Contest Winners

Liz and Carlos met in 2002 when they became co-workers. They immediately hit it off and became friends. A few months later they began dating and before long, were inseparable. After a year and a half of dating they got engaged. Not too long after they moved in together but decided to wait until Liz finished graduate school to get married. They will finally be married on July 24, 2009 at East Wind. They can't wait to begin the next chapter in their lives as husband and wife!

Heather and Mitch re-met at a New Year’s Eve party in 2007 after having met a year or so earlier through mutual friends. At the time Mitch was living in Tucson, Arizona and at the time was planning on moving to Europe for graduate school. But after several cross country plane flights and phenomenal phone bills, Mitch packed it up and moved back to New York for grad school instead and the rest was history. Mitch proposed in June 2008 on the longest day of the year during a long weekend in the North Fork of Long Island. He surprised Heather with a CD of songs for the drive out, a Bed and Breakfast stay, a massage, a diamond pendant belonging to his grandmother, a book of love poems, a fabulous dinner out, and finally before she had a heart attack, a fabulous proposal at sunset. Of course, she said yes, which was when she got her last present, a Bridal magazine so she could immediately begin planning. She is delighted to have found the love of her life and can’t wait for the fabulous journey to come.

Jason and Caroline met in 2004 during their final year at the University of Delaware. They had mutual friends, but had never met each other before. It must have been fate, because they ended up living across the hall from each other that year in the same apartment building. They had noticed each other in the halls in the first days of the year, but didn't officially meet, or speak to each other until a party about a week into school. They have been inseparable since that day. After they graduated, Caroline and Jason moved into Manhattan where Jason is Director of Sales for a credit card processing company and Caroline is an Assistant Marketing Manager for a publishing company. Jason proposed on September 7, 2007 at their favorite little neighborhood Italian Restaurant. They will be married November 7, 2009 at the Chateau La Mer in Lindenhurst. They are most looking forward to finally being husband and wife and for their honeymoon in Mexico!

My name is Kimberly and I am engaged to David. I live in Lindenhurst and Dave lives in Stratford CT. Dave is 27 and I will be 27 in April. I work in the corporate office in a local real estate company and David just passed is in the process of taking his state exam for his low voltage electrical license. We both met through a dating website in the fall of 2007 and our first date was in NYC. We were going up to the Bronx to watch the first home playoff game for the Yankees at one of the bars around the stadium. I knew I was going to marry him after our first date. I actually wound up feeling very faint and told him I need to go outside the bar that night where on my way out I feel and hurt my ankle. He kindly walked me across the street, got me something to eat and helped me walk back to the Subway to go back down to Manhattan. He didn't leave my side all night and from there we grew our relationship to what it is today. We were talking about getting married for a few months before he finally proposed on Christmas day.

Vicki and Joseph met through mutual friends and eventually over time their friendship grew into a 5 year relationship. Joseph proposed on November 10th, 2007 over breakfast which he prepared for the two of them. Vicki says it was the happiest day of their lives. They both know that their love with last a lifetime. Vicki & Joseph will be married on February 14th, 2009 at St. Anthony's RCC in Oceanside followed by a reception at The Fox Hollow in Woodbury, NY. They both are very excited to begin this new chapter in their lives & can not wait to see what lies ahead!

Alyssa and John met through MySpace of all places. She emailed him a question about his band, he responded with a snooty answer (which he doesn't remember doing). Courtship soon followed and then after years of dating and living together, the twosome got engaged at Disneyland in the presence of thousands of on-lookers in front of Cinderella's castle. With the help of some friends, and unbeknown to Alyssa, John had planned out the whole event and nervously created what would be a romantic event which both of them would not soon forget.

Alyssa is a Graphic Designer and John is in retail management. Currently living in North Babylon, they have 3 wonderful (evil) cats named Chipotle, Pepper, and Brooklyn. The date of June 10, 2010 is when they are set to be married at Flowerfield in Saint James, NY.

We met by chance through a mutual friend. We had been going out for almost ten years when we sort of decided that it was time and we were both confident in our relationship... Keith asked me at a beach in Huntington. I am art and art history teacher at a Suffolk county High School, Keith is an electrician for Local 3 in the City. We are getting married at West Sayville Country club on 7.7.07 and having an art nouveau themed wedding.

