Meet the Wedding Party

Jordan

Groom

Samantha

Bride

Eric

Best Man

Eric and I have known each other for a few (Almost 29) years. His parents actually introduced my parents back in the 1900s. We grew up less than a 1/10 of a mile from each other, so we spent our early teens riding bikes around town every summer until the sun went down. Being an only child, I quickly began to view Eric as a brother, not just my friend. We did everything together, from holding a canoe on the top of my car on the way to Indian Brook instead of using straps, going on "runs" to the elementary school trails, working in the same restaurants, being Ruud any chance we got, and of course, "disking" on the Common until it was too dark to even see the Frisbee. I briefly lived with Eric before I left for the Navy, and in 2016, we parted ways. I left for Virginia and Eric travelled Europe before finally settling in Montana. It's been years since we've seen each other due to work, school, covid, etc..., but not a week goes by that we don't text one another about life updates, or to reminisce about the good old days, or consistently send what some would consider "questionable" memes. Eric stood by me through all of my big life decisions, so naturally, I need him by my side for my biggest life decision.

Hayley

Maid of Honor

Sometimes when you meet someone, you instantly know you are going to become best friends. That was the case when I first met Hayley. I was new to the pole vault world and it was my first year at camp. I was a freshman, and she was a junior. Through that winter, we didn’t speak a lot, as I kept to myself for the most part, only talking to those I went to school with (shocker, right?). It wasn’t until the second year, that we really started talking and becoming closer. Her loud and contagious laugh would always get me. As the years past, we stayed close. I went to her graduation party, she came to my State track meets, and we would hang out when ever we could get the chance, especially because we lived 45 minutes away from each other. When I joined and left for bootcamp, she would constantly write me letters. When I finished ‘A’ school, she was right there to pick me up from the airport so I could surprise my parents. There is not a day that we don’t have some form of communication with each other, whether it’s a quick photo on snap chat, or a FaceTime call that lasts at least 30 mins (by the way, our Snapchat days record is currently 1,726, only because we had barely missed it one day, otherwise it would be closer to 3,000 days). I am so thankful to be able to have my best friend standing right by me (hopefully) through another big life accomplishment.

Scott

Groomsman

Where do I even begin? Scott and I met when I moved to Westford in 2000. By second grade, I was going to his house every day after school for daycare. It's funny, looking back on it, it was never really daycare to me, it was just a great excuse to go hang out at my friend's house. Scott's mom, Cathy, became like a second mother to all of us, or as she would say, "all of her babies" We spent our summer's at his house making dangerously high bike ramps to jump into his ponds, and even more dangerously high pallet platforms to tire swing in, or in my case, face plant from 20 feet up (looking at you Scott) . We tried our best at becoming Youtube sensations, recreating Jackass style videos until his dad deleted all of our clips to use the SD in his trail cam...thanks Jeff. Scott was always the friend who would do some crazy stunt, convince you that you could do it too, then laugh as you failed miserably: like a true friend should do. It may be years between times that we get to hangout, but every time we get together, we just pick up where we left off (minus the death defying stunts, we're getting too old for that).

Caitlin

Bridesmaid

Where do I even begin. Caitlin is more like my sister than a friend. We met around the age of two at daycare and as far back as I can remember, she was always there with me. Caitlin is someone I have always looked up to, even though she is only a couple months older than me. Through the last couple of years, our communication has been scarce, but we are always able to pick back up without skipping a beat. I have had the pleasure of watching her grow from this little brown hair girl with glasses, to this beautiful mother, and when Jordan asked me to marry him, there was no hesitation about asking her to stand up there with me.

Derrick

Groomsman

Derrick, aka: Kenderrick, Kendy, Kennedy Lee, and many other pseudonyms was my first friend at Alpha Gamma Rho. We worked together at SJW Docks in the summer of 2014 when I moved out of my apartment on a whim. At work he saw all of my belongings in the back of my truck and asked where I was going. I told him I wasn't sure yet, but I would figure it out soon. Without hesitation he said in his trademarked Kendy voice, "No, just move into AGR." I moved in that night and never left! We became even closer friends through those years, and spent a good chunk of it sharing the same room. We worked all week and most weekends together, carrying dock sections and moving furniture because what else would two strapping young men do in their early 20s. Derrick was always the dad of the group. He's always down for whatever, but seems to chime in with the voice of reason at the right time. He knew when to let you mess up, and would always be there to lift you up when you needed it most; sometimes quite literally. One night I thought doing a front flip down stairs would be a good idea. After falling through the door at the bottom, Kendy was there, picked me up, dusted me off, and said maybe you shouldn't do that again. He always has and always will be someone his friends and brothers can depend on, and I'm honored to have him by my side heading to my next stage in life.

Rachel

Bridesmaid

The first time I met Rachel, it was at the peak of COVID, and the second time, it was for a celebration of life for a family member, so they were not the ideal meetings, but they helped bring us closer. As I was thinking of who else I could ask, it wasn’t until recently when I got to talk to Rachel and get to know her. She is precious and kind and I knew it was only right to ask her. As I join her family, I am excited to gain another sweet cousin and see where this life takes us.

Ray

Groomsman

Raymond "Y'Uncle RCJ" Stebbins, I'll try to keep this one brief as there's just too much that comes to mind. I originally met Ray in the Summer of 2014. He was living at AGR that summer and working at Camp Greylock where the kids referred to him as "Uncle Ray." When Derrick brought me to AGR my first time, we went to Ray's room in the afternoon and had to wake him up to hangout. In typical Ray fashion, he got up wearing only boxers, introduced himself, and started a conversation to find out more about me. It was at that moment that I thought to myself, "yeah, I think we will get along well." Ray convinced me to build a loft and move into his room with him and our friend Stevie, which ended up being one of the craziest, most fun summers I've had. We would spend our afternoons having Power Hour, Growler Hour wearing only Togas and watching East Bound and Down. When we would get together some wild ideas were bound to come to fruition, but those are stories for after the wedding. Now we are both "Domesticated House Rats," as Ray would put it, but we always make a point to spend a few days together when I get back to Vermont; we still get a little wild, but now we have wonderful women to keep us in line!

