Shannon & Neal
Wedding Party
Kimberly Swanson
Maid of Honor
Kimberly & Shannon met in the summer '01, as two 10 year olds on their synchronized skating team in Warwick, RI. It was Shannon’s first year joining...Kim made a point to welcome her and introduce her to other returning skaters. Kim and Shannon quickly bonded over having abnormally long and skinny big toes, and would quickly outgrow their skates! They continued competing regionally and nationally together- in middle school, when Shannon would have to change out of her school uniform into her practice attire, Kim loved to laugh at this preppy look...Ironically Kim now owns more Lilly Pulitzer than Shannon does! Kim lives in Warwick, RI with her gorgeous yellow lab, Lola. You can find her cruising around to local beaches, breweries, and brunching at The Shanty!
Laura Ballweg
Matron of Honor
Laura & Shannon met in Fall of 2008 in college at UD. They had many mutual friends between Shan's dorm and fellow bridesmaid Kelly's dorm! They joined the same sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha and lived together. Laura spent her summer prior to senior year in fabulous NYC completing her internships to start her fashion career at Ralph Lauren. A few months later, fall of senior year, Shannon was pleasantly surprised to be accepted to NYU- Laura told her how awesome NYC had been and that it was a no brainer to go to NYU! Both gals moved to the the big city immediately after graduation. L and S spent all of their 20s to the present day loving the big apple together and with their fiances..frequenting their favorite brunch spots and traveling to the Hampton's whenever possible!
Brianna Rooney
Sister of the Groom and Bridesmaid
Brianna & Shannon have had many years to bond --they first started out just 1 year apart at La Salle Academy in Providence. The shared a good chuckle and eventually outed Neal for smuggling food from LSA's cafeteria after his designated lunch time. Once there was even a full plate of nachos in a locker, no joke! When they aren't doing their best New England accents and impressions, you can find B and S enjoying the beach, barbecuing, or out in Providence's nightlife scene, when they reunite back in "Lil Rhody"! Brianna lives in Falls Church, VA, where she is a new mom to fur-baby Frankie, the Boston Terrier. You can cash her performing improv comedy in the greater D.C. area. We hope she brings this amazing hobby and inevitable laughs to our upcoming wedding events.
Kelly Basile
Bridesmaid
Kelly & Shannon first met at UDSST's skating recruitment weekend. They did not exchange contact info`, but only struck up a convo about Shannon’s aqua Northface fleece and matching plaid scarf (Insert mid-2000s bad style joke here) A year later, they both chose to attend UD, remembered their Northface convo, and almost instantly became BFFs. They shared a love of eating pizza after practice, skating everyday, and even found the same part time jobs on campus... By junior year, Kelly & Shannon were determined to carry on the tradition of living in the “synchro team house” on Center Street. They were lucky enough to take it over from teammate + fellow bridesmaid Andrea (see next bio!) Kelly is a pet mom to cat Charles and her Newfoundland, ALSO named Lola! (+ now weighs more than her!)
Megan McGuiggan
Bridesmaid
Meg & Shannon met on Main Street in Newark, DE. Or as they now both affectionately call it, "Main Street USA". During this initial encounter, Megan was coincidentally a prospective high school senior, also looking to skate at UD, taking a tour of the campus. Fast forward to countless competitions, bus rides to Michigan, Homecoming tailgates, and stitches from the ER, they became very close friends and roommates. Meg and Shan also both moved to the big city post college, where Megan began to pursue her career as an attorney in Corporate Litigation. Shannon's favorite fact about Meg and Neal is that they will someday start an Irish law firm "McGuiggan & Rooney LLP", specializing in exclusively Leprechaun litigation.
Andrea Williams
Bridesmaid
Andrea & Shannon were also united on UDSST. When Shannon was a freshman, she had mishaps and falls at practice while adjusting to the team's training and many run throughs. Andrea, a junior, not only encouraged Shannon to get up and keep going, but afterwards and to this day, laughed with Shannon on the wipe-outs. Luckily, they had 2 amazing seasons together to bond over this many memories, including the 1 and only time of beating their rival team, the RedHawks! Currently, A and S love a good Dewey Beach, DE "Jam Sesh", try to make it once a summer. Andrea is just a quick train ride to NYC (from Philly) and LOVES to pop in for a brunch, the US Open, or a broadway show! Andrea can quote pretty much any episode of "The Office" and affectionately refers to herself as the female Michael Scott
Elyssa Noblesala
Bridesmaid
Elyssa & Shannon met freshman year of college, when they lived in the same dorm! (Near fellow bridesmaid Lauren) They all soon attended many football tailgates together. Elyssa and Shannon are also both "sisters" in their sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha. Their friendship grew even stronger upon both moving to the Big Apple. for Elyssa, it was moving back home. as she is a Native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens! E and S have many early memories of cramming into small NYC apartments, particularly Shannon's NYU dorm. They have always loved a good "Summer Friday" Happy Hour in the East Village! Elyssa is currently the Senior Retail Marketing Manager at The RealReal, the largest marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment. Before that, she was a Global Brand Marketing Manager at Coach.
