Marissa and I have been best friends and thick of thieves for nearly two decades now. We first met playing basketball in elementary. Marissa was playing on a boy's team and my dad drug our family out to go watch her play - he was in the beginning stage of starting his AAU program and we needed girls who could hoop! Marissa's mom agreed to bring her to a Phenom practice and her and I have been besties for the resty ever since!
People always say that sisters are just built-in best friends and that is so true! Despite having about 6yrs between us, Shawnte and I have always had a special bond as sisters...Well maybe not always! She was a bit of a bully growing up lol But once I became a teenager all of that was in the past. She's my table dancing partner for life (if you grew up watching the Cosby Show then you know what I'm talking about) and I'm glad to have her stand beside me on my big day!
Another built-in best friend that God blessed me with! With only 2yrs separating the us, Brittany and I have pretty much always been close. For most of our adolescent years we shared a bedroom, so you know that means we had our ups and downs! If you know Brittany and if you know me, then you know that we are complete opposites! Brittany is the sweet, sensitive, and artistic Middlebrook girl. She softens my edges by providing me a gentler perspective in life anytime I come to her with "problems" and I couldn't be more grateful for that. Much of the execution of this wedding is largely thanks to B, so if you see her at the wedding please be sure to tell her how great of a job she did helping out :)
Growing up I always secretly wanted a little sibling. To be honest I just wanted someone who looked up to me like I looked up to my sisters, but most importantly (at the time) I also wanted someone who I could boss around like my sisters bossed me around. I quickly gave up on that dream once I was about 6 years old. I never really thought of the siblings I could gain through marriage one day, but Shania has so naturally became the little sister that I always hoped for. She's probably one of the top 3 funniest people I know; and what makes her humor so great is that she's never really trying to be funny! I'm excited to have her energy surrounding me and my bridal party throughout this entire experience.
Kayla and I first met as teammates at K-State. I transferred to the team during Kayla's sophomore year and I remember the first time I got to hangout with all of the girls. Naturally, I just kind of kept quiet and observed everyone so that I can get a feel for people's personalities and where I'd fit in. At the end of that night I remember thinking to myself "yea, KG and I are gonna get along just fine." Little did I know that she was going to become one of the few people that I could rely on the most. KG was there for me during one of the toughest years of my life and now I'm excited for her to be there for me during the best day of my life!
Dajae and I started off as coworkers on staff at Grand Canyon University. It didn't take long for our relationship to shift from coworkers to friends. We were both just two young black women from the Midwest who were trying to get accustom to the West Coast lifestyle. Ironically enough, Dajae was actually the first friend who I told about D'Anthony to. I say ironically because about a year later, she actually started working with D'Anthony at the University of Akron for a few months. I called Daj that night right after D'Anthony and I's first date and she has literally been the biggest team D'Anthony + Karyla fan ever since. So I am blessed to have someone who truly loves and believes in our love story as much as Dajae does, stand next to me as we enter our new chapter of love.
Curtis has been a brother to me since the night I had to take Karyla her passport! I became a Chiefs fan because of him! He's always been patient with me and shown nothing but love. He's a husband and the father of two beautiful kids. I'm looking forward to making many more memories with him as brothers-in-law.
Niko and I became best friends in 4th grade. I kid you not, there was a time span where I spent the night at his house every Friday or Saturday. His family treated me like one of their own, and I'll always appreciate that. Whether it was going to a family cookout, the movies, or just playing video games ... Niko was my man and still is to this day!
I’ve known Dre since I was a little boy. He was the first one I called and asked to be one of my groomsmen! We grew up running around with dogs in yard, playing tag, popping fireworks; you name it, we did it as kids together. I share many memories with Dre. He's a brother to me and I can't wait to see him get married one day.