Frank and Erin first met in January, 2003 on Match.com. After dating for three and a half years, Frank asked Erin to marry him on the beach while watching the sunset in Montauk, NY on September 1, 2006. At least, the idea was to watch the sunset, but Hurricane Ernesto changed things a bit. Armed with blankets, wine and sweatshirts, Frank was not deterred by the dense fog, or the cold. Luckily, Erin did not protest the plan too much, or she would have missed out on one of the happiest moments of her life. The couple has set a wedding date of December 15, 2007. The ceremony will take place at St. Mary's in Manhasset, with the reception to take place at Flowerfield in St. James. They are both looking forward to their wedding day tremendously!

Dwayne and I actually met in the restaurant business, My friend was looking for a waitressing job, so I went in with her to get an application, they also happen to interview her on the spot, and then the manager started talking to me, and hired us both. Even though I already had a job I took the new job because I would be working with my friend now. The first night I started, Dwayne and I talked and we hung out later that week, and have been together ever since! Who would have thought back in 2000 working at Tin Alley Grill that I would meet the most wonderful man I am going to spend the rest of my life with. We have now been together for 7 years and we can truly say that our lives would never be the same without each other. We are getting married at the de Seversky Mansion on 7/7/07, we got engaged in 05 and didn't waste anytime we had mostly everything booked within 2 months for 7/707, and we waited for the 7/7/07 date because 777 has been my lucky number ever since I was younger.

Eric and Ida had been good friends for many years. They started dating in the summer of 2001. After dating for almost five years, Eric proposed to Ida on Valentine's Day 2006 in their home. She was so surprised and happy. Ida said it was the best day of her life knowing she was going to spend the rest of her life with Eric. They set a date of September 7, 2007 to be married in Oakdale, New York.

Jessica and Leonard met at college their freshman year in 1998. After one year of being friends they decided to start dating and were inseparable ever since. They even got through two years of a long-distance relationship when Lenny was upstate coaching a Division I college soccer team. After 5 years together, Lenny proposed to Jessica at Dodici in Rockville Centre. The setting of the restaurant was perfect with romantic candlelight and a table for 2 in the corner. After the main course, Lenny got on one knee in front of the entire restaurant and asked Jessica to marry him. She, of course, said yes and everyone in the restaurant congratulated them the rest of the night! They chose a wedding date of June 10, 2006 and after a year and half of planning the day finally arrived. It was the most amazing day of their lives! Everything was perfect and just the way they had always dreamed it would be. The ceremony was outside at Chateau La Mer with spectacular views overlooking the Great South Bay during sunset and the reception was in the main ballroom. Jessica is currently an order analyst at a large company in Garden City and hopes to pursue teaching in the near future. Leonard works as a graphic designer for a watch company in NYC. They are truly enjoying married life and canít wait to see what lies ahead! For winning this contest Jessica won a fabulous spa day from Maximus Spa and Salon.

Jennie and Vinny met in February of 1996 on an online chat room!! It was the first night of winter break and there was a blizzard outside. Stuck online, they began chatting when they realized they lived near each other. They started to talk on the phone, and eventually started hanging out. In April, Jennie and Vinny began dating. After 7 1/2 years, Vinny proposed on a trip to Atlantic City. He bought an Angel Cheeks statue, which Jennie collects, and put the ring on it's lap. He asked, and she said yes!!! They got married November 18, 2005 at St. Kilians Church in Farmingdale, followed by a reception at Chateau La Mer in Lindenhurst. They are truly enjoying married life and recently celebrated their 10 year dating anniversary!! Jennie is a teacher, and Vinny is a Pre-Press Manager.

John and Hollie met in 2001 while in graduate school. They were both student interns in the same mental health clinic. They became good friends pretty quickly. It took a long time for Hollie to realize that John had romantic feelings for her. Once she realized this, they began dating. It wasn't very long into their relationship when they both realized that they wanted to be together forever. John and Hollie are both psychiatric social workers. They work for New York State Office of Mental Health. Hollie works in a children's psychiatric hospital in Queens and John works in a children's psychiatric hospital in Brooklyn. John proposed on November 27, 2004. Hollie had spent the day shopping in Riverhead trying to get as much Christmas shopping done as possible. While she was out shopping, John was out buying the ring! He called her father that day and asked if he could marry her. Hollie's father said yes! When Hollie came home from shopping, John informed her that he had a surprise for her. Hollie thought nothing of this, since they always surprised each other. She sat down and opened a bag that had a bear in it. In the bear was the ring. John got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. It was one of the incredible moments of Hollie's life. John and Hollie were married on January 15, 2006 at their church in Ridgewood, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The reception was at Fox Hollow in Woodbury. Hollie said the best part of the wedding was seeing each other for the first time in church. John had tears in his eyes and Hollie couldn't stop smiling once she saw John. Hollie and John couldn't wait to hear the priest announce that they were married. The first kiss as husband and wife was the most romantic and amazing kiss they've had. The best part of being married is knowing that you get to spend the rest of your life with your best friend and soul mate.

