Tayler & Noah
Wedding Party
Christine Johnson
Matron of Honor
Christine and Tayler met in graduate school at Western Michigan University and were assigned by their advisor to get dinner together, which turned into a beautiful friendship. Thanks Dr. OH! They have gone on countless adventures together across five states. These adventures have included rock climbing, scuba diving, hiking mountains, attending research conferences, and solving murders at murder mystery parties. Tayler knows that she can always count on Christine for thought provoking conversation, honest advice, and unbounded enthusiasm for trying new things.
Michael Hunter Jr.
Best Man
Mike has been an honorary member of the Mercil family for the past 15 years. You may remember his and Noah's debut performance at St. Joseph's middle school talent show, demonstrating their rap prowess in an original diss track about their Algebra 2 class. Noah has (thankfully) moved on from his rap career in favor of jazz, while Melly Mike has thrived as a producer and performer. Noah and Mike's mutual love of music, Yu-Gi-Oh, and anime has created a foundation of friendship that will last a life-time!
Jordan Brooker
Maid of Honor
When Tayler first moved to Kalamazoo, MI, she posted a meet-up request for Dungeons & Dragons in a local board game group and found a forever friend in Jordan. Their friendship has included many games of D&D, several conventions, and countless fantasy books they've read together. Tayler and Jordan co-manage an online book club that they began in 2020 as well as an online writing group they began in 2021. Tayler greatly admires Jordan's kind heart, creativity, and willingness to embrace all of the best nerdy hobbies!
Christian Moreno Cova
Groomsman
Noah and Christian met at jazz auditions at UMD and bonded over jazz and world music. They've played together at jams at Blush, combo and big band at UMD, and in The Sharps. Christian loves traveling and made multiple trips to visit Noah and Tayler in Colorado. They went hiking, did some sight seeing, and of course saw some live music. On his most recent visit, Noah and Christian saw Tigran Hamasayan at the Boulder Theater. Noah is excited to have Christian join him on this special day and to see more live shows together in the Twin Cities, Kalamazoo, and the world!
Cassandra Lamarche
Groomswoman
After meeting at UMD in 2015, Cassie and Noah spent their undergrad days spinning records and playing Pokémon together. Cassie deserves special recognition for putting up with Noah's endless hours of drumming as he prepared for his senior recital (Ba ts ts gun...). Cassie and Tayler discovered a mutual love of puzzles and rage, and thus made escape rooms their go-to activity when the three of them get together. They have done over a dozen escape rooms together and only lost once! Noah and Tayler are so lucky to have such a thoughtful, supportive, and funny friend. Plus, she's a total bad-ass!
Jacob Burkhart
Groomsman
Noah and Jacob bonded spinning records and drinking root beer in Lake Superior Hall at UMD. They've played together in many musical groups including Combo 3, the Sharps, and Christmas at Hormel Nature Center in Austin, MN (home of SPAM!). Noah played on Jacob's recording "Hyzer Flip," a blues dedication to disc golf. At the end of every semester, they enjoyed finding new unusual burgers to try around Duluth, such as the Velvet Elvis at Tavern and the Poutine Burger at Taphouse. Noah is excited to have his best bud stand with him on his wedding day.
Katie Hubbard
Bridesmate
Katie and Tayler met through Western Michigan University's swing dancing club, where Katie was one of the club officers and dance instructors. Together, they have attended several swing dancing events including the Purdue University's "Whistle Stop" and KISS ME Ann Arbor which involved dancing in a river. Katie is Tayler's most artistic friend, and frequently creates meme's, napkin sketches, and tattoo designs inspired by their conversations. Tayler loves that she and Katie can get together to do the most mundane things like go for a walk, shop at target, or watch Jane Austen inspired films and it is always a hilarious time!
Isaac Burdick
Bridesman
Isaac and Tayler met through Western Michigan University's swing dancing club, where they frequently took to the dance floor to show off their moves (and sometimes lack thereof). After guest starring in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign as a magical, fey, sibling duo, their friendship was solidified. When Tayler was living in Colorado, she and Isaac kept in touch by playing It Takes Two, Raft, Grounded, and other online games together while chatting about gaming and life. Now, they aspire to design their own PC game that encompasses all of their favorite elements from these games! Tayler and Noah appreciate that Isaac is a selfless person and makes everyone around him laugh.
Riley Mosiniak
Bridesmaid
Riley is Tayler's first cousin and they've managed to get along for most of the two decades they've known each other. When they were young, Riley was on a mission to copy everything Tayler did, which Tayler found flattering but mostly annoying. This included following her around, wearing the same outfits, and drawing the exact same pictures when they were coloring. Tayler is so proud of the woman Riley has become and is willing to concede that Riley is the cooler cousin, however, she will not be giving up the title of favorite grandchild anytime soon!
Eric Sampson
Bridesman
Ric and Tayler have been friends for over a decade, having attended Woodland Middle School together, lived in the same neighborhood, and even worked at the same escape room! Ric and Tayler have done 11 escape rooms and at least 14 theme parties together, not to mention countless Macaroni Mondays and board game nights. Ric was one of the first of Tayler's friends to meet Noah and their friendship was reassurance that Tayler picked a good one! Tayler and Noah appreciate that Ric puts so much effort into their friendships and that he is always willing to go on an adventure!
Aniyah Enger-Lillo
Junior Bridesmaid
Aniyah is Tayler's first cousin and favorite little monster. Tayler was so excited to be the one to take her on her first plane ride and out-of-state adventure! Aniyah and Riley visited Tayler and Noah in Colorado two summers ago and they did tons of fun activities including going to Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, hiking Horsetooth Mountain, touring Estes Park, and eating copious amounts of chicken. Tayler is so happy to have Aniyah with her on her special day and looks forward to making even more memories together.
Max Mercil
Junior Groomsman
Max is Noah's youngest sibling and only brother. When Max first met Tayler at age 10, he avoided talking to her entirely by asking Noah the questions he wanted to ask, like "Noah, what school does Tayler go to again?". He eventually decided Tayler was cool enough to talk to when he found out she shared his interest in Minecraft and Jackbox Games! Noah and Max enjoy watching Star Wars content and sitting in the hottub whenever Noah visits home. For his groomsman gift, Noah got Max a lightsaber and was finally able to fulfill a life-long dream of having an epic battle with his brother.
Noah Stephens-Brown
Groomsman
Noah Stephen's Brown sadly passed away on May 6th, 2022 at the age of 25. We are so saddened that he cannot be with us on our wedding day and would like to honor him by sharing with you the original groomsman biography we wrote for him before he passed. We love you Noah. Noah and Noah are friends from undergrad and were roommates for several years. The Noah's have collaborated on several musical projects, including the infamous Boardwalk Brass and the semi-viral YouTube video "Giant Steps, but it's in 4-part harmony, but each is a 12 tone row, but with the original harmony." (YouTube it). Noah brings joy to everyone around him with his dramatic storytelling, excellent memes, and memorable Drink-Talk-Learn presentations such as "How to Hide a Body."