running (sometimes, yes, with Sara), board games and loves a good concert.
Jeff Lunz
Tony’s Friend & Wedding Officiant
Taipei, Taiwan
Born in Lakeland, Florida, Jeff has spent most of his adult life living in Asia and is fluent in Mandarin.
Tony and Jeff met through a mutual friend in Beijing, and their friendship grew while they were both living in Shanghai. Since then, Jeff has visited Tony everywhere he's called home and is always up for an adventure—especially if it involves getting Tony into (or out of) trouble.
Jeff has completed a full Ironman, so it's no surprise that he enjoys cycling, working out, and fueling himself with the classic athlete's menu: chicken, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes.
Professionally, Jeff travels the world delivering corporate training programs and is also a published author. He's an exceptional judge of character (clearly), always ready with thoughtful advice, a great conversation, or a well-timed laugh. Through life's highs and lows, Jeff has been a steadfast friend, always ready to provide some comedic relief.
We are so grateful that Jeff has agreed to be our wedding officiant.
Alicia Brum
Kate’s Friend
Prince Edward County, Canada
Alicia is one of Kate's oldest and dearest friends. They met when they were just 19 years old. They have travelled together to Cuba, Spain, and nearly every place Kate has called home—including Vancouver, Gothenburg, Dublin, London, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara. Together, they've shared countless adventures fueled by great food, thrift shopping, beach days, house music, and an uncanny ability to get into (and somehow always out of) trouble.
Alicia is a master travel researcher and planner, capable of finding the perfect hidden gem, restaurant, or itinerary. She's also the ultimate hostess—bringing people together over beautiful tables, delicious food, thoughtful details, and memorable experiences. It's a passion she and Kate have always shared.
Alicia is married to PJ, and together they have two daughters, Aniya (9) and Ellowyn (7).
She's a master thrifter and has an incredible eye for interiors and fashion. She's also deeply committed to her community, championing local businesses, travel, culture, and the thoughtful, sustainable development of Prince Edward County.
Another fun fact: Alicia recently took an ancestry DNA test and discovered that her family roots trace back to the very same region of Poland where Kate was born.
Tony’s Friend
Hong Kong
Kate Jones
Born in New Zealand, Kate is the founder of the successful agency At Liberty. A person of seemingly unlimited talents and impeccable taste, she is one of Tony's original friends from his Shanghai days and has been an important part of his life ever since.
Kate lives on a small island off Hong Kong and is currently working toward her boating license so she can captain herself across the bay to work each day.
A true global citizen, Kate travels extensively for both work and pleasure and has visited Tony in nearly every city he's called home, sharing countless adventures around the world.
An avid runner, Kate has left Tony in the dust on countless trails through the mountains of Hong Kong, once saved him from stepping on a cobra during an evening walk home, and has an unforgettable snort laugh (it must be a Kate thing).
Liz Wagner & Jared Ficker
Kate & Tony’s Friends
Santa Barbara, California
Elizabeth (aka Liz, aka Liz After Dark) quickly became one of Kate and Tony's dearest friends during their years in Santa Barbara. Fun-loving, generous, and blessed with what may be the most energy of anyone we've ever met (seriously—if we could bottle it, we'd all be millionaires), it's no surprise she's become one of our closest friends.
Liz's home has become Kate and Tony's unofficial Santa Barbara bed-and-breakfast, always welcoming them with open arms whenever they're in town.
She's one of Santa Barbara's top real estate agents and an incredible mom to two boys, Wyatt (15) and Crosby (13). Between escrows, home inspections, school pick-ups, soccer, playdates, daily runs, yoga, and plenty of coffee, she somehow still finds time for lots of laughter and traveling the world with Jared.
Jared is a proud father of three—two daughters and a son. An avid sailor, he recently captained his catamaran from the British Virgin Islands through the Panama Canal to its new home in Costa Rica.
Professionally, Jared is one of California's leading experts at bridging the worlds of science, policy, and politics, with deep expertise in environmental policy, renewable energy, climate change, and land use (source: LinkedIn, no idea what he actually does, AKA International Man of Mystery)