The Wedding Party

Meet the Groomsmen

Justin DePalatis

THE BEST MAN
Justin was Luke’s prototype. As a child, Luke was known to follow Justin around, roughly three feet behind, imitating every movement & mannerism. They have accomplished many great things together, including their 3-film epic saga, Galactic Clone Wars, spanning 2005-2016, and they share in their appreciation for the San Francisco Giants, VeggieTales, and Ratatouille. As they grew into adults and pursued different achievements & accomplishments, Justin has become Luke’s most trusted ally, a wise conversationalist, and an excellent friend. Luke has known since 2015, when he was Justin’s best man, that Justin had to be standing right beside him on the day of his wedding.
Christopher Wright

THE BEST MAN
Chris and Luke met in the streets of Oak Tree Place as one-year-olds. They shook hands and exchanged business cards, and the rest is history. Chris has been the textbook definition of a “best friend” throughout Luke’s entire life; through every accomplishment, every next step, and every setback. He also serves as a direct inspiration to Luke through his unrelenting optimism, his steady and reliable friendship, and his companionship through every hill and valley. Chris is the first person to get a phone call whenever there’s something to report and the first person to show up when Luke needs support. Together, they have beaten the Galactic Conquest in Star Wars: Battlefront II countless times, made dozens of definitely award-worthy movies, and wandered the streets of Monterey in the middle of the night, listening to music and dreaming about the future.
Bryce Yoder

GROOMSMAN
Bryce and Luke met as transfers at Loyola Marymount University in 2019. While not paired through the random roommate program, Bryce was an honorary member of Luke’s sophomore-year dormitory to the point where he and his roommates would leave the window unlocked so Bryce could crawl in when no one was home. Bryce and Luke would find themselves having conversations late into the night about their pasts, dreams for their future, and various religio-political philosophies. As they got older, they shared many wonderful conversations over frozen yogurt, and Luke was honored to be Bryce’s best man at his wedding in Costa Rica in 2024. Bryce returned to Los Angeles from his world travels in late 2024, and he and Luke have picked up where they left off. Luke can say, with confidence, that Bryce is one of the most honest, caring, and trustworthy people he knows.
Hayden Reeves

GROOMSMAN
Hayden is Luke’s sort-of sister. They met in 2021, when Luke moved back down to Los Angeles after the pandemic, only to find a random girl in his new apartment. Turns out that girl was Hayden, Bryce’s (at the time) girlfriend, who was staying for a week in the city. In that week in Los Angeles, every roommate in that house fell in love with Hayden, who quickly proved herself to be one of the lads. When she left, the household became distraught. Fortunately for everyone involved, Hayden had so much fun living with Luke, specifically, that she decided to return to California. Hayden and Bryce got married in 2024. Luke and Hayden love playing (or watching each other play) video games together, cuddling Hayden’s dog, Pigeon, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.
Jack Thilgen

GROOMSMAN
Jack and Luke met in 2022, when Jack moved to Los Angeles for the sole reason of being Luke’s new buddy. On one of their first days together, they attended a JJ Abrams - Guillermo Del Toro Q&A and mixer, where they very awkwardly socialized with industry professionals for several hours. In early 2023, they set out on a writing exercise by crafting a Hallmark Christmas movie, and, since then, they have developed a creative partnership that has borne multiple feature film scripts, several comedic sketches, a short film, and several clumsy producer pitch meetings. Jack is one of Luke’s most trusted creative collaborators, whom he counts on for critique, encouragement, and, above all, friendship. They share a love for movies, Chipotle, and the Trader Joe’s on Ventura Boulevard.
Dylan Marusich

GROOMSMAN
Dylan is Luke, but from Idaho. They met in 2019 when they were paired as random roommates through the Loyola Marymount University Transfer Roommate Pairing Program (LMUTRPP), and they quickly became fast friends through their realization that they had lived the exact same lives, down to their specific interest in the 1991 comic book Bone. After the pandemic in 2020, Luke and Dylan moved in together for the long term, where they would regularly stay up until 2:00 am discussing the merits of when movies go “blamo,” professional wrestling, and their distinct lack of hobbies beyond moviemaking. Dylan is always the first person to read Luke’s writing, and he is an invaluable and reliable friend and creative partner.
Dominic Buraglio

GROOMSMAN
Dominic is the bride’s older brother and was one of the most passionate people Luke has ever known. Luke actually met him before he met Sophia, as Dominic was a member of the robotics team at Carmel High School with Luke’s brother, Justin. When meeting Sophia for the first time, Luke could tell she was Dominic’s sister because of their shared eyes and smile. In one of their early conversations, Dominic told Luke that he looked like his brother, and, in return, Luke told Dominic that he looked like his sister. Through dating Sophia, Luke discovered Dom’s love for Tabletop RPGs. He fondly remembers discussing their various D&D campaigns, favorite classes and characters, and more. Luke has always admired Dominic’s character and drive, as evidenced by his consistent commitment to doing good for and by others. Luke strives to imitate Dominic’s sense of justice, kindness, and love. Dominic passed away in 2022. His honorary inclusion in the groom's party is intended as an expression of how much he meant to Luke and Sophia, and how deeply he will always be missed.
Caleb Cripe

GROOMSMAN
Caleb and Luke have known each other for Luke’s entire life, as Caleb lived only a few houses up the road. As children, Luke & Caleb could regularly be found overzealously whacking each other with plastic lightsabers or playing Star Wars: Battlefront II on Chris’s Xbox 360. As adults, Luke & Caleb have had wonderful conversations about their faith, relationships, and dreams for their future. Luke can proudly say that Caleb is one of the most thoughtful people that he knows. Caleb also introduced Luke to Dungeons and Dragons in 2020, when they were starved for human connection, which is a passion that Luke has taken well past the pandemic. Caleb was married to his wife, Shelby, in 2025, where Luke was blessed to stand beside him as one of his groomsmen.
Robert Mungai

