Wedding Party
Parker Moon
Best Man
The first time Parker and José met, it was the year 2003 and José was playing Pokémon in the bathroom stall at school...as we all do. Parker walked in and, after introducing themselves through the stall door, he asked if José was related to Yankees player Alex Rodriguez. After that, their friendship flourished riding the bench for the basketball team during freshman year. Despite their talents not taking them to the NBA, they got something even more valuable when they became NBFs (New Best Friends). Throughout high school they supported one another through the good times and the bad; you can even hear Parker cheering for José in the footage of José winning State for the 800m dash. After graduating, José and Parker both went to The Harvard of the South (Young Harris College) where they met fellow groomsmen Gabe Doster. Parker and José finally had to go their separate ways when Parker became a pilot and José went to Auburn for grad school. As a die-hard Dawg, Parker was not happy with José's new alma mater but cheered him on nonetheless, just like the good 'ole days on the track. Even though they live 100s of miles away, they continue to be best friends. Parker has been the most dependable, compassionate, and, at times, overly-confident person in José's life. Parker is truly a brother to José (one time they were even mistaken as brothers while camping) which makes Parker the best Best Man José could ask for.
Marissa Luckie
Maid of Honor
Marissa and Isabelle go wayyyyy back. All the way back, in fact, to Isabelle’s birth. The epitome of a wise older sister, Marissa has always been a voice of reason and guiding light for Isabelle. Marissa and Isabelle are sisters (“Sea Stars”) and best friends. Isabelle is eternally thankful to be gifted a best friend as considerate, loyal, funny, smart, and brave as Marissa. Continuing on a long-held tradition of whooping-tail (seriously, Marissa won almost every WWE Sibling Smackdown Belt in recorded history... even the 2-on-1 matches), Marissa totally demolished the "home-body" allegations when she moved to Budapest for 2 years to teach English. She hopped all over Europe including visits to Ireland, London, Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, and more! Knowing that Rissa lived it, laughed it, loved it is what gave Izzy the courage to move to New Orleans. Marissa is a constant inspiration to Isabelle and she couldn’t imagine having anyone else right by her side at her wedding and through her life. Marissa is a brilliant writer (if you liked Our Story on the homepage, thank RissaRoo), one of the wittiest and funniest people on Earth, and, with those flaming locks of Auburn hair & eyes of emerald green, I think we can all guess what song she was the Muse for.
Ethan Luckie
Groomsman
Ethan is José’s soon-to-be brother-in-law and José would be lying if he said that wasn't the cherry on top when it comes to marrying Isabelle. José has always wanted a brother and “Luckie” for him, he probably got one of the coolest ones to ever exist in Ethan. Ethan is incredibly mature for his age and, despite the 10 year age gap, is able to fit right in with José and all the old groomsmen... or maybe they're just immature for their age, who's to say? Ethan never fails to make José laugh: he is an amazing story teller and always has the funniest video to show José, though most of them José is strictly forbidden from showing to Isabelle. In addition to being funny, kind-hearted, and down-to-earth, Ethan is naturally good at just about anything he does so he frequently destroys the fam in board games, card games, soccer, and, most importantly, Risk. (He’s a reeeaall baad man). With all that natural talent, he's destined to be the richest of the Luckie fam (but don't tell Ava I said that) and José can't wait to be along for the ride. Ethan is at the early stages of his college career at University of South Carolina and José just knows he is a bright star ready to take off. All in all, José could not be more grateful to have Ethan in his life. Go Cocks baby!!
