Meet My Wedding Party Part 1: Jacob (Jake) Hayes, Groomsman

As part of a new series of post here at The Groom's Take, I would like to take some time to introduce my wedding party (the best man and groomsmen) so that there is a bit of a light shined upon the three men who will be standing next to me as I get married to the love of my life.  Those of you who know me and have been around me in Maine for the last seven years or so are probably well-acquainted with these men, but there's a whole other side of this wedding (namely, Katelyn's relatives) who will be meeting my side of the wedding party for the first time on the day of the ceremony.

With all of that said, we're working from the outside-in in terms of geography of how we'll be standing for the ceremony.  It's time to meet one of my groomsmen and a very dear friend, Jacob Hayes!

It must be said before anything else; while not as much a force of nature as some of my other friends (including my Best Man; but more on him later), Jacob Hayes has qualities not unlike a hurricane when the circumstances are correct.  When I first met Jacob, it was through my friend Mitchell Lafortune in sophomore year of my undergraduate work at the University of Maine.  As I recall, I was sitting in my dorm room doing homework (because I was and still am a wicked nerd) around midnight when Mitch and Jake showed up at the door asking if I wanted to ride with them to Denny's.  I agreed, and that was my first night meeting Jake.

After that initial meeting, I was direct neighbors with Jake for sophomore and junior year, and in senior year we lived together in an on-campus apartment with a bunch of other friends for our final year of undergraduate work.  Even though Jake did not go on to a graduate program, he remained in the area and I have been able to spend more time with him even though we no longer have the shared student experience on campus.

Throughout the time I've known Jake, we have had many good conversations and he has been my confidant through many trials and tribulations.  He's a great friend, very loyal, and very kind to people.  Most of the time, Jake is about as happy-go-lucky a person as you can find, and I have counted him among my best friends ever since that fateful Denny's night.

I have many good memories; driving around in Jake's old beater of a car, which had the fabric of the ceiling dipping down because it was so old; pushing Jake's same car after it broke down as he sat in it, five of us using our foot-power to push him across the busiest street of traffic on campus so that his car wouldn't be ticketed where it was parked; watching the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and the Patriots win two Super Bowls during our undergrad; and of course, the pièce de résistance, rearranging furniture in our dorm hall on-campus (those in the know understand that, those on the outside need know no more).

Be warned, however; Jake is bald.  He also likes to drink sometimes.  Sometimes when he drinks, he drinks a lot.  But no matter how much he drinks, that perpetual grin remains upon his face as shown in the picture above.

Along with my other friends from that time period, I have Jake to thank for helping me become the person I am today.  When I first met him, I was so shy and introverted that even though Jake had been living on the same floor as me all freshman year, I had never actually met him because I spent so much time in class, at work, or in my room doing homework.  Thanks to the experience of meeting Jake and my other friends, I was able to develop my adult personality and become the kind of man who is good enough to be Katelyn's fiancé.

I am excited to have Jake as one of my groomsman for this wedding ceremony, which promises to be a great celebration leading into the next stage of my life.