GROOMSMAN
Robert is Luke’s brother-in-law, but, more importantly, he’s probably the most amazing guy Luke knows. Robert is a lightning bolt of a human being, electrifying any room he walks into with comfort, love, and friendship. When Luke’s sister, Erika, met and married Robert, Luke and the rest of his family were elated, as Robert so evidently embodied all the virtues of a good friend, companion, and partner. Luke is particularly grateful for the warm friendship that Robert has shown Sophia and the support he has given to their relationship over the years, as he regularly reaches out to check in, confide, and care. Luke is lucky to call Robert his brother.

Meet the Bridesmaids

Giana Buraglio

THE MAID OF HONOR
Giana and Sophia have known each other since 2003. As the bride’s younger sister, Giana was a near-constant companion throughout childhood–one of her first friends and favorite people. As children, they shared many inside jokes and spent hours playing games together; as teenagers, they enjoyed dramatically reenacting scenes from Les Miserábles, working on music duets, and forcing the other to listen to their own favorite songs. By virtue of their contrasting interests and areas of expertise, Giana has been able to teach Sophia a lot about conservation biology, bees, and automotive repair, in addition to considerably expanding her music taste. She is often Sophia’s first text when her car is making a strange noise. Giana’s sharp sense of humor, respect for the planet, open-minded pursuit of new skills, and fiercely determined spirit are highly admired by her sister.

Read Bio
Grace Niccum

THE MAID OF HONOR
Grace and Sophia grew up together as children in their church’s youth program; they attended separate elementary and middle schools, but grew to be nearly inseparable for much of their time at Carmel High School, each understanding the other better than any other person. In adulthood, Grace has continued to be a source of light and love in the bride’s life, with an uncanny instinct for knowing precisely how to show support in a specific moment. For over a decade, she has heard all of Sophia’s struggles, hopes, dreams, and fears, and was the first person in whom Sophia confided about her initial interest in Luke. She also knew both the bride and groom individually before they even knew each other, and has been their most fervent cheerleader from the beginning. Grace has mastered the art of caring for her friends and finds joy in the pursuit of supporting those friends with incredible warmth, humor, and selflessness, to an extent that is as rare as it is life-changing.

Read Bio
Olive De Luca

BRIDESMAID
As flute and saxophone players in the Carmel Schools music program, Olive and Sophia spent six years sitting next to each other every single school day–and many evenings, weekends, and holidays as well. From this extensive foundation grew an unshakable bond of love, trust, and effortless companionship that has endured across many years and many miles into their adult lives. They have often been guilty of accidentally letting a conversation run for hours past its expected duration, forsaking the day’s other plans and obligations. Olive has the ability to immediately brighten a room or a day; Sophia knows she can talk to her about anything at all and be met with understanding and compassion.

Read Bio
Sakina Rashid

BRIDESMAID
Sakina and Sophia connected in the comments section of a roommate-search Instagram post in 2021, and, on the strength of their mutual affinity for tea and Pinterest, proceeded to live together for the next four years. In that time, they shared countless meals, movie nights, conversations, household chores, outfit critiques, and mugs of tea. They were always there to help each other pick up the pieces through crises large and small, making the good days better and the bad days gentler. Sakina introduced Sophia to the use of a dishwasher–putting an end to 24 years of washing every dish by hand–and Sophia introduced Sakina to pumpkin muffins, BBC’s Sherlock, and many facts about the Titanic. The bride treasures Sakina for her thoughtful and practical kindness, cheerful support of her friends’ interests, grounded life perspective, and talent for making vegetarian shepherd’s pie.

Read Bio
Renée Shanteler

BRIDESMAID
Renée and Sophia each occasionally describe the other as “like me, but goth”/“like me, but not goth” (depending on which is speaking). They met in 2019 as fellow music education majors and members of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band, and became quick friends after discovering that their opposing external aesthetics concealed strikingly similar personalities. Together, they navigated the ups and downs of an undergrad spent almost exclusively in the School of Music, and were each other’s advocates, advisors, and rocks through it all. Renée is one of the most loyal people Sophia has known; she is remarkably accepting and faithful towards her friends and is always ready to defend or protect them if needed.

Read Bio
Jacqueline Quirke

BRIDESMAID
Jacqueline and Sophia first met over FaceTime, as she and Justin (the groom’s older brother) were already married and living in Ireland by the time Luke and Sophia began dating. They began a close intercontinental friendship through years of exchanging long, handwritten letters, and got to know each other extremely well despite having only met in person on a handful of occasions. Jacqueline and her husband were present at Luke’s proposal to Sophia, having helped Luke arrange all the details months in advance. She is admired by the bride for her quiet strength, graceful presence, and pursuit of the good in all things, situations, and people. She has also come to be considered by Sophia as a sister.

Click Here
Erika Mungai

BRIDESMAID
As not only the groom’s older sister, but also the bride’s recent predecessor in the music and mock trial programs of Carmel High School, Erika was a known and respected figure in Sophia’s eyes long before they officially met. They have since connected over a shared love of books and education, comparing observations from teaching high school English and elementary music. Erika is both intelligent and wise, in addition to being deeply loving and steadfastly present towards her friends and family. She has welcomed Sophia into that circle with open arms, and is always available to share advice, a story, or a laugh. The bride thinks of her as her own older sister.

Click Here