My name is Danielle and my fiancÈs name is Vinny and we live together in Fort Salonga. Vinny is originally from Commack and I am originally from Smithtown (where my family still lives). Vinny and I FIRST met at the business his family owns (Commack Hand Car Wash). I was there with a guy that I was dating who happened to know Vinny from when they were younger. Vinny and my then boyfriend started to chat and my then boyfriend introduced me to Vinny. We got his car washed and then we left. Fast forward to a year and half later: My boyfriend and I had broken up and I was sifting through profiles on Match.com when I came across a guy named Vinny (no idea he was the same guy). I really liked his profile and we started talking a lot on the phone when he mentioned the Car Wash! I realized (and he remembered too) that we had met before!! So I was introduced to my fiancÈ by my now ex-boyfriend and then (out of everyone in the world) I wrote to my FH on Match.com and that's when we finally began dating officially... small world!! Vinny proposed to me on June 23, 2005 after telling me months earlier (after only dating a very short time!!) that he wanted to marry me and had begun saving for a ring. So on June 23, 2005 he took me to the Church I grew up in (had my communion and confirmation there). This was the Church we knew we would marry at. He got down on one knee in the courtyard of my church on a beautiful and sunny summer day and told me he would take care of me for the rest of his life. Then he asked me to marry him and I (crying) said YES! Vinny and I are getting married Sunday September 9, 2007 at The Parish of the Holy Cross RCC with a full Catholic Mass and then our reception will be held at Flowerfield in St. James. We are so excited and are counting down the days!

Kathleen and Tim met in June 2003. Kathleen feels like they were destined to meet because their families have lots of friends in common. Kathleen works as a teaching assistant on Long Island and is currently looking for a full time teaching position. Tim is a Social Studies teacher. They were engaged on December 17, 2004 at EAB Plaza. Tim brought Kathleen to EAB Plaza to supposedly meet up with his parents since it was his mom's birthday. They were walking around looking for Tim's parents when Tim told her that it would be better if they stood by the tree in the front. As they were standing in front of the big tree, he gave her a huge hug and before she knew it he was down on one knee with the ring in his hand! Kathleen remembers that as such an exciting and magical night. They are getting married on July 16, 2006 at Corpus Christi Church and then the reception will be at the Swan Club. Kathleen cannot wait to see the look on Timís face when she is walking down the aisle. She also cannot wait to share her life with her soul mate and best friend.

Carmen and Michael met at work in 2001. He had started working in her department and instantly they became friends. They kept it that way for about a year until they couldnít deny their feelings towards each other and they made it official. The love they share continues to grow stronger day after day. Both Carmen and Michael work at Emerging Health Information Technology, a company dedicated to providing technical support to regional hospitals. Michael proposed Christmas morning 2004. He decided to hide her engagement ring in the middle of the Christmas tree. After all the gifts were unwrapped, he asked her if Santa had fulfilled all her wishes and proceeded to tell her Santa had left one more gift and there it was in a small black boxÖ her ring! Of course she said yes. They are getting married September 2, 2006 at the Swan Club. Carmen is really looking forward to the moment they are presented as husband and wife as well as the honeymoon. She cannot wait to see how beautiful Hawaii is in person.

Bonnie-Jean and Daniel met at Island Rock Indoor Rock climbing gym in Plainview where Daniel worked and she went to hang out (no pun intended!). She was exercising upstairs and he came up to say hello. They met up that weekend at Luxe and danced for hours. She went home with his number written in her lipstick on an old receipt. They have been together ever since. Dan is a physical education teacher in NYC. He is going to school for a second masters at Hofstra University. She is an electrician in NYC for Local Union #3 and is going to school to earn an associates in Labor Studies. They were engaged on May 30, 2005 after a romantic dinner at Waterzooie. They are getting married Saturday July 1, 2006 at Westbury Manor. Bonnie-Jean is looking forward to Dan seeing her in her dress as well as having all the details come together.

