Wedding Party
Kayla Smith
Bridesmaid
Kayla and Christianne met when they were 0 years old! Their fathers' paths converged during their time with the Houston Rockets, sparking a connection that laid the foundation for a lifelong friendship. Kayla is always one text away from helping Christianne pick out trendy outfits for any occasion! Her styling skills are amazing!
Courtney Merchant
Bridesmaid
At the young age of 9, Christianne and Courtney's paths intertwined at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas in Mrs. Ash’s homeroom. Courtney's vibrant character and laughter that could light up a room, immediately drew Christianne towards her. Their friendship blossomed swiftly. The two created cherished memories while residing in close proximity in both Chicago and New York.
Brianna Cook
Bridesmaid
Brianna and Christianne's paths intertwined at the age of 15, thanks to a mutual friend. Their bond solidified rapidly, evolving into a friendship that would last a lifetime. When Christianne and Brianna were younger, they found joy in gathering with friends at The Woodlands mall, attending concerts and parties, and engaging in conversations about life and their aspirations for the future.
Maria Khoury
Bridesmaid
Maria and Christianne met at college (University of Pennsylvania) in 2013 after Maria transferred from Boston College. Rapidly forming a close bond, Maria and Christianne not only became fast friends but also dedicated study partners. Their college days were marked by joint culinary feasts and late-night study sessions, creating indelible memories.
Ameer Khoury
Bridesman
Ameer and Christianne first met in 2013. Notably, Ameer happens to be Maria’s younger brother and they become fast friends. Eager to enhance her football experience, Christianne would visit Ameer at the University of Wisconsin, filling the void left by UPenn’s lack of a substantial football culture. These two have also shared delightful memories in Minnesota, New York and Austin, TX.
Noor Faraby
Bridesmaid
Noor & Christianne met in 2016 while working at BlackRock. A challenging endeavor that ultimately fortified their bond. Through the trials of their demanding job, Noor and Christianne found their connection growing stronger. Their shared aspiration of living in Los Angeles one day has materialized, as they now reside there together. Exploring their new city, Noor and Christianne delight in hiking the scenic trails and embarking on culinary adventures, discovering the latest trendy eateries across LA.
Samantha Goldstein
Bridesmaid
Their connection blossomed during a tour of Northwestern Kellogg School of Business when Samantha managed to convince Christianne that Northwestern was the perfect fit for her. From that moment, their friendship flourished, becoming an inseparable bond during their time at Kellogg. Collaborating closely, they co-led a class trip together, took classes together and created wonderful memories at Kellogg parties.
Royce Reeves-Darby
Groomsman
Royce Reeves-Darby has known Austin since 2011. Hailing from Jackson, Mississippi, they happened to be randomly assigned as roommates for a pre-freshmen Africana studies program at the University of Pennsylvania where Austin also met Christianne. From that day forth, they were roommates and best of friends for all 4 years at Penn. When he is not busy producing movies as an esteemed film executive in Los Angeles working with A-List Hollywood talent, you can find him and Austin taking LA by storm either on the golf course, at the local watering hole, or reminiscing about the good ol' days at Penn until all hours of the morning.
Alec Josiah
Groomsman
As Austin's only sibling, Alec Josiah is the self-proclaimed smarter, funnier, better-looking, better-dressed, less corny, and more creative of the two Josiah boys. While some of that may be debatably true, at least Austin has about 3-4 inches on him. Alec followed his brother to Penn (becoming far more popular as a sophomore than Austin was as a senior) after attending boarding school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A former teacher of 4 to 5-year-olds (talk about patience), he now works at a non-profit in Chicago, whenever he's not performing as Chicago's most up-and-coming drag queens!
Avery Johnson Jr.
Groomsman
Avery Johnson Jr. is Christianne's only sibling and Austin's newest brother-in-law. Following in his father's basketball footsteps as a D1 college basketball player for both the University of Alabama and Texas A&M, Avery has parlayed his business acumen and elite relationship-building skills into a promising career as a sports marketing manager for some of Phoenix's most beloved pro athletes. Based in Phoenix, whenever Avery is not traveling across the country or hitting LA's hottest restaurants, he is probably building an entrepreneurial venture calling Christianne for advice.
Travis Coan
Groomsman
Travis Coan is one of Austin's oldest friends. When they became friends, the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Travis and Austin started together on The First Academy's Freshman basketball team as two skinny kids with interesting haircuts. Through countless sleepovers, a few Florida Gator football games, and plenty of high school hijinks, Austin and Travis have stayed close for almost 20 years. Travis has used his degree from the University of Florida to become an internal wholesaler of investment funds in Nashville, Tennessee leaving Austin in the dust at Deloitte as former co-workers.
