Alana & Stephen
Wedding Party
Krystel Royster
Maid of Honor
Alana and Krystel met several years ago at Loma Linda University in their Physical Therapy program. They quickly realized they had the same sarcastic sense of humor and became inseparable ever since. They spent their last clinical in Austin, TX together at the same clinic which was....challenging to say the least! It was through that experience that Alana realized there was no way she would've survived without Krystel. While they both live in different states now, their friendship has remained strong. They truly are sisters from different misters. #meatballsforlife
Meredith Reyes
Bridesmaid
Meredith is Alana's sister inlaw but way before Meredith began dating Alana's brother, she was a tutor for AVID at Alana's high school and that's where their friendship began. Every Tuesday and Thursday in AVID, local college students would come in to help high school students with their homework. For Alana, the subject she always needed help with, was Math. Meredith just so happens to be a math wiz and quickly became Alana's favorite tutor. They laughed, learned, and laughed some more together. Once Meredith and Anthony began dating and eventually got married, their bond only grew stronger and the three of them had and continue to have a very special and close relationship. (She loved me first Anthony! :] )
Niki Geiger
Bridesmaid
Niki and Alana met many moons ago when they worked at Lazy Dog Restaurant together as food runners. Right off the bat, Alana knew that there was something about Niki that was so sincere and so genuine. Niki truly is someone you can always depend on. She has been there through all of the good, all of the bad, all of the tears and heartbreaks and never showed an ounce of judgement. Alana has so many fond memories of hanging out with Niki where somehow, a bottle or 2 of wine and several bags of chips would magically be devoured. She truly has been a constant rock for Alana…even though Niki LOVES to remind Alana of how much OLDER Alana is than her 😑 Niki is currently in nursing school and is working towards becoming an official RN! Alana is so very proud of her and all of her accomplishments.
Nichole Dorsey
Bridesmaid
Nichole, Alana, and Shannon met through a mutual friend who worked for Starbucks with them years ago. Through Vegas trips, house parties, and camping adventures, these three "Grizzly ladies..." (iykyk) grew extremely close and have created countless priceless memories. Nichole and her husband, Bo, ( who will be officiating the wedding btw) have been Stephen and Alana's tour guides of Carson City, NV. They were there on move in day with a beautiful welcome basket and have continued to support and help whenever possible. (Best neighbors ever!) Nichole has always been there to listen and give advice. She is small but mighty and also has the biggest heart you'll ever meet. If you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to drink with, Nichole's your girl!
Shannon Etem
Bridesmaid
As mentioned before, Shannon and Nichole worked at Starbucks together and were introduced to Alana through a mutual friend. Shannon and her husband, Zak, have become two of Alana's closest friends. Alana has so many fond memories of spending time at Zak's family cabin in Big Bear, CA. Shannon is one of the nicest, sweetest, and smartest people you'll ever be lucky enough to know. She is also going through nursing school and working towards her RN. Shannon was ALWAYS there at Alana's half marathons supporting her with a custom Julian Edelman sign to root Alana on. While they may not get to see each other as often as they would like, Shannon and Alana continue to keep in contact and are each others' biggest cheerleaders in life.
Joe Myers
Best Man
Joe and Stephen met a long time ago in 4th grade at Lynwood Elementary. The both shared a love of history at an early age, bonding over learning about the civil war in school. Their's is a rare childhood friendship that has survived the never ending changes of life. When they graduated high school, they started a fantasy football league before going away to college. That league, which started with six friends hanging out in Joe's basement from high school is still around today, 16 years later. The league played a big role in keeping the group in touch even with everyone going away to college, moving, having kids, buying homes and all other adventures of life. These days when Stephen returns home it starts almost exactly the same each time: meeting Joe and others at Little Vincent's.
Paul Gerber
Best Man
Paul is Stephen's brother and probably the most influential person in his life. An 8 year age difference between them, Paul was an instant role model in Stephen's life. Throughout childhood, Paul's interests always rubbed off on Stephen. When Paul got into cars during his 20's, with help from his best friend James and the Fast and Furious franchise, Stephen also became interested. However, throughout Stephen's entire life, what connected them most closely was a love for fishing. Throughout Stephen's childhood Paul took Stephen on fishing trips to the east end of Long Island almost every weekend. When they got older Paul would take Stephen on trips to fish the Salmon and Oswego Rivers in up-state New York. Paul has been the greatest older brother you could ask for.
Mike Levantino
Groomsman
Mike and Stephen have known each other since they were tigers in cub scouts. They truly became very close friends though when Mike moved across the street from Joe Myers in junior high school. In particular Joe, Ricky, Mike and Stephen were inseparable throughout high school. Upon graduating high school Mike committed to attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point to become a sailor. Years later with guidance and encouragement from Mike, Stephen was accepted to SUNY Maritime to learn to become a sailor as well. Without Mike's encouragement, this never would have happened, and consequentially Stephen wouldn't have ever been in San Diego and wouldn't have met Alana.
Adam Breidbart
Groomsman
Stephen met Adam when Ricky was attending college at SUNY Purchase. Adam is hugely responsible for introducing Stephen to the New York music scene. Adam has been a lover of punk rock music for most of his life and he's been to an enormous number of concerts. When they met Stephen had been to maybe one concert. Everything changed from their and throughout much of their 20's they attended many concerts together, particularly The Menzingers and The Gaslight Anthem. While Adam is not an original six member of the fantasy football league he was one of the first people added to the league a few years later.
Dan Neist
Groomsman
Dan and Stephen met at the end of high school, but didn't really become close friends until years later. Ultimately though, they developed a strong bond over a mutual love of craft beer. They started a home-brew partnership for a few years, mostly brewing in Dan's driveway. They also shared an interest in hiking and would frequent Avalon Park over weekends for hiking trips. Eventually, Dan moved to Brooklyn and Stephen, a lover of New York City food and drink, spent numerous nights crashing the couch. They frequented bars, breweries and restaurants in the Park Slope area. Dan is back on Long Island now, but when Stephen returns they go back to their craft beer roots for drinks at Sand City.
Ricky Gunzel
Groomsman
Ricky and Stephen met in Cub Scouts pack 294 when Ricky's dad was den chief. Ricky was another friend of Joe Myers and they really started hanging out at Joe's house as kids. A few years later Mike Levantino came into the picture and the four of them remained friends ever after. Ricky introduced the group to Dungeons and Dragons and set the group on a path to nerd-dome. Ricky is responsible for many of Stephen's favorite pass times over the years including Magic the Gathering, Dnd, Warhammer, and many others. Ricky is also an original six member of the Basement Fantasy Football League. And, by the way, he remained a close friend for all of us even though he ended up attending a different high school.