Ava Grace Luckie
Bridesmaid
Ava Grace – also known as AG, Slay-va, and Evil Grace – is Isabelle’s younger sister and biggest hype woman. Once a shy toddler who would rather “run away to Barney’s house” than be videotaped, Ava Grace has embraced her sparkle and now would never shy away from the spotlight. Back in the Quarantine Days, she would always rope Isabelle into making TikToks of them dancing and then totally leave her older sister in the dust when she was completely ready to go after roughly 30 seconds of practice. Destined to be the richest of the Luckie children (but don’t tell Ethan I said that), Ava Grace is a shining star headed straight for the top and Isabelle wouldn’t be surprised if every single person at the wedding knows and loves her by the end of the night. She is charismatic, capable, determined, caring, and an absolute wild card. She always keeps her friends and family laughing with the crazy things she says and does -- like explaining the term GYAT to the her youth pastor. Despite being born almost a decade earlier, Izzy is constantly getting accidentally called "Ava Grace" by her parents but she's grown to accept it. And, honestly, who could be upset about being mistaken for Ava Grace with her beautiful brown eyes, tanned skin, and stunning smile? Besides, their baby pictures are giving ~Twins~ unless you count the fact that Izzy's have that '90's pixelation.
Gabe Doster
Groomsman
Gabe and José met at The Harvard of the South (Young Harris College). They were always in the same friend group but their friendship truly took off when they became brothers in SPAT, a local Service fraternity. Gabe served as the president while José served as the treasurer; José always said yes to purchases which encouraged Gabe to fine-tune his persuasive skills (and his presidential veto). Because of this, José takes partial credit for Gabe's success in pursuing a law degree. Since the SPAT days, Gabe has been a great support system and sends José frequent pictures of his family’s dog, Junior. (For real, this dog is the star of the show. It’s his world and we’re just living in it). They may live hundreds of miles apart, but luckily Gabe is an absolute athlete at Fortnite which allows for late night chats and good times, especially when Joe Milner third-parties. In addition to his video-game genius, Gabe is one of the most knowledgeable, humble, & good looking people José knows; Isabelle even keeps a picture of Gabe in her wallet! And, while these things are all true, José also hopes that by fluffing Gabe’s ego, he will keep José out of jail if (when?) the time comes.
Madison Rodriguez
Bridesmaid
Maddie, thank the Heavens, is Isabelle’s soon-to-be sister-in-law. Isabelle first found out about her about two hours into Isabelle & José’s first date when José started talking about his younger sister who is his best friend in the world. It was an immediate green flag and, when Isabelle met Maddie, she understood why José bragged so much on her: Maddie is a total badass. With a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree under her belt, Maddie is well on her way to her PhD at UGA (yes, she’s a Dawg… but we don’t hold it against her). She is so warm & welcoming and made Isabelle feel like a part of the family right away. During their first vacation together in Mexico, José was happy to be a third wheel while Isabelle and Maddie talked about everything under the sun while drinking cocktails. They both left that trip loving a Tom Collins & each other’s company. Through the years, Maddie and Isabelle have grown closer and closer and usually, when Maddie calls José, Isabelle takes way more than her fair share of time chatting. They've bonded with long talks, fashion advice, and their favorite pastime of all -- teaming up on José. Just as much as Maddie makes Isabelle feel like a part of the Rodriguez fam, she also fits right in with the Luckies. Maddie could be Ava's long-lost sister and she and Mama Luckie are forever on the same cake-smashing team. Izzy can't wait for Maddie to officially be her sis!
Pat Snider
Groomsman
Pat and José met at Auburn University (War Eagle) during the graduate student recruitment weekend. Pat knew from the moment he met José at the world-famous Sky Bar that they were going to be best friends. Together, they have endured many tragedies including the hardships of Res Life, the unfortunate era of Bryan Harsin, and multiple Iron Bowl losses. However, they have also experienced some big wins -- like the time they got pulled over on the way to Tuscaloosa but were able to smooth-talk their way out of a ticket and continued on to watch Auburn beat 'Bama at the airplane hanger (I mean Coleman Coliseum) which ultimately led to Auburn Men's Basketball being ranked #1, all because Pat and José were there to cheer them on. Of course, in their four years of friendship, there have been other wins like graduating with their Master's together but... the Auburn Basketball memory is the one that José holds dearest to his heart. Since they met, Pat has been José's right hand man. Even during the lowest of times, Pat was able to cheer José up by telling an inappropriate joke and following it up with a Goofy laugh. Pat will always be José’s most loyal and number one fan, even if José hits a multi-season slump...Trust me, he is a New York Giants fan. Even though Pat's loyalties sometimes lie in disadvantageous places, José will be forever grateful to have met Pat during PGA and earned that love and loyalty for himself.