Gaelen LeMelle-Brown
Groomsman
A Creole man and Morehouse man himself, Gaelen LeMelle-Brown is one of Austin's closest friends from his days in business school at UCLA Anderson. As one of the most creative, musically talented people out there, Gaelen has combined his love for music with a career in tech. Gaelen and Austin first met on an 8-hour car ride from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in 100+ degree weather and sifting through LA's most redeemable quality...traffic. He soon found out that Austin had car sickness (yikes) and from that day on, they took UCLA by storm and have countless great memories together traveling the world.
Patrick Lucas-Perry
Groomsman
Patrick Lucas-Perry or "PLP" as we call him was one of Austin's first friends at the University of Pennsylvania. They also met at the pre-freshmen Africana studies program (noticing a trend here?). When PLP wasn't knocking down 3-pointers at the Palestra as a member of the Penn basketball team, he and Austin would stay up all night studying for those brutal Wharton core classes in Huntsman Hall. Deciding he was too good for the world of business, he followed the path of his family and became a dentist, where he's making the smiles of his hometown of Greater Detroit whiter--one tooth at a time.
Stephen Hyotala
Groomsman
Originally from Green Bay Packers country, Stephen Hyotala and Austin have also been friends for a very long time. Attending The First Academy together in Orlando, Florida Stephen and Austin joined the varsity football team together as 150 lb freshmen. Stephen was also in many of Austin's classes and as an academics whiz himself, he would often score higher on pretty much every exam, quiz, homework, worksheet, you name it (but hey, who's counting?). As a University of Florida grad and owner of a few Jersey Mike Sub Shops in Greater Tampa, Stephen is someone Austin has always looked up to and one of the most genuine, optimistic, and righteous people you'll ever meet.
Levi Kirkland
Groomsman
Hailing from the Lou (St. Louis), Levi Kirkland first met Austin on an hour-long Uber ride through the center of Connecticut. Originally skeptical of Austin's mild temperament and corny dad jokes, they became close friends at UCLA Anderson, sharing their love of UCLA Bruin football/basketball while also learning the difficult sport of golf together during the pandemic. As a former Tufts University Lacrosse player and a high school math teacher near South Central LA, he turned those skills grading algebra exams into a career as an investment banker / private equity associate.
Jarenn Stewart
Groomsman
As Jamaica, Queens finest, Jarenn Stewart first met Austin while preparing for the daunting process of applying to MBA programs while residing in New York City in 2018. They both took their talents across the country to the left coast to attend UCLA Anderson. Jarenn and Austin were roommates, in the same section, same recruiting events, same capstone project team, and were the Co-Presidents of the Black Business Student's Association. Safe to say they spent a great deal of time together. A former 100m dash specialist at the University of Maryland, Jarenn is a serial entrepreneur around sports, fitness, and recreation while also doubling as a brand marketer at one of the world's best marketing companies.
Bennett Davis
Groomsman
Bennett Davis was one of Austin's best friends in high school at The First Academy in Orlando, Florida. Bennett and his family welcomed Austin with open arms as a new high schooler in a K-12 school. From late nights talking about being future eligible bachelors in the family hot tub to 4-wheeling through the vast lands of Crawfordville, GA to blocking guys twice their size on the football field, they established an unbreakable bond. After embracing the true Southern College football experience at Auburn University and spending his 20s in Melbourne, Australia, and New Orleans, LA for medical school, Bennett is currently an emergency medicine doctor in upstate Mississippi.
Takara Ashley
Groomswoman
A self-described movie ("film") nerd, Takara Ashley, has become one of Austin's closest friends over the past 7 years. They accidentally became friends due to Austin's ambitious cold-networking on the University of Pennsylvania alumni directory. Ever since that cringeworthy cold email, their shared love of the business behind entertainment, Los Angeles vibes, and indulging in Royce's hilarious shenanigans have kept them close through the years. A true Angeleno through and through by way of Stanford's Graduate School of Business, Takara has parlayed her love for film as a film strategist at everyone's favorite streaming company when she's not cheffing truly exquisite meals.
Andrea Sork
Groomswoman
Andrea Sork, one of the kindest, most affable people you'll ever meet, became friends with Austin over 6 years ago on a visit to his future city of residence. They instantly bonded over their shared fashion of denim jackets as well as their happy-go-lucky personalities. As a former Oregon Duck, Andrea has meandered through the Pac 12 (or shall we say Big 10) to leading and rubbing elbows with UCLA's Alumni Board. Through Andrea's love of the outdoors, she, Austin, and other friends have traveled throughout the West Coast on ski trips, desert trips, and everything in between.