We are renewing our vows!

Shannon and Preston met at Saint Joseph's College of Maine in the Spring of 2012. At the time, Shannon was a part of the Drama Club and working on filming a comedy. Some of the scenes were set in the Freshman Boys' Dorm, but Shannon was a Sophomore, and didn't know anyone living there. Tom Smith, another drama club member, volunteered his friend's dorm room for recording. That friend turned out to be Preston. Shannon did not notice Preston until he walked into a shot wearing nothing but a speedo and a sailor hat while holding a paper mache giraffe. Shannon laughed and the first spark came into being.

Shannon and Preston remained friendly acquaintances throughout college and, despite mutual crushes, they parted ways without ever knowing. Shannon moved to California, Preston became a teacher, and they both forged separate paths through life. During this time, both Shannon and Preston experienced a tremendous amount of personal growth. Little did they know their diverging paths would cross again and when it did, they would be ready to begin their journey together.

Shannon and Preston met again at Tom and Hannah Smith's wedding in August of 2017 and the sparks turned into a raging fire. They spent the entire day deeply engrossed in conversation. To the onlookers, the attraction was obvious, but it would take over a month of hanging out as "friends" for either party to admit to having feelings for the other.

Preston bravely confessed his feelings for Shannon outside of Elements one day and the two began to date. A month later, they officially became a couple and a month after that, Shannon made a horrifying mistake! She had been texting Preston while waiting for a play to begin. When the play started, she said goodbye quickly and turned her phone off. When she turned her phone on during intermission, she saw that Preston had sent her a text with a smiley face that said, "I think we should talk about that in-person." Confused, Shannon reread her last text and realized she had said, "The play is about to start. I'll talk to you later. Love you." She was mortified! She meant it but she hadn't meant to tell him that! On New Year's Eve, Preston and Shannon talked about her text and luckily, the feeling was mutual.

Shannon and Preston had been together for almost two years, when they became engaged. A ring had been selected months before the proposal and Shannon in her excitement kept suggesting different romantic ways that Preston could pop the question to her. Eventually, Preston said, "I'm going to push back the date of the proposal one day for every suggestion you make from now on." Shannon pouted but stopped. One a particularly beautiful fall day in October, the pair decided to hike Mount Pleasant. The foliage was gorgeous and the view from the top was spectacular. As they sat down to eat lunch, Shannon thought, "If he was going to propose to me, he'd do it up here." When no proposal came, she shrugged it off and they began to descend the mountain. A few minutes later, Preston asked to stop because his hiking bag was irritating him. Shannon stood facing away into the woods and only turned when Preston called her name. When she turned around, she saw him down on one knee holding a ring box and he said, "There were too many people at the top." Preston proposed and Shannon said yes. She could barely stop her from telling every person on the way down the mountain that they were newly engaged!

Shannon and Preston began to plan a wedding for October 13th, 2020 but all their plans kept falling apart. Eventually, these setbacks led to the couple eloping at Portland City Hall on March 13th, 2020. Their parents attended as their witnesses and a professional photographer was hired to capture the simple but beautiful event. At 3:00 pm, the wedding party was kicked out of the building though. The first Covid-19 case at Portland City Hall was confirmed and they were closing for the next two weeks. The group exited the building and into a Nor'Easter! The photoshoot continued amongst the wind, rain, and laughter. It was a memorable day for everyone and the last normal day for many months to come.

Preston and Shannon have continued to love and support each other through all of the events that have taken place since their elopement. From a global pandemic to graduate school to career changes, they have stuck by each other and their attachment has only deepened. Now on their fourth wedding anniversary, they wish to share their love with the friends and family who have watched it bloom over the past years. They hope you can join them for this joyful occasion.