Jay and I were introduced by our best man. He is the captain of the 8-ball team we both play on. I had been playing for a couple of years when we needed a replacement player, and our best man asked Jay to join the team. He asked me to marry him on April Fool's Day 2005, which of course meant I had to ask if he was serious. The ring followed in July 2005. We are getting married October 8, 2006 at a private residence overlooking Northport harbor, with the reception to follow at East Wind.

We met on Fire Island, where we both rented summer share houses. We were acquaintances for a few years before we started dating. On Christmas Eve Day December 24, 2004 we decided to visit the construction site of what was to become our Fire Island summer house for the summer of 2005. We were in the partially built living room and the waves were crashing in the background. Scott asked me to take a photo. At first I did not even notice the ring tied to the camera. Then he asked. Yes, he did get down on one knee! We then shared a bottle of champagne. That bottle is now in a Time Capsule that is buried in a wall of the now completed summer house. I'm an attorney and I'm self-employed (The Law Office of Kerie P. Stone). I handle disability claims and consumer bankruptcy. My husband is a business analyst/ computer programmer but I often joke that I have no idea what that means! We were married on November 12, 2005 at Temple Chaverim, which is in Plainview, NY.

Paola and Edwin met when he was 16 and she was 15 at a gathering at her cousin's house. Her cousin introduced them and it was love at first site. They were engaged on October 13, 2005 at the Capital Grill Restaurant in New York City. They had a delicious dinner and after dinner in the restaurant Edwin was telling Paola how much he loved her and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The next thing she knew he was on his knee asking her to be his wife. She said yes of course! Then they went for a romantic horse and carriage ride in Central Park. Paola said it was the most wonderful night of her life. They are planning a spring 2008 wedding.

Gina and David met at a local bowling alley 9 years ago. She was a waitress and he was bowling in a league. They started chatting and have been together ever since. Gina is a Police Officer and David is a Parts Advisor at a local Car Dealership. David proposed to her four days after their 7 year anniversary on March 20, 2004, which was also his birthday. They were planning to go to dinner for his birthday, but before leaving David wanted to watch a movie, as Gina picked up the remote to turn the television on, she noticed something was jingling inside the remote. When she opened the remote to see what was inside she found a beautiful diamond ring. David got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him! Of course she said YES! They are planning to get married on November 9, 2006 at St. Francis of Assisi Church and are having their reception at The Riviera in Massapequa. They both look forward to buying a house and starting their new life together as husband and wife.

Janna and Andrew met through Yahoo Personals. He answered her ad because they came up as a 100% match. They started chatting and fell in love. They got engaged on May 28, 2005, and he proposed in their bedroom by getting down on one knee and asking her to be his wife. They had picked the ring together, so it wasn't a surprise for Janna, but that doesn't mean it was any less sweet and romantic! They are getting married on April 30, 2006 at Jericho Terrace. At the wedding, Janna is looking forward to seeing Andrew's face when she walks down the aisle, and then dancing with her father. As for getting married, she is looking forward to knowing that she has this wonderful, supportive man whom she canít wait to grow old with and share life's experiences.

Nicole and Rich met in High School in 2000. After much persistence Rich was able to get her attention and their first date was his prom. Nicole is a full time student and works part-time in a medical office. Rich is a teacher in Nassau County and attends graduate school as well. As you can tell they are a busy pair! Rich proposed late at night at her parentsí home. It was very low key and romantic. He said sweet things to his soon to be fiancÈ and then he took the ring out. Nicole was beaming and said yes of course! The pair will be wed on November 23, 2007 at St. Josephís Church in Kings Park followed by a reception at Fox Hollow in Woodbury. Nicole cannot wait to walk down the aisle and be with Rich forever.

Laura and Mike met in 1997 at a fraternity mixer in college and disliked each other immediately. Three years later they realized that their schoolyard bickering was actually the start of a wonderful relationship. Currently, they live in Washington, DC where Laura is a web developer and Mike is a computer programmer. The couple got engaged in November 2005 after 5 years of dating. They plan to marry on June 15, 2007 at the Venetian Yacht Club in Babylon. As her prize for winning the 3 million post contest Laura won a gorgeous pair of princess cut diamond stud earrings.

Debra and Kevin met while working as cashiers for Waldbaumís. They knew they were perfect for each other right away and were inseparable. They both went to James Madison University in Virginia where Debra got her Elementary teaching license and Kevin is finishing up an Eds in School Psychology. Kevin proposed on the boardwalk of Jones Beach after a romantic dinner at The Snapper Inn. They were all alone with the moonlight shining over the ocean and he got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. She of course said yes! They were married August 7, 2005 at the Meadow Club in Port Jefferson Station. Debra said the best part of her wedding day was seeing Kevin waiting at the end of the aisle. She could not stop smiling! They have been married for over 6 months and Debra is looking forward to a lifetime with Kevin.