Katelyn Harvey
Bridesmaid
Katelyn is Isabelle’s randomly-assigned freshman year roommate… and Isabelle thanks Auburn Housing every day for pairing her with this West Coast baddie. They spent many nights together breaking it down at their favorite bar, Q’s – sometimes on elevated surfaces to their sororities’ chagrin – then dragging themselves back home to 333 Plainsman, with a quick pit-stop at Momma G’s on the way. Kate was Isabelle’s first real friend at Auburn and Isabelle spent many afternoons & evenings "doing homework" on Katelyn’s pink fuzzy rug. Throughout that year, Isabelle put up with Katelyn's babytalk on the phone with her then-partner and Katelyn put up with Isabelle's terrible taste in men. Although they moved out of the dorms after the first year, Isabelle and Katelyn remained very close and Isabelle knows that she can tell Katelyn absolutely ANYTHING with zero judgment. Katelyn knows way too much about Isabelle (and Isabelle’s dad…) but Isabelle isn’t worried because Katelyn is 100% loyal and would do anything for her favorite people. Over their 8 years of friendship, she has kept a vault full of secrets, taken amazing graduation pics for Izzy -- yes, the iconic Busch Lite shotgun grad pic is Katelyn's work -- and even tried to fist-fight an Army Ranger because he was being rude to Isabelle. She is fierce, honest, hilarious, and a crazy-talented photographer. Isabelle can’t wait for the day when they're living together again, this time in a nursing home instead of a dorm.
Zach Werninck
Groomsman
Zach and José met at 1716 in Auburn, AL during PGA weekend. José remembers whispering over to his host asking him who Zach was because he "looks a little sus." As it turns out, Zach would become one of José's closest friends -- although his initial impression was spot-on; Zach is incredibly "sus" in the best way possible. Zach is José's most reliable source for inappropriate holiday messages (you know the ones...Zach knows them better) and for anything José could ever want to know about sports, the great state of Florida, or, best of all, sports in the great state of Florida. Beyond text chains and trivia, Zach was a great mentor to José as he entered the new world of housing and a new phase of life. They spent many early mornings in yoga classes to find their Zen and lifting weights to get shredded at the gym. Well, at least that's what they intended to do. More often, they'd spend an obligatory 30 minutes pumping iron, then paid a visit to José's true love: the basketball court. As much time as they spent with José's sport, it was only fair that José repaid the favor by engaging with one of Zach's favorites -- golf. José will forever be indebted to Zach for teaching him how to swing a golf club and introducing him to one of his new favorite pastimes. Whether Zach's being a True Auburn Man, Tennessee Zach, or Florida Man, José always has a good time when Zach is there.
Lauren Glaser
Bridesmaid
Lauren and Isabelle met in New Orleans, playing soccer on the same adult-league team. They really bonded when their rag-tag team which had lost or forfeited every game that season miraculously won the league; Lauren literally jumped into Isabelle’s arms and Isabelle knew they would be lifelong friends. When Lauren was still living in New Orleans, it wasn’t uncommon for them to plan to spend the morning together then, somehow, talk all the way until it was time for dinner. Lauren spends most of her days saving lives (she’s an amazing nurse) and, off the clock, she continues to bring so much light, laughter, and love into the world. Recently, she left NOLA (and Isabelle broken-hearted) and now travels the country as a traveling nurse. Isabelle was sad to see her go but is excited to always have a new town to explore -- next up, Denver! They haven’t broken the habit of passing the time gabbing either; phone calls will last hours and still Isabelle always hangs up knowing she had way more to talk with Lauren about. Lauren is a greeting card afficionado and always makes sure that Izzy knows how much their friendship means to her through perfectly-timed and beautifully-written cards. Isabelle can never seem to find a greeting card as good as Lauren's but she makes sure to at least reciprocate when it comes to Lauren knowing how special she is to Isabelle.
