Samantha & Jess
Wedding Party
Morgan
Matron of Honor
With a friendship spanning almost a decade, it comes as a surprise to absolutely no one that Morgan has the role of honour in Samantha’s wedding. Sharing their love of cats, wine, and gardening, they have been through school programs, early career moves, challenging stages, and bucket list trips! Morgan is now a wife and new mom, and these two continue spilling the tea and word vomiting updates every time they reunite! Morgan taught Samantha how to take a selfie, how to contour her face, and began a lifelong love affair with wine.
Jules
Bridesmaid
Jules pranced into Samantha’s world at Camp Misquah, and the pair instantly bonded under a meteor shower and billie eilish. Seeing the lightness in the smallest of creatures, Jules brings her wondrous perspective to every moment. Her ability to connect with people and her spirit brings warmth to everything she does. Jules taught Samantha to live freely in a world of pure imagination, connect with the earth, and embrace kindness in all things.
Holly
Bridesmaid
Holly and Samantha were fast friends who connected in difficult experiences and enjoy debating their differing perspectives in open forum. Find her enthusiastically defending her point while being a tirelessly helpful teammate. Our resident cow girl, Holly is a woman who can truly do it all. She dominates her work and home life, redefining success in every arena. Her schedule is almost as busy as her mind, and her opinions are as bold as they come. Holly taught Samantha about embracing life’s duality, finding love after trauma, and steak.
Gabi
Bridesmaid
Gabi shines as bright now as she did when she met Samantha at work. Her cheerleading for football transitioned into cheering for her friends as she pursued her own dreams and aspirations. Gabi’s strength over the years has been evident in her evolving educational goals and personal perseverance through unimaginable circumstances. She now leads her own classroom for students requiring additional support, and supports Samantha’s beloved backyard through planting, harvesting, weeding, and even bringing home the scraps for her bunny! Gabi showed Samantha about adapting to the fluidity in life, being unapologetic in who you are, and the value of having friends who fill your cup!
Caitlyne
Bridesmaid
With a friendship that began before long term memories could be stored, Caitlyne and Samantha have known each other for over 30 years. These childhood neighbours ended up with similar career paths and both settled in the city they grew up in. Their lives continue to align in their core values, their queer identities, and their endless pursuit of the work/life balance. Caitlyne changed Samantha’s perspective about societal standards of beauty, and taught her to listen to her body and set boundaries.
Jayden
Bridesmaid
Initially the youngest, Jayden moved Samantha to the position of middle child. Despite their age gap, Samantha’s enthusiasm about her sister never waned. Sharing a love of animals, a disdain for vacuuming, and skills in the kitchen, these sisters bond over new and favourite activities. Jayden is pursuing her career in baking and never fails to fill the house with the smell of freshly baked bread…and fill the sink with dirty dishes! Jayden teaches Samantha about the Gen Z way of life, how to perfectly proof bread, and the unexpected annoyance [joy] of having your sister steal your clothes!
Corey
Father of the Bride
Not just a dad - also a roommate! Corey has always set himself apart by being the cool dad. Samantha earned her fluency in sarcasm and sense of humour from him, but inherited no trivial abilities. They are a great team in the backyard gardens and enjoy watching bad reality tv together.
Andrea
Mother of the Bride
Samantha and her mom have watched countless hours of Say Yes to the Dress and Four Weddings; therefore, they’ve been practicing for this moment forever. Samantha shares her mother’s eyes and her tenacity. Andrea’s endless love for her family and generosity has supported Samantha in becoming the strong and proud woman she is today.
Gordo
Step-Father of the Bride
Gordo has been in Samantha’s life for over 30 years, and has taught her everything from catching a fish to changing a tire. The world’s best spaetzle maker; his gravy has always been a staple at Sunday dinners, and now holidays. Gordo’s reassuring presence is punctuated by well-timed words of wisdom; and, his position in a canoe really suits his role in the family - he makes sure we don’t rock the boat too much, and quietly steers the ship to shore.
Emily
Maid of Honor
Jess ventured outside of her comfort zone and attended a LezGo bingo event alone, where she met her now best friend. Emily’s welcoming and easy nature led to countless other event invitations and the two became best friends in a short time. Jess appreciates how outgoing, kind, and caring Emily is, and is thrilled that she will be Maid of Honour at the wedding!