James and I met three years ago, on February 14 (yes Cupid was busy that day). James is a Hospital Administrator and I am a Financial analyst. Our friendship blossomed into a great romance and our enjoying being with each other. What makes our relationship so special is that we are friends first and everything else just falls into place. James has a very laid back personality, a great sense of humor and a very caring soul. His love, after me, is science fiction and electronics. We both love the era of knights and princesses, hence his handle, Sir Blade, and mine, LadyPrincess.

Denise Patrick and her future husband Paul went to the same high school, but actually met 10 yrs later at a local club. Denise is a phone support representative at Computer Associates (terrorizing her co-workers with wedding-related emails bordering on spam) and Paul is a CPA in Manhattan. The couple were engaged on December 13, 2004 when Paul slipped the proposal inside a fortune cookie as they were eating Chinese and decorating the Christmas tree. The couple plan a traditional church ceremony and reception at Villa Lombardi's on September 16th, 2005.

Lisa and Michael met on September 8, 2000. Lisa currently resides in Brooklyn, NY and works as a Legal Secretary for a Law Firm in Manhattan. Michael currently resides in Malverne, NY and works as a collection representative for a bank and does police reserve work for Malverne. The happy couple got engaged on February 16, 2202 when Michael asked Lisa to be his wife! The two will be married this September 18th. They will be having a traditional church wedding and will be exchanging vows at Lisa's parish in Brooklyn, followed by a reception at the Manor East.

Fiorenza Sacchetti and Edward Maida met on August 24, 2001. Fiorenza currently resides in Brooklyn, NY and works as a Legal Secretary for a Law Firm in Manhattan. Edward currently resides in Staten Island, NY and works as a Manager of an Auto Parts store in Passaic Park, NJ. The happy couple got engaged on Christmas Eve of 2001 when Edward popped the question and Fiorenza happily accepted! The two plan to marry on August 29, 2004. They will be having a traditional Italian Wedding and will be exchanging vows at Regina Pacis church in Brooklyn, followed by a reception at Leonard's of Great Neck in Long Island, to celebrate their love. They both look forward to spending the rest of their lives together.

Michelle and Vincent met while they were working in McDonalds as teenagers. Michelle asked Vincent to go the movies on Valentines Day, and they began dating after that. Finally after almost 10 years of dating Vincent proposed on New Years Day in 2003. They both reside in Suffolk County where Michelle is a CPA at a public accounting firm in Babylon and Vincent is a fork lift driver at Costco. There wedding is planned for October 12, 2003 at Villa Lombardi's.

Leslie and Mike met while working together at a Long Island radio station. They were just friends for several months, but each day there friendship became more and more intense. They finally decided to give a relationship a chance at their Christmas party 2 1/2 years ago. The office romance became known when their boss held up each of their company cell phone bills and noticed that most of the calls were to each other! A November 29, 2002 wedding is planned.

Karen Esposito and Neal Cooper met for the first time through friends, and shortly after, built their own friendship that eventually grew into a 6 year relationship. They have dealt with some strategies together, Neal moved across the country for about a year, but they never grew apart or gave up on their relationship. Currently, they reside in Suffolk County, karen is an office manager for a Heating/Air Conditioning Co. and Neal works for the County of Suffolk. Even though the two chose the engagement ring together, Karen was still surprised when Neal proposed to her on Christmas Eve of 2001. They both look forward to sharing their lives together.

Taryn Bussewitz and Oleksiy Paladiy met many times before their first date. Taryn managed an American govermnent assistance program, which brought American specialists to Ukraine to provide training. Olex sold souvenirs on the weekends to support himself while pursuing his education. Taryn often brought visitors to the street where Olex sold souvenirs, and they often chatted. Whenever Taryn was traveling to the US, she offered to bring back anything that Olex might need...a napsack, a watch, etc. In January 2000, after Taryn brought back a briefcase for Olex, he invited her to dinner to thank her for her help. The evening was wonderful, and by June, the two were engaged. Although Taryn's contract ended in September 2000, she remained in Ukraine, exploring her dream of a freelance writing career while Olex continued to work towards his MS. In June 2001, Olex and Taryn were married in a traditional Ukrainian civil ceremony.