Wedding Party

Destiny Ann Hoyle, Maid of Honor and Brouhaha

Destiny became Megan’s best friend their senior year of high school after having what they now call their “Hey Bitch” talk. This talk ended a four-year competition for various violin trophies. Now, they are like sisters. They tell each other everything. When they are old and grey, they will probably live right across the street from one another and will shout obscenities sitting at their porches just to see if the neighbors notice.

Megan is extremely fortunate to have a friend like Destiny. Throughout their adolescence and twenty-somethings, Destiny has consoled, encouraged, and believed in Megan as a person, including the month Megan and Jon separated and Megan was miserable. To have a friend who knows you better than you know your self, who knows your strengths and weaknesses, and who can highlight your strengths in such a way that you forget your shortcomings—that doesn’t happen often. But it happened with D; and for that, Megan is eternally grateful.

Destiny is also incredibly talented and driven. She has pursued a life of music and will be marrying the man of her dreams next summer (a professional cellist!). Megan and Jonathan are grateful that both Destiny and Michael will be celebrating with them on September 8th along with playing beautiful music together during the ceremony. The four of them are certain to have many adventures in the future, including a long and grueling bicycling trip that the three of them coerce Destiny into doing—with some unavoidable profanity on her part. Oh well.

Arthur Sugden, Best Man

Arthur and Jonathan have been friends since the days of Methuselah. Every year they would see each other in Woods Hole for only a week or two; however, these short visits were overflowing with creative pursuits, recreation, and ridiculousness. Both boys brainstormed all year about crazy projects to work on in Woods Hole (Arthur was especially good at this and would start explaining his new ideas to Jonathan literally as soon as he stepped off the bus). Some things the boys built together: a fleet of Drami research vessels, several video games (or at least previews for them), and an artifical intelligence computer program "Methuselah."

Of course all work would have made them dull, so they would head out on the town to cause some trouble. Between riding on Far Out, heckling all the "overstuffed walrooses" (ostentatious yachts), and using their tourist squirter on some unsuspecting pedestrians, they went rowing, windsurfing, and sailing together, and of course to musicals at the College Light Opera Company. Perhaps their favorite pasttime was "ferry harrassing," a nautical art that they can explain to you in more detail. (Arthur's lovely wife Lauren was recently introduced to this activity, and she patiently endured it.)

It is hard to imagine a better friend than Arthur. He is one of the most—probably the most—generous person Jonathan has ever met. If there is ever a way to be helpful, Arthur will find it. He has already assisted a great deal with wedding preparations and ideas, and will be juggling many roles during the wedding week. But regardless of the wedding, Arthur and Jonathan will always be discussing their newest projects and collaborations.

Rachel Tara Rasby, Maid of Spontaneity and Adventure

Rachel met Megan on the soccer field. According to Rachel, playing opposite of Megan was somewhat frightening, mostly because of the grunting noises Megan made when trying to steal the ball. Eventually, they became friends, and the following nicknames ensued: Puberta and Unibrow.

On a more serious note, Megan would not be the spontaneous girl that she is without Rachel. They’ve shared numerous moments ranging from stopping at 20+ gas stations in Colorado and saving the receipts in order to win free tickets to Six Flags Amusement Park—to dressing up as a man and prostitutes to their junior prom (with Destiny). You can guess who was whom.

In fact, if it wasn’t for Rachel and her family, Megan and Jon might might not have fallen in love the way they did. In May of 2005 after graduating from college, Jonathan and a few of his friends decided to bicycle across the country. On the day they arrived in Rapid City (Megan’s hometown), her family was evacuated because of a forest fire. How would Megan’s family host the bicyclists without a roof to sleep under? Not to worry, the Rasbys welcomed Megan’s family and the four bicyclists into their home for the week with open arms. This is the kind of family Rachel comes from, and Megan is so grateful to feel she is a part of this family.

Jeb Stuart, Groomsman

Despite being a northerner, Jeb Stuart has always been a rebel. One day as a child, he set out in search of adventure, crossing a mile-long railroad trestle that spanned the Susquehanna river. As he reached the middle of the river he was passed simultaneously by two freight trains. He escaped unscathed, so of course he thought nothing of hiking the sand dunes in Death Valley as a teenager without enough water and barely returning alive. He's also been known for pilfering the keystones of historical buildings after their demolition—and for getting his fingers stuck in things such as steering wheels. (The steering wheel had to be cut apart with a saw to extricate the finger. For this reason Jeb will not be ring bearer.)

