Maria & Dante
Wedding Party
Karen Zapata
Maid of Honor
'The One Who Was There When It All Began' Representing the 'Mujeres of 7205', Karen is one of the bride's UHart suite mates who saw the couples' relationship unfold first-hand. You can only imagine how ecstatic she was when she heard of the couples' engagement. Matter of fact, she broke her Lenten vow of abstaining from social media when she heard the news just to see for herself.
Marco Balassone
Best Man
(The Brother) of the groom. Although his travels often kept him at long distances, his kindness and excitement for the wedding could be felt for miles. He was a role model in Dante’s life growing up and blazed a trail for his younger brother, leaving big shoes to fill but also teaching him how to wear them.
Nadia Balassone
Bridesmaid
'The One Who Just Goes For It' She may be the younger sister of the groom, but the bride looks up to this young lady for her fearless and go-getter personality. Youthful, yet so independent. Her spontaneity and love for the couple will literally drive her hundreds of miles for a weekend visit.
Matthew Russo
Groomsman
(The Paesan) He and Dante casually met at a UConn football game through Jason and bonded quickly over their taste in music and all things old-world Italian – best explained by Sebastian Maniscalco. Distance won’t stop them from seeing a rock concert together.
Veronica Moreno
Bridesmaid
'The One Who Swam Across the Hudson' She really did! Veronica is the whole package and is constantly challenging herself. She's a bartender, personal trainer, and entrepreneur. She and the bride share a love for nature and look forward to canning and hunting together in the near future. Who would have thought the bride would find one of her greatest friends working a summer job as a restaurant hostess.
Jason Smith
Groomsman
(The Guard) Football established this friendship in high school when he and Dante played side-by-side on the offensive line. They pushed each other to compete as hard as possible and he always, literally, has Dante’s back - on and off the field.
Milad Rogha
Groomsman
(The Machine) Grad school veteran and probably the couples’ biggest fan – thanks to him the couple will forever have beautiful photos of The Proposal. He and Dante traveled to North Carolina from distant lands and endured countless waking hours of architecture school together. Both the bride and groom hope that someday they will be living in the same state again.
Daniel Sabino
Groomsman
(The Sportsman) He and the groom met as architecture students at UHart and worked so well together that Dante still wants him on his team. But they realized that the early morning hours were better spent fishing rather than in the studio. Although the interest was always there, it was Dan that got the groom to finally go hunting.
Victoria Diaz
Flower Girl
The adorable and spunky 2-year-old niece of the bride. She often video calls Maria in search of her Zizi Dante, who she loves to play with. Little Miss Victoria has some of the funniest expressions, which the couple find themselves quoting all too often.
Nicholas & Matthew Diaz
Ring Bearers
Witty and way too honest, Nicholas (6) and Matthew (4) are the bride's nephews. They're pretty much teenagers though, and they're taking their jobs as Ring Bearers very seriously. They love when Zizi Dante comes over and builds them a fire in their fireplace.