Wedding Party
Shannon Murphy
Maid of Honor
Shannon and Grace have been friends since the third grade, connected by their shared experiences of growing up in military families. Despite the distances that occasionally separated them, their connection remained strong. Years later, they reunited at USF, where they joined the same sorority and deepened their sister-like bond. Though not related by blood, they have always felt like sisters at heart. Shannon couldn’t be more honored or excited to stand by Grace’s side on such a special day.
Shawn McCort
Best Man
Shawn met Craig in high school Spanish class, where their combined grades would barely amount to a C-. They quickly bonded, often skipping class once a week to drink RumChata and play FIFA. After college, the two became roommates and shared countless wild nights. Now, Shawn works as a Senior Analyst at a consulting company. Over the years, they’ve traveled together, argued, supported each other, and served as best men at each other’s weddings. Shawn has witnessed Craig at his best and worst.
Hayley McCort
Bridesmaid
Hayley knows Craig and Grace through her husband—the best man—Shawn. Shawn and Craig attended high school together, and Grace and Hayley formed an amazing friendship as a result. Hayley works as a Senior Event Manager for The Tampa Marriott Collection. Some of Hayley's favorite memories with Grace include wine walks during COVID, traveling together (be sure to ask her about Mexico, silent discos, and Colorado pizza), paddleboarding and kayaking, and even successfully sneaking a duffel bag full of White Claws onto the Weeki Wachee River.
Ed Murillo
Groomsman
Ed knows Craig and Grace through Craig's close friend Jacoobi. Ed and Craig first met in Las Vegas during a bachelor party, where their friendship sparked over a shared love for Panda Express Chow Mein. Shortly after the trip, Ed moved to Florida and naturally became close friends with Craig and Grace. Now living in Tampa, Ed works as a Senior Account Specialist at Rakuten Advertising. Some of Ed's favorite memories with Craig and Grace include vacationing in Mexico, catching COVID together after New Year's, indulging in large Heath Bar milkshakes at Dairy Joy, and, most importantly, enjoying good, clean fun on a limo tour. (However, don’t ask Ed about the limo tour—his recollection is a bit fuzzy!)
Bethany Rodriguez
Bridesmaid
Bethany first met Craig 12 years ago at the start of her relationship with her husband, Jacoobi, who was Craig's roommate during their freshman year at USF. She met Grace through Craig at the beginning of their relationship, and since then, Craig and Grace have been an integral part of Jacoobi and Bethany’s lives and major milestones. Over the years, Bethany and Grace have shared life’s challenges, laughter, celebrations, and so much more—all while grabbing coffee along the way. From dinner parties, holidays, movie nights, sorority date functions, craft-ernoons, a kitten rescue mission, late-night dance parties, last-minute concert adventures, vacations, meeting Jacoobi and Bethany’s baby girl, and countless spontaneous weekend hangouts, their friendship has been filled with unforgettable memories. The next cherished memory will undoubtedly be Grace and Craig’s wedding day!
Jacoobi Rodriguez
Groomsman
Jacoobi and Craig met as freshman roommates at USF’s Juniper-Poplar Hall and have been close friends for 12 years. Together, they’ve shared countless golf outings, bar crawls, cigar chats, local and international vacations, house parties, and holidays. Through Craig, Jacoobi met Grace, who quickly became close with him and his wife, Bethany. Jacoobi is a CPA and Audit Manager at Deloitte & Touche (and no, he doesn’t want to talk about taxes!). One of Jacoobi’s favorite memories with Craig and Grace was ringing in 2021 with a dance party at his and Bethany’s house.
Kira Hauge
Bridesmaid
Kira first met Grace through their sorority at USF. The first time they met, they spent hours talking in Grace’s room, and Kira immediately knew that night she wanted to be her friend. One of Kira’s favorite memories with Grace is the week-long road trip they took with their other friend, Ashleigh. Though none of them knew each other very well at the time, they returned from the trip as best friends and have been traveling together ever since. Kira couldn’t be more excited to celebrate Grace and Craig on their big day!
Dwayne Ifil
Groomsman
Dwayne first met Craig when they were coworkers at Jabil, where Craig was one of the interviewers during Dwayne’s hiring process. At the time, Dwayne couldn’t help but think, 'Who is this kid interviewing me?!' Naturally, Dwayne got the job, and eight years later, their friendship has only grown stronger. Even after both left Jabil, they somehow ended up working together for another five years, albeit at different companies, until Craig joined Dwayne’s current company in 2023. It felt like a throwback to 2018! Dwayne now works as an Operational Risk Management Internal Auditor for USAA. Fun fact: One time, Dwayne bet Craig $5 to chug a container of ranch dressing—and Craig didn’t hesitate to accept the challenge!