Ange

Bridesmaid

Even though I don’t have very many memories Ange was a no brainer when it came to people I wanted to stand with me. I met Ange in the beginning of 2022, she is one person that I am always excited to see when we go to Vermont. Every time we visit, we are greeted with smiles, Luna (her dog), Ray (her boyfriend), and sometimes bagels (usually end up with them at some point). I always love hearing her stories about her outdoors adventures. The morning of the engagement, we had mimosa and bagels. She had no idea about the proposal. On our way up the mountain, she would tell me we were almost there (that was a lie), and kept her patience while I was dying in the back. When we reached the top, we took in the views and after a little bit, she took our pictures. She thought it was weird when Jordan asked for one more regular picture because she had taken quite a few already, and was upset and surprised when Jordan got on one knee because she had no idea and “would have brought the champagne!”. I am excited for the adventures that await, as this is only the beginning.

Kaleb

Groomsman

I met Kaleb when I arrived at my first ship. From the moment I met him, I knew we would become friends. Kaleb is one of those guys who's not afraid to say what's on his mind with no filter. He always has the people around him, including me, endlessly laughing. He can take any moment and find the humor in it, make the comment that no one else wants to make, and instantly lighten the mood. From the many adventures we had on Deployment in 2019, my favorite will definitely be in Spain, where he insisted we take tequila shots, where they subsequently gave us Jose Cuervo! I'm still convinced he got Spain mixed up with Mexico. Fast forward to 2021, Sam emailed me while we were underway and told me Kourtney moved in...Kaleb was still unaware. I went out to the fire truck he was sleeping on and let him know we were roommates; we were both pumped. He and Kourtney helped us so much with moving into our house and alleviated a lot of the stress that comes along with homeownership. It was also nice to have someone else around the house that had the same appreciation for the art of cooking, we were bummed to have to say goodbye when they moved to Key West.

Kourtney

Bridesmaid

I’ve known Kourtney for a couple of years now but oh boy… have we been through quite a bit! The second time we hung out, we were at a bar, meeting random females in the bathroom and spending a good 20 minutes taking photos with them (that’s what females do, okay….). Fast forward a couple of months, I got a phone call from her. I was honored that after only meeting twice, she trusted me enough to call when she needed help. As I talked with her, we figured out a plan and soon both her and Kaleb were moving in with us for our last couple months in the apartment. They were such a big help when we moved into our house. While the guys were underway, Kourtney was right there with me, starting to pack and move little things into the house. I am so excited for her to join me as we have been constantly on the phone with each other planning both of our weddings!

Holden

Groomsman

I met Holden on the Kearsarge after being on board for months, it turned out that we were in the same division, he was just really good at making it look like he was busy all day. When he introduced himself to me, he asked where I was from. After I said Vermont, he replied with, "I hear the beer is pretty good up there, eh mijo." Our friendship grew over conversing about good beer and our favorite breweries to visit. He always made a point to ask me to bring some Heady Topper back with me when I would visit Vermont. Holden always has something smart to say about any comment you make, and would normally start his comeback calling you Puto or Mijo, or pretty much anything in Spanish, and always liked to remind me that I still had a "whole 'nother deployment, Puto." Sam and I have had the pleasure of getting to know his family very well too. His wife Rachel is even quicker with comebacks than he is, which is necessary to put up with him. He spends his off time coaching his daughter, Lauren, and her softball team. So if you need help with your pitch, he's the man to talk to.

Ethan

Groomsman

Ethan "Teddy" Pendergrass was one of my first friends on the Kearsarge. We were standing next to each other in the hangar bay when I started singing 3 A.M. by Matchbox 20. He looked at me and said, "I used to play that at my shows." Turns out he was a traveling musician before the Navy! As time went on, I got a new guitar and enjoyed many nights out to sea learning from him. If you get the chance, look up Ethan Daniel on pretty much any platform and you will see the talent. Teddy is a natural story teller and will have you in tears laughing as he tells you a story in deep, sometimes grotesque detail. Through our time on board our friendship grew to the point where he would come over with his smoker at 4 A.M. and wake me up so we can get the meat on for a barbeque that afternoon. I've really enjoyed watching him grow into who he is today, from the free spirit I met in 2017, to the girl dad he is today! I'm excited for this Appalachian American to finally see what real mountains look like up in Vermont.

Noah

Beer Boy

Special K, who many consider our first child, has become one of my closest friends down here in Virginia. The day Kaleb and Kourtney moved to Key West, Noah showed up with a bag and his gun, and moved into our apartment above the garage. We've really enjoyed having him here, even if Sam does keep asking him when he's going to move out. His normal response is, "Whenever you plan to sell the place." Noah and I bonded over our mutual support of the Second Amendment and enjoy amateur gunsmithing in our garage. He and I have similar easy going personalities, so friendship did not come hard at all. He's taught me the art of patience, while I've taught him what real maple syrup really is. My favorite memory of him was at our housewarming party. He brought his mother, Stacy, who was in town visiting, and he just let loose. He was passed out on our couch by mid afternoon, so we naturally had to mess with him. His mother enjoyed taking plenty of pictures of him while we tried to get him to rally. After a few hours, he truly did rally and was back out at the firepit with us, reminding me of myself when I was his age. We hope you enjoy our "Son" as he ensures no one is kept thirsty at the ceremony.