Wedding Party
Marissa Thomas
Maid of Honor
Like any great friendship, Marissa and Emelie’s began with Marissa absolutely hating Emelie when they first met freshman year of high school. Marissa then spent the next two years living in the Philippines, apparently taking the time to reconsider her opinion. By the time Marissa returned to St. John’s for senior year, she had wisely changed her mind and decided that Emelie was best friend material. Since then, they have been inseparable—aside from living in different states for college and Marissa leaving for law school. Even with the distance, Marissa has always been just a phone call away, and she still picks up even when she knows Emelie is about to tell her the dumbest thing she has ever heard. Marissa has become a regular at Stewart family game nights and vacations because, at the end of the day, she is Emelie’s long-lost sister. Marissa even brought Dylan into both Emelie and Daniels life. Emelie does continue to remind Dylan though that he will never compare to her in Marissa's eyes. Both Daniel and Dylan tolerate whatever plan Emelie and Marissa put before them, and we feel so lucky that they also chose to be friends. Now they get to celebrate not only Emelie and Daniel's wedding, but Marissa and Dylan's too—because in the end these two will never stop doing everything together.
J.E.B Myers
Best Man
J.E.B. Stuart Myers is a lifelong friend who not only shares Daniel’s birthday, but has been with him since childhood. They bonded the most during middle school and high school culminating in regular poker nights during the COVID era, and countless adventures in Dungeons & Dragons became staples they still share to this day. Over the years, J.E.B. has become one of Daniel’s closest friends. Whether a regular exchange of messages and memes, online gaming, board game nights with J.E.B. and his wife Morgan, or shared campaigns, he has remained a constant and joyful presence in Daniel’s life. J.E.B. and Morgan have often opened their home to Daniel and Emelie, even allowing Freya to come along - though she remains terrorized their cat Precious, the true queen of the house. J.E.B. has a rare gift for bringing people together, always ready to introduce new games and hobbies (including a crippling addiction to miniature painting) along with his endless raw creativity for his side projects. Dan and J.E.B's shared love of D&D has become more than a hobby; it is one of the many ways their friendship continues to grow. Loyal, kind, generous, and deeply caring, J.E.B. is the kind of friend few people are lucky enough to have. Daniel and Emelie are incredibly grateful to have both J.E.B. and Morgan in their lives.
Juni Ahari
Bridesmaid
Juni is the light of Emelie’s life and her guardian angel. She was thrust into Emelie’s life freshman year of college through random roommate assignment. Because Juni is probably the nicest person you will ever meet, she comforted Emelie on the first night after her parents left, even though they barely knew each other at the time. Emelie apparently took this kindness as an open invitation to forever become a permanent nuisance in her life. They continued living together for the next three years of college, whether it was in the same room, down the hall, or in the same apartment. Juni helped — and honestly carried — Emelie through college. Because Juni is both a genius and a kind soul, she proofread all of Emelie’s papers at 8 in the morning after Emelie pulled an all-nighter. Even though Juni lives in NYC, Emelie’s secret dream city, the two still talk almost weekly to catch up. Juni even tolerates hosting Emelie whenever she comes to visit. Juni is Emelie’s literal guiding light, and Emelie still cannot fathom how she ever survived without her.
Jacob Reed
Groomsman
'Lifelong friends' is a distinction that is rarely accurately applied, but one that Jake has certainly earned. Jake and Daniel have known each other since intermediate school. They lived on the same road and rode the same bus for years. Together, they started a very famous YouTube channel - you will have to find it yourself - where they played games and made podcasts. Other projects included a codename-kids-next-door detective agency and more ambitious projects. Later as they graduated high school they would work together for real, with much of their IT work still present in Littlestown Area School District today. Jake and Daniel remained close through college, mostly through texting, gaming and COVID poker. During COVID, Jake even attended Daniel’s monthly poker games. He is also a regular at D&D, where he always brings interesting characters to the table. Jake and Daniel later became roomates, living together with John they became the 'Wolftrap Court' - which later would become the name basis for their gaming circle 'Wolftrap gaming society', and where they swore to the Cheesecake Accords - the holy roommate agreement. Years later this group still sees each other regularly - another piece of the inseparable bond that all the groomsmen in this wedding party share.
Caitlin Donahue
Bridesmaid
Cait is someone everyone needs in their life, especially Emelie. She is the most supportive, understanding, and wonderfully manic person you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. No one on earth can come up with the truly insane ideas that Cait has running through her head. Emelie and Cait met junior year of high school in none other than U.S. Government. They were two of the few juniors in the course, and Cait, being the effervescent person she is, decided she was going to be friends with Emelie. Emelie agrees this was a great idea. This grand plan came to fruition one fateful day when Cait turned around in class and asked — or more accurately, told — Emelie that they were going to get frozen yogurt together. The rest is U.S. history. They continued going out for frozen yogurt, and Emelie was also lovingly forced into giving Cait rides home since she lived just down the road. Emelie did not mind, though, because she also got to hang out with Cait’s family, who are very cool in their own right. Cait continues to brighten Emelie’s life with her voice notes, which are basically podcasts, along with dramatic synopses of her shows and life. Cait helps Emelie find the joy and fun in everyday life, and she always brightens her day whenever they talk.