Ashleigh Sheekey
Bridesmaid
Ashleigh is Grace’s “little sister” in their sorority. She lives in Lakeland and works as an insurance fraud investigator. In college, Grace and Ashleigh were inseparable—bar hopping in St. Pete, watching The Greatest Showman on repeat, attending country concerts, and saying “yes” to every spur-of-the-moment idea. Whether it was late-night ice cream or Taco Bell runs, road trips, or pointless car rides spent singing at the top of their lungs, Ashleigh and Grace were always up to something together—sharing time with Craig, of course.
Dhruv Patel
Groomsman
Dhruv met Craig through their fraternity and later got to know Grace through him. Over time, Dhruv and Craig became roommates, which brought them even closer. Dhruv now lives in Tampa and works fully remotely as a System Administrator for the UK-based company Unily. Some of Dhruv’s favorite memories with Craig include exploring new cities, trying different restaurants, and golfing.
Veronica Bendix
Bridesmaid
Veronica met Grace through their sorority, where Grace became her Big. The first time they met, Grace invited Veronica over to make cookies and even sent her home with a to-go box—sealing the friendship deal (at least in Veronica’s mind). From there, they created endless memories, including a trip to Nashville at the start of COVID, Howl-O-Scream, Grace attending Veronica’s sorority function as her date long after graduating, and even finding Grace’s wedding dress! Many coffee shop visits, girls’ trips, and cherished moments later, Veronica is honored to stand by Grace’s side on such a special day.
Spencer Crose
Groomsman
Spencer and Craig grew up in the same neighborhood and have been close friends since third grade. Over the years, they bonded over hobbies like skateboarding and fishing. Their friendship continued through college at the University of South Florida, where they became roommates. Craig has been like a brother to Spencer, sharing not just life experiences but also a career, as they later became coworkers. He now works as an Export & Sales Manager at a regenerative medicine company.
Jaime Russin
Bridesmaid
Jaime knows Grace and Craig from being Grace’s big in their sorority and also from being her roommate. Some of Jaime’s favorite memories include spending time with Grace, Craig, and her husband, Nick, during a staycation they had during COVID—making piña coladas and playing Monopoly. Another unforgettable moment was their infamous piggyback ride race on Grace’s 21st birthday, which was full of laughter and fun. Jaime currently works as a Nurse Supervisor at a local nonprofit, supporting first-time moms and their babies.
Jack Dunn
Groomsman
Jack and Craig met during their freshman year of college. Throughout their college experience, they became great friends and were roommates both during their senior year and after graduating. They also lived together in Baltimore while working a summer sales job with Vivint. Jack met Grace while they were living together and always thought she was incredibly kind and a perfect match for Craig! Jack now lives in Sarasota and works in the commercial coffee industry. Some of his favorite memories with Craig include adopting Dexter together, going on trips, and simply enjoying quality time and shenanigans. A fun fact Jack learned through Craig? It is, in fact, humanly possible to eat a Big Mac in one bite! Be sure to ask him how he knows that to be true…
Nikita Patel
Bridesmaid
Nikita met Grace in college through Craig, who she met through her husband, Anand, as they were both in the same fraternity. Over the years, Nikita has seen Grace through many major milestones—her 21st birthday, graduating, starting her career, buying a house, getting engaged, and now working toward graduation again. Nikita works in cybersecurity and lives in Seattle, Washington. One of her favorite memories with Grace is their trip to Mexico. While everyone else was searching for a swim-up bar, Grace and Nikita opted for a quick five-minute yoga stretch—followed by a peaceful 20-minute power nap, with the sound of the waves as their white noise. Other cherished moments include their chaotic soup drop-offs and chai sessions while Grace was balancing work and classes, squeezing in time together when Nikita still lived in Tampa. When you see Nikita at the wedding, be sure to ask her how much she loves the Pacific Northwest—and how she’d happily make all the chai in the world for Grace!
Shiv Patel
Groomsman
Shiv first met Craig on campus at USF when Craig was starting college and looking to join a fraternity. The two quickly became close friends and have remained so ever since. Shiv met Grace at a party, which also happened to be the same party where Craig met her and their story began. One of his favorite memories of Craig is from a trip to Gainesville, where Shiv had to pick up Craig and his brother from a party. Craig had taken a loaf of bread from someone’s apartment and ran out the door. When Shiv arrived, Craig and his brother were balling up the bread and throwing it at Shiv’s car. A month later, Shiv found a bread ball while cleaning his car—a story they still laugh about to this day. Since graduating, Shiv now works as a pharmacist.
Anand Prasad
Officiant
Anand went from being Craig’s pledge master in their fraternity to a close friend. Although he met Grace through Craig, he and his wife, Nikita, became great friends with her as well. Anand is a Software/DevOps Engineer at Boeing, where he builds and maintains a data and AI platform. Some of his favorite memories with Craig include partying at Shephard’s Beach Resort, hitting the gym at the most random times, and traveling across the country—San Diego, Asheville, Orlando, St. Augustine, and even a cabin in Georgia—plus a trip to Mexico. Other unforgettable moments include post-graduation Indian buffets with Craig and his family, somehow always ending up in Ybor City, and Craig flying to Seattle just to visit him and Nikita.