Lauren DiSilva
Bridesmaid
Lauren & Shannon both grew up skating in the New England area, and therefore had a few mutual friends. They went on a blind lunch date the summer before college began. They continued to chat on AIM that summer (LOL!) and were thrilled to learn they had been placed in the same dorm for freshman year, also with fellow bridesmaid Elyssa and the good times began to roll! One of Shannon’s favorite things she learned from Lauren is her superstition that she must eat Jelly Belly jelly beans in the locker room every time before competing. You can now find Lauren, and her husband Dave, living their best life in the North End of Boston. With their cat, Leo "Cheddah" DiSilva.
Juan Zhenlio
Best Man
Juan is a graduate of the Alpert Medical School at Brown University and is a General Surgery resident at Rhode Island Hospital. Juan and Neal have engaged in some great Rhode Island traditions since their time at Brown...kayaking in Narragansett Bay, swimming at the Rhode Island beaches, and binging on some famous Rhode Island Hot Wieners!
Justin Gorman
Brother of the Bride and Best Man
Justin & Neal have a longstanding rivalry with Mario Kart- has gone on practically since Shannon & Neal began dating, when Justin was only 10! Justin can name any NHL mascot, goal anthem, and Stanley Cup winner from memory. Justin has an extensive range of food and restaurants that he enjoys. While his go-to on the run meal is a JBC from Wendy's, you can also catch him at Davio's of Boston. One time, Justin and his classmates from Lesley University were wrapping up at a local job fair and felt they should have a fancy lunch. They soon found out how pricey the food, and Justin ordered just a single meatball off of Davio's menu. It is unclear if Justin has returned since -- and we can all agree, he hopes Neal will someday take him there for a proper lunch outing.
Jeffrey Matteis
Best Man
Jeff first met Neal at Brown football camp at the start of freshman year. The three-a-day practices in the summer heat were no joke, and Jeff and Neal turned into actual – fried and meaty. Hanging with Neal during football practice always eased the pressure and lightened the mood. Both Neal and Jeff had big academic goals, so after practice, they would study together, which ended up turning into eating many post-dinner paninis. Jeff's favorite memory is when they were parked outside of their house on Brook Street and put on the latest Lady Gaga album. Neal cranked up the volume, and the car started to shake as two 250+ lb guys danced alone in the front seat. They listened to the whole album, and twelve years later, their enthusiasm for "Just Dance" remains.
Danny Bressler
Groomsman
Danny is a Ph.D. candidate in the Sustainable Development program at Columbia University. Danny is a researcher of global risks and global cooperation, especially related to climate change, nuclear proliferation, and war. Danny's research overlaps the disciplines of Economics and Political Science. Danny met Neal as a freshman at Brown living in Morris Hall. Danny is a competitive stair climber and a former rugby player at Oxford and Harvard Business School.
Michael Rogers
Groomsman
Mike has been friends with Neal and Shannon since freshman year of high school at LaSalle. Given their last names, Neal and Mike were locker buddies for four years. Additionally, Mike and Shannon went to LaSalle Winter Ball together freshman year (before Neal and Shannon ever met)! He is grateful for his friendship with both of them and excited to be part of their special day!
Travis Rathbone
Groomsman
Travis, while a native Californian, he and Neal share an affinity for N.E. Clam Chowder and trips to Block Island. In fact, Travis's ancestors, circa 1661, were one of the first original 16 settlers to land on and found Block Island. You can find the name John Rathbun on a plaque with the other settlers at the North end of the Island, which Neal visited the plaque for the first time this past summer! Another food related fact is that Neal loves to try and convince Travis to try new BBQ restaurants, though BBQ is Travis' least favorite cuisine. In turn, Travis convinces Neal to try more "manly" cocktails, which is a nice break from Neal's former favorite, the Strawberry Daiquiri.
Buddy Yow
Groomsman
Buddy is an orthopaedic surgery resident at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Neal and Buddy threw javelin together on Brown University's Track and Field Team.
Marc Guilera
Groomsman
Neal & Marc were united out in Silicon Valley, California, where they worked at the same educational technology startup. These days, they like to reminisce about the PTSD they have from the Slack "ping" notification, as they remember hearing it 24/7 while helping their young company grow. Marc was also part of the boys' 2017 Iceland trip...where the group went hiking for a day and accidentally left the hatchback of their rental SUV completely wide open (not just unlocked). Marc still laughs with Neal about how Iceland is such a safe country, as nothing was stolen!