Mike Collins
Groomsman
Mike and José met serendipitously during an Auburn interview and José knew from the moment he met Mike that he had met a lifelong friend and his future groomsmen. Mike spoke with a combination of vulnerability and ingenuity in their conversation and -- while many feel that they can't show their true selves in an interview -- Mike's giant heart shone through brilliantly. José recruited Mike hard to commit to Auburn for the school's sake and his own but, sadly for José, he was outplayed by the recruiter at Alabama -- Mike's then-girlfriend, now wife (Mrs. Emma) who was a student there. Even though José didn't get to realize his dream of becoming the most dynamic duo this side of the Mississippi at Auburn, the two stayed in touch after the interview, both working in the surprisingly tight-knit community of Higher Education. When they met in person for the first time two years later on a whim at a coffee shop in Chattanooga, they couldn't help but realize they were besties for the resties. True to José's first impression, Mike is one of the most generous, compassionate, & generally amazing people that José knows. During one of their first phone calls with José nearly in tears, Mike's openness and kindness bridged the gap between Auburn & T-Town and helped these star-crossed buddies build an unbreakable bond.
Ben Cottingham
Bridesman
Ben is one of Isabelle’s oldest friends and, unfortunately for her, the keeper of many embarrassing texts & voicemails. They first met when Isabelle spotted him across the room at their high school freshman orientation and declared to her friend that he would be her boyfriend. Never one to give up on her goals, Isabelle *did* date Ben -- for about two months to the detriment of both parties (Don't worry, they laugh about it now). Through the tumultuous years of high school and chaotic first years of college, Isabelle and Ben had their ups and downs. But in junior year of college, the two were reunited and it felt so good! They’ve been the best of friends ever since and have been there for each other through multiple break-ups, moves, and major life changes. He is insanely charming, brilliant, and funny, gets along swimmingly with Isabelle's mom, and is weirdly good at trivia. Beyond that, Ben is also Isabelle’s biggest cheerleader. He has seen Isabelle at her absolute worst and still believes she is capable of anything; Isabelle has seen Ben at his most Freshman-Boy-at-an-SEC-School (yikes!) and still believes he has one of the best hearts of anyone she knows. Despite the fact that he literally outgrew her --he was 5’3 when they met freshman year of high school and now ducks to get through doorways -- they will never outgrow their friendship.
Sam Flagg
Groomsman
Sam and José have been through a lot of wild adventures together and José wouldn't have it any other way. Together they've survived a sorority pledge period at Young Harris College, met Bruce Pearl & the Auburn Men’s basketball team days before COVID shut-downs, and went on an impromptu Christmas Day trip where they visited six national parks in five days, camping out in a foot of snow. Although they were friends during college, when they both ended up in Auburn -- José for grad school and Sam for Medical school -- they grew extremely close. Sam supported José through a very difficult time in his life and was even one of the first to meet Isabelle. The first photographic evidence of Isabelle and José is actually a video Sam recorded! Similarly, José was one of the first to meet Sam's now-wife, Mrs. Rebecca Flagg. While the two had great luck with their ladies, their sports mojo has been considerably less fruitful: Jose and Sam both became Auburn fans while attending. Though they may be let down perennially, they fuel one another's hope (and/or delusion) that next year is Auburn’s year. Just as José admires Sam's tenacity in fandom, he also admires Sam’s ability to show compassion towards anybody in any walk of life and his level of spiritual maturity. Anyone would be lucky to have Dr. Flagg as their physician and José is lucky to have Sam as his friend.