There he goes again. Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness is all about making dreams come true, and on Tuesday, June 4, the hairstyling guru assumed a now-familiar role as wedding officiant for one lucky—and deserving—couple.
Megan and Haden of Seattle got hitched at Elysian Brewing’s revamped brewery in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in a ceremony that marked the collective efforts of Elysian and Seattle Pride to champion marriage equality and inclusivity.
“Basically, this is the anniversary of the ruling that actually ruled in favor of the Colorado baker who refused to bake the cake for a same-sex couple,” Van Ness tells The Knot. “Which makes this day even more meaningful for us to be visible and to celebrate not only marriage equality, but also businesses that offer services to everyone, the way that it should be legally.”
Jonathan Van Ness (left) poses with #MarryUsVJN contest winner newlyweds, Megan (middle) and Haden (middle-left), and plaintiffs of the Masterpiece Cakeshop Supreme Court case, Charlie (right) and David (middle-right), at Elysian Brewings Capitol Hill brewpub in Seattle on June 4, 2019.(Photo by Matt Mills McKnight/Invision for Elysian Brewing/AP Images)
Megan and Haden shared tidbits of their love story in their contest entry video (which included many of the important dates from their courtship, from their first date to the date when Haden began testosterone to when he officially changed his name), but in a word, their story has all been about “fate.”
“We met on Megan’s first day as a transfer student at the University of South Carolina,” Haden tells us. “It was the first day of a 300-plus student lecture for a Geology 101 class, and the lecture hall was stadium seating. Megan walked in late and looked up to all those faces—the only empty seat she saw was next to me. We sat in those same seats every lecture after that, never once discussing it. Once we got to talking, there was no stopping us.”
According to Haden, the pair kept running into each other around campus, and eventually, “strangers turned into seatmates, which turned into an intense friendship, which grew into something much, much bigger.”
Megan says that the couple had discussed marriage “for a few years,” but still, she was completely taken by surprise when Haden dropped to one knee and proposed on the summit of a mountain (Haden had originally planned to propose on the couple’s seven year dating anniversary, February 22, but had to rethink plans after a huge snowstorm hit the city). “We woke up at 2:30 a.m. for a sunrise hike up to Rattlesnake Ledge, and everything was perfect,” Megan tells us. “I cried so much—I still can’t believe that someone as wonderful as Haden is in my life, let alone wants to be with me for the rest of mine. … It was so special, and I think probably only our wedding (and possibly having little ones) could top that moment.”
#MarryUsJVN contest winners, Megan (right) and Haden (left) share a first kiss at the altar after being wed by LGBTQ+ advocate, Jonathan Van Ness, at Elysian Brewings Capitol Hill brewpub in Seattle on June 4, 2019.(Photo by Matt Mills McKnight/Invision for Elysian Brewing/AP Images)
Jonathan Van Ness celebrates with newlywed #MarryUsJVN contest winners, Megan and Haden, at Elysian Brewings Capitol Hill brewpub in Seattle on June 4, 2019. (Photo by Matt Mills McKnight/Invision for Elysian Brewing/AP Images)
Both Megan and Haden are big fans of Queer Eye, and so were “elated” to have him as their officiant. “I’m a huge fan, and JVN has been so integral in my journey to self-love that I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I will be getting to meet him, let alone that he will be helping us proclaim our love for each other to the world,” Megan says. Adds Haden: “He just beams love and light and to have someone like that at the helm of the ceremony will be really cool.”
In preparation for the June 4 nuptials, Van Ness rested up so that he could bring that “love and light” to the ceremony. “[I do] anything I would use to just bring my normal happy self into an environment, which is get lots of sleep and take good care of myself,” he says. “I bring that to most of everything that I do.”
#MarryUsJVN contest winners, Megan (middle) and Haden (middle-right), cut wedding cakes from various LGBTQ+ friendly bakeries, after being officiated by LGBTQ+ advocate Jonathan Van Ness (right) at Elysian Brewings Capitol Hill brewpub in Seattle, Washington on June 4, 2019. (Photo by Matt Mills McKnight/Invision for Elysian Brewing/AP Images)
As an extra special bonus, Elysian brewed a limited-edition beer for the wedding called “Cake Topper”; a portion of the proceeds benefit Seattle Pride, alongside a portion of the proceeds from GLITTERis Pride Ale, another special, limited-edition beer.
Perhaps the most special detail that the couple brought to their wedding, however, was their vows, which were written by a close friend, and were “used to unify a handful of our guests that will be in attendance.”
“That is so special to us, and we have been so lucky to find our ‘chosen family’ here in Washington,” the couple tells The Knot. “To be able to share that with them is awesome.”