Mike
Man of Honour
Met Jess over 5 years ago at Altitude Climbing Gym and they started a rockclimbing group, “Scary Rockers”. Now best friends, Mike is someone Jess can always count on and has helped her through many challenging moments in her life. Jess learned how to ride Mike’s electric unicycle and the pair brings their passion and drive for new things to every part of their lives. Nothing describes their relationship better than GIFs, and Mike will represent this on the wedding day as her Man of Honour.
Hannah
Bridesmaid
Hannah is Jess’s baby sister and her world! They grew up playing Sing Star and Rock Band together, and recently picked it back up again during a sleepover. Holding a special place in her sister’s life, Hannah is an Educational Assistant for the school board and is as kind, caring, and honest as her older sister. Jess feels proud to have Hannah stand by her as a Bridesmaid!
Cassie
Bridesmaid
Cass has been a part of Jess’s life for two years. They met playing one of their favourite sports and bonded during a hockey tournament full of French-speaking players. The two played ping pong [Cass won] and Cass’s sense of humour has been making Jess laugh since then. Cass was a major part of Jess’s proposal to Samantha and is a welcome addition to the bridal party!
Amanda
Bridesmaid
Amanda and Jess connected more than 10 years ago through hockey and have gone through many life changes together. Both women have a kind and caring nature rarely matched in a friendship. Jess helped Amanda when she proposed to her now-wife Vanessa and looks forward to including their son Cedric in the special day!
Taylor
Bridesmaid
Taylor is Jess’s sister and is a beautiful person with so much going for her. She enjoys solo adventures and makes her sister proud of her bravery. Jess is thankful to have such strong family connections to stand by her during the wedding, and feels lucky that Taylor will be her Bridesmaid.
Rhonda
Mother of the Bride
Rhonda is an enthusiastic bride mom and promptly helped her daughter say ‘Yes!’ to the dress. She is endlessly excited about all the wedding activities and continues to be there for Jess through every part of her journey. Jess gets her smile from her mom, and her fun and creative side! Jess is so thankful for her mom’s unending support, guidance, patience & infinite love.
Jorge
Father of the Bride
Jess and her dad shared an early hockey rivalry and she loved cheering on Ottawa and (hopefully) watching Toronto lose. Jorge inspired Jess’s love of sports, and he continues playing soccer to this day! Jess gets her calm energy and her sense of humour from her dad, and Jorge’s unconditional love and support for her has never wavered.
Cedric
Ring Bearer
Cedric is a huge blessing in his Aunty Jess’s life and Jess cherishes her role as his godparent. A caring and smart little man, his smile brightens the day. Samantha and Jess are so excited that he will have the important role of Ring Bearer and carry our symbols of love during the ceremony.
Ashton
Page Boy
Ashton is his Auntie Mantha’s first [and only] nephew, and will be taking on the less-common role of Page Boy for the big day! Celebrating his 6th birthday on the couple’s wedding day, Ashton said that Jess is his favourite because “she always surprises” him. He is an excellent gardener and a fast learner; quick to distinguish the difference between dirt and soil; careful to avoid stepping on the plants. Acting as a wedding assistant, Ashton will be representing both brides with pride.
Serena
Flower Girl
As the youngest Joyce, Serena is the sweetest member of the wedding party! Crowned the flower girl, Serena is sure to be an adorable addition to the ceremony.
Michelle
Officiant
Michelle and Jess met 5+ years ago at a friend's birthday party and have been great friends ever since. What started with a game of beer pong [Jess won] carries on through breakfasts at Summer Hayes. Michelle is a reliable friend and a talented landscaper. The couple is honoured to have Michelle lead their wedding ceremony as the officiant.
Meghan
MC
As the resident bartender at Lookout, Jess has known Meghan for some time. Over the last couple of years, their friendship has developed and so has Jess’s appreciation for Meghan’s singing voice! Meghan is a talented and engaging Drag Queen, a confident performer, and she knows how to get people’s attention in the right way. Meghan will be hosting the evening as the MC, and her energy is sure to fill the reception hall with positivity on the big day!