Jonathan's Uncle Jeb and Aunt Robin live in Harrisburg, PA, so Jonathan has seen them on nearly every trip to and from Woods Hole and Middlebury. When Jonathan and Megan were dating long distance, Megan also stopped over many a time in Harrisburg. Jonathan's grandmother Pedie Stuart lived in the Harrisburg area as well—in her own home—until she passed away in 2011 at age 100!

For Jonathan, Jeb has been the perfect uncle: always supportive, always intriguing, and always full of comedy. They have bonded over their love of cities and beautiful buildings, history (Jeb is an expert on the history of Harrisburg), classical and choral music, and their shared sense of humor. Jonathan is very excited that Jeb will join the wedding party.

Maid of Poise and Enchantment

The Maid of Poise and Enchantment (MPE) and Megan started as “Febs” together at Middlebury College, meaning they started their college career not only in February, but in Vermont. Their first unforgettable memory together was spent on a winter camping trip snowshoeing through the Green Mountains with 4 other Midd kids. Megan and MPE got up over 10 times in the night to pee after their trip leaders told them that not peeing meant they would freeze more quickly.

MPE was instrumental in bringing these two lovebirds together. In fact, when Megan told Jon that she liked him on April 17, 2005 in an email, MPE saw the email before Jon did! Anxious about how he would receive the email, Megan sent it to MPE first to proofread. When Jon finally wrote back (three hours later!), Megan printed his response and raced over to MPE dorm to relate the excitement.

Throughout Megan and Jon’s courtship, MPE has always been very supportive. In the beginning, she accompanied Megan on trips to Xenia (the substance free house at Middlebury where Jon lived) for root beer keggers and Sunday night dinners. Their code name for Jon was and still is "HP" (for Harry Potter). Jon and Megan are thrilled to have MPE joining them for the ceremony and also for sharing her love of photography by taking pictures!

Michael Joseph Guiliano, Groomsman

When Megan and Jon started dating back in 2005, Michael was still in high school. Now he has his master's degree in architecture and has an internship in New York City. Dang—we've been dating a long time!

Over the years, Michael and Jonathan have become close friends, enjoying discussions on architecture, design, cities, music, the great outdoors. Michael has led Jon to try new things, like squirming through an incredibly narrow passage while spelunking in Jasper Cave under the Black Hills, and having a good drink of beer.

Jonathan has great appreciation for Mike's aesthetic sense and for the hard work he puts into his projects. One such project was Megan and Jon's first wedding gift: a beautiful table Michael constructed for them from one large slab of oak.

Above all, Michael is a really great guy. It is always a pleasure to spend time with him. When Michael moved to New York in 2012, Jonathan tagged along to help with the apartment search and they had a fabulous week. Jonathan is so grateful that Michael will soon be not only a friend but a brother.

Mahpiya Luta Win Eagle Hunter, Flower Girl

Mahpiya was born in July 2011, less than a month after Megan started her position as Youth Programs Director for the Cheyenne River Youth Project. In fact, the first people Megan met at the Main were Tammy and Mahpiya (still snuggled in the womb). While Megan was learning how to be a youth programs director, Tammy was learning how to be a mom. And Mahpiya was the chubby smiling face in the room that made everyone smile.

Working with Tammy and the rest of the staff at the Cheyenne River Youth Project was probably the best opportunity Megan has had in her young life. Every day, the kids who attended the center and the people she worked with challenged her to be a better person. Tammy and Mahpiya were a big part of the reason that Megan stayed strong whenever she felt scared or not up to the task. Although leaving CRYP will be emotionally difficult, Megan is so happy knowing that Tammy will be there at the helm.

Megan and Jon are both absolutely thrilled that Mahpiya and her family will be joining them in Woods Hole to celebrate. And to our friends at CRYP, the star quilt you gave us is coming with us to Woods Hole! You will be there in spirit, and that means the world to us.