Jonathan Lingg
Groomsman
'Jim John' (not to be confused with 'John John') is a long time friend from high school. An avid fellow saxophonist, Jim and Dan played together in band for many years. They also shared a computer science class where they started their journey into computer science together - a parallel they share to this day. after their time in school, Jim and Daniel reconnected around the COVID Era poker and game nights, where Jim was always a chaotic force swinging the tides of games. Although the group often targets J.E.B for his ability to make a game unpredictable, Jim always knows how to make a night more interesting and a game more exciting with a move or play nobody was expecting. When Jim is not hard at work or being with his friends, Jim and Lucero's adventurous nature has them exploring the globe searching for new experiences and fun which he will surely bring back to us. Today, Jim is a cherished member of the friend group alongside his fiancé Lucero. A strategist at heart and a loved part of our dynamic, no game night is the same when he's not there. Jim spends his time today in his new convertible, a purchase he is very proud of, as he plans his own next steps and adventures.
Nebyat Tesfa
Bridesman
Neb, like many others on this list, was forced to become friends with Emelie. He happened to have homeroom with her both junior and senior year, making him a prime candidate for Emelie to insert herself into his life. They really started to become fast friends senior year, when Marissa also ended up in the same homeroom. The three of them were inseparable during that period, and Emelie would panic if Neb dared to be anywhere without her. Their friendship continued to grow as they bonded over music, shows, and very specific pop culture references — if you know, you know. Emelie continued to bother Neb throughout college because he made the mistake of attending the school next to Emelie’s parents. Neb has since decided to put some distance between them by moving to California, against Emelie’s will. Emelie still calls him all the time, though whether he answers is another story. Neb is not a phone talker, but he will do it for Emelie. Neb is so kind and genuine that he makes Emelie a better person just by being himself.
John Conlen
Groomsman
'John John' (not to be confused with 'Jim John') is a college friend from their alma mater, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Together they worked for the university in their research department working on a variety of projects. Later, John would join Daniel at MajorKey Technologies where they both still work to this day. Being the third member of the Wolftrap Court, John and Daniel shared a basement office and often had game nights. John is always down to join Daniel on an adventure - and sometimes start them himself. Together they explored Tysons alongside their close college friends, Dylan and Nadia. Also an adventurous eater and lover of extra, extra, extra hot sauce, John knew where to find exquisite and unique ingredients and recipes. On top of his sense of adventure was his love for his truck, which he spent many night one making his own. Now equipped with multiple enhancements and customizations, John frequents the mountains and areas unknown exploring natures and anywhere he can get his truck to take him.
Clark Scott
Bridesman
Clark is Emelie’s brother, and she would not have it any other way. He came into Emelie’s life junior year of high school, when she became friends with his then-girlfriend. At first, Emelie was just his ride home, but somewhere along the way, Clark gifted her with his friendship. From that point on, Emelie and Clark became like siblings. They were always giving each other advice and making sure the other was taken care of. This included Emelie driving Clark home every day while he refused to go to the hospital like he probably should have, saying “ouch” over every bump in the road. While Clark and Emelie have differing opinions on the best instrument — it is obviously the bass clarinet — and many other things, they have remained great friends and reluctant siblings. Clark even adopted Emelie’s younger brother during high school, making sure he was always doing well. Clark is the closest thing to family without being blood-related. He even calls Emelie’s parents Mom and Dad. And while Clark does live relatively close to Emelie, he is somehow the hardest person in the world to see. Still, Emelie cherishes every bit of time she gets to spend with him. He is the big, big, big, big, big, big brother Emelie needs in her life — not older, just literally bigger — and Emelie is so glad she gets to call him that.
Dylan Graham
Groomsman
Dylan Graham is a close friend and fiancé of Marissa Thomas. Dylan is a cheerful spirit who's large smile can light up a room and who's outgoing nature leads him on endless experiences. Nearly a neighbor, Dylan and Daniel often get together to play games and have a couple drinks, talk about life, and explore wherever they're at. Dylan's also an avid golfer - a sport that Daniel is slowly but surely catching up in. When Dylan is not with Daniel or his Fiancé, he is tirelessly working on whatever needs done. Often times this is work, but can also be any amount of woodworking or crafting project he's recently found himself in with his roots as a carpenter. An honest and cheerful soul, Dylan now practices law near the DC area. Dylan currently lives with his fiance, who is also a lawyer, and their dog Millie.