Our People

Valeria Mashkova

Maid of Honor

Starting at Stand Up Live, she intimidated me at first. But we shared the same micromanaging & anal retentive tendencies, so I couldn’t help but respect her. The first time we hung out, sparks flew over a shared bottle of wine on her patio.We’ve known each other only 5 years, but shared what seems a lifetime of adventures. We once drove cross country in 24 hours flat. I would wake Kayla from her slumber while I drove, to let her know she had a text from her new love interest, Josh. It was pretty clear early on they were perfect together. Songs that remind me of Kayla: “Call on Me” -Starley, “I Like Me Better” -Lauv, “Thief” -Ookay, ‘00s skater music, & any ballad sung windows down at the top of your lungs The real reason I’m showing up to this wedding is because I was promised an open bar.

Collin Stanfill

Best Man

“Josh and I have known each other for a long time and have had some really funny moments like being the inventors of “Whack a Mole” Baseball to discovering Cheetos and cool whip are a great combo. But one of my favorite stories was for some reason Josh and I were chasing Cole in middle school and Josh while sprinting threw his Juke (for those of you that don’t remember one of the smallest most indestructible phones of all time) and it hit Cole’ funny bone perfectly dropping him to the ground. The phone was completely unphased from being hurled 70 mph into a human elbow.”

Mrs. Ariel Cook

Bridesmaid

Inspiring, unique, reliable, bad ass, unafraid, beautiful, never been done before, dreamer soulmate: a few words I think of to describe Kayla, “Wine Kayla” as she’s known in our household - I can always count on her to bring the wine for girls night. My husband can always count on us being a bottle in, quoting friends, and laughing over nothing and everything when he gets home. From crashing at my place when she had gangsta neighbor problems in Phoenix, to introducing me to the cheap wine section at Whole Foods, dreaming about our future 18,675,930 business ventures (oh yes! we will conquer them all), & our shared love of everything Michigan, Arizona, and country music-I count myself lucky to have this life long friend and I’m so happy she has found her Lobster. Cheers to Kayla & Josh!

Ryan McDaniel

Groomsman

“Josh and I went out one night and in typical fashion, Josh had quite a few jack and cokes. Now most people know that Josh can hold his liquor so when he does get drunk it's the perfect time to get some blackmail pictures for proof. We were driving back to the house and Josh kept falling asleep in the passenger seat. So I decided that I would get a picture of him passed out. I swear as soon as the flash went off he would wake up and pose with a cheesy smile. I tried this at least 5 times. Finally I was like, ‘How are you doing this?’ All he had to say was, ‘Reflexes Bro.”

Mrs. Elisabeth Mendoza

Bridesmaid

I had the pleasure of meeting Kayla Junior year at Arizona State University. When I first laid eyes on Kayla giving a dirty look to a girl I too disliked, I knew it was love. It all started at a PKU camp where Kayla and I were counselors. There was a “mean girl” at the camp and boy was she a doozy. Kayla and I bonded over talking trash about said mean girl while ditching out on the camp in the early mornings to make coffee runs and explore the nearby woods. The song that most reminds me of Kayla is The Circle of Life from the Lion King. One lovely evening Kayla and I sang this song driving into the sunset. Magic.

Derek Burton

Groomsman

“For those who may or may not know me or Josh, we are probably the best undiscovered vocal artists of our time. You could always find me and Josh singing to any song, any genre, any time. The waiting room at Famous Daves when you have a long wait is no exception. We sang in the Famous Daves lobby one night and put on a great show for the other restaurant patrons. Our food was even paid for! ......... Because Josh's parents paid.”

Oriel Martin

Bridesmaid

2012 we were hostesses at Standup Live Comedy Club in downtown Phoenix. Albeit a slightly rocky start due to being too large& in charge to listen to each other, one fateful night changed everything when we had our first, genuine conversation; school, dating, vegetarianism/vegan life, & work. We bonded instantly and endured years of career changes, address changes, educational choices, & diet improvements. She's a comfort that's indescribable, loyal, dedicated at improving, funny as hell, & as sweet as pecan pie. This lady is my southern sister. I'm so happy that through out every trial & tribulation, she remained dedicated to her path eventually meeting the man of her dreams. I can’t think of a more deserving person who truly deserves a happy ending. I love you Kayla. Josh is a lucky man!

Jake McDaniel

Groomsman

Josh and I were sitting at the bar in Florida getting a little tipsy and then all of a sudden a guy that looks just like Luke Combs walks up and sits brown by us. Josh looked at me and says "Is that Luke-freakin-Combs?!" About 30 minutes passed and a bunch of jokes we cracked, we then brought it up to the bartender. He didn't even know who he was, so Josh had to pull up a picture of him to show the bartender. Next thing you know the bartender was adamant that was Luke Combs so he took Josh’s phone over and asked him. Unfortunately it was not Luke Combs, but it definitely made for a funny and great memory.

Amy Reynolds

Bridesmaid

My favorite memory of Kayla? We woke up early to go running and then she made me coffee and breakfast. Between bites of fancy oatmeal, I realized she was the best boyfriend I’d ever had and I had to make her stay in Phoenix. Clearly that worked out really well for me. We met when I first moved to Phoenix and started working at Starbucks - Kayla was my manager. I think it was her green apron, her kitchen-safe clogs and her tough but fair management style that did it for me. Songs that remind me of Kayla: I Want You Back, Break up With Him, He’s No Good, No Good For You, Come Go With Me... and everything by Tim McGraw I’m only showing up to this wedding because I was promised Josh and Kayla’s first born child.

Jeremy McDaniel

Groomsman

“After going out bowling and having a few too many drinks. We decided to go back to my house for more drinks and hanging out. There Derek, Ryan, Josh, Alyssa and I and Alyssa’s friend Lyndsey enjoyed impromptu karaoke of 90’s country but Josh wasn’t content. He requested that I play a Backstreet Boys song (I want it that way). I reluctantly played the song, to satisfy Josh. None of us knew that it would lead to a performance. He sang every word of the song, performed several dance moves that seemed to be choreographed to perfection. We had to replay the song a few more times just to see the performance and have extra laughs.”

Tina Shenfeld

Mother of the Bride

Karen and Tom McDaniel

Parents of the Groom