The first time that Attilio and I saw each other was in July 1995. My girlfriends and I had gone out for a coffee at Ice Cream Patio in Woodbridge. We didn't talk to each other that night but according to him I had left an impression.

After that we kept running into each other at a nightclub, and one of those nights he stopped me to ask why I looked so familiar. That was the night we officially met. We didn't start dating until the end of the summer. In November 1995 Attilio had to leave suddenly to go to Italy for a family emergency. I think that was when we both realized how much we really meant to each other. After that it was official, we were a couple and haven't looked back since.

I have to say that I am one of those girls that dated Attilio for what seemed to be a really long time, and also had a long engagement. He proposed on my birthday in July 1998. We went out for dinner and dancing. I remember the whole night he was very sentimental. I always knew that Attilio and I were going to get married, it was just a matter of when.

We got married at St. Leonard's Church in Brampton. At first we wanted to get married in February or March, but then our priest reminded us that it was during the time of Lent. He said that he could still perform the ceremony, except that we would not be able to decorate the church. This is how we ended up with April 29th, 2000 because it was the week after Easter. Our reception was held at Il Cavaliere also in Brampton.

So now we have a date, a church, and a reception venue, the next task as far as I was concerned was the dress and the rest of my ensemble. I remember at the time people telling me what dress to buy, telling me that due to the fact that it was in April, chances are it would be cold. If anybody knows me, they know that I will ultimately do what I want. I also knew deep down that our wedding day would be a beautiful day. As it turned out it was a beautiful sunny day with 22Û temperatures. After doing a little research and going to several different bridal salons, I decided to get a custom gown. Looking back it was one of the best decisions that I made and was so happy with my dress. Ling Dell at Marquessa made the dress and veil. The dress was a peau de soie ballgown with a dropped gathered waist and fitted tank style bodice. There was crystal detailing throughout the bodice and around the neckline. My mother then added some more crystals to my veil. I loved it; it was perfect and fit like a glove. The lingerie was purchased at Avec Plaisir on Cumberland Avenue, the headpiece was from The Mad Hatter of Oakville, and the shoes were purchased from Peter Fox - extremely comfortable shoes. (I will list all the contact information at the end).

The Wedding Day

The day before the wedding and the morning of the wedding I was beginning to feel a little anxious. The morning of the wedding my cousin (she was also in the bridal party) shows up with her video camera at the hairdressers, this didn't help my nerves. Anieska and Cathy Crispo (hairdresser and make up artist) both tried to calm my nerves by cracking jokes and teasing me. By the time I got home I was a lot calmer and very excited to see Attilio. I got dressed and Cathy Crispo helped me put on my garters. Then photographer and videographer showed up we took a few of pictures and before I knew it the bus was there to pick us up and brings to the church. OK here is where I got nervous again - this time it was because I saw my Dad getting emotional. The music started and the procession begins. Once I saw Attilio, I was fine. I was smiling and looking around. I actually wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. The whole time during the mass Attilio and I kept looking at each other and smiling. It was all very surreal.

After mass we were off to our photo location Osgoode Hall. If anyone decides to get their pictures taken there, it is a beautiful location with lots of old architecture. I had never been there I went solely on the recommendation from my photographer. After the pictures we were on the bus again and off to the reception. I can't believe how quickly the day passed. I look at some of the pictures; even now I can't remember some of the things that happened.

Once we got to the hall, we went inside and I froze. I knew the hall was nice but once all the flowers were there it was gorgeous. I would recommend Hungarian Florist to anyone. We had decorated the hall by placing the centerpieces on tall candelabras so that once the guests were seated you can still see the flowers over top everyone's heads and they were not obstructing the guests from talking to each other from across the table.

Before we knew it we had finished greeting the guests and were being introduced by the DJ at the reception. Our first song was "The Power of Love" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. We chose it because one day when we were together it was on the radio and from that day we knew that would be our first dance as Mr. & Mrs.

We decided that speeches were going to be said in between meal courses so that it would note bore the guests. All the speeches were kept relatively short and aside from my cousin Rose and my sister Luisa the Maid of Honour, there wasn't too much crying as they both talked about when we grew up together and how happy they were both Attilio and I. During the dinner, before the speeches we had also arranged to have an entertainer perform for an hour. His name was Andrea Garfalo. He was just amazing, he sang some songs by Andrea Boccelli, from the Phantom of the Opera, and a few other songs. There's this old (very old) Italian song called "Marina, Marina", he actually modified it to "Romina, Romina" and had Attilio sing it with him. It was pretty funny especially since Attilio made up his own words and can't really sing.

After the dinner the party started, Attilio, I danced to our second song by Aerosmith, "Don't Want to Miss a Thing", and then the dance floor was open to the rest of the guests. The night flew by and when it came time to dance with my Dad, I couldn't help it but I cried, I didn't cry the whole day, but then we both got very emotional. The song I chose is a traditional old Italian song called "Lauretta Mia". It's a song that this girl's father wrote the night before his daughters wedding and it talks about how when she was growing up he did everything he could to protect her and make her happy and that if he missed something he was sorry. It also talks about how one day when she becomes a mother she will sing the same lullaby to her child as he sang to her when she was a baby. It talks about how happy and at the same time so sad that his daughter is getting married. Now I'm getting all emotional again thinking about it. Let's just say, my friends that were there and didn't understand the lyrics were also emotional.

Before we knew it, we danced our last dance "Vivo per Lei" (translation - I live for him/her), and then it was time to say goodbye. The weirdest part for me was saying bye to my parents because this time I wasn't going home with them. I still can't get over that feeling to this day.

The Honeymoon

We left for our honeymoon on the Wednesday after the wedding. We decided that since we were going on a cruise and they usually depart on either the Saturday or Sunday we needed time to recuperate after the wedding. We left early Wednesday Morning and spent three days in South Beach Miami. Very trendy neighborhood, and a lot of strange people. It seems that the latest fashion accessory in South Beach was a live boa constrictor wrapped around your neck. Very weird. We boarded the Carnival Triumph (it lived up to its reputation of being the party ship) on Saturday. I couldn't believe the size of the ship. I still don't think that I got to experience all of it. The itinerary included stops in Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman and Ochos Rios, Jamaica. Grand Cayman was my favorite island. Attilio's favorite island was Jamaica. If anyone ever plans on going to Jamaica I highly recommend doing the Dun River Falls tour, a lot of fun and the water keeps you cool. We both had a great time and right now aside from lurking onto the Babbling Brides I am also lurking on one of the numerous cruise web sites trying to figure out which cruise we should go on next.

Contact Information

Licensing for Osgoode Hall Photos
Vilna - (416) 327-5387/96
$162.00 for administration PLUS $160.50 for security OPP officer

Michael Francis - Photographer
Frank or Angie - (416) 487-2934

Make up artist (Make up by CC)
Cathy Crispo - (416) 992-6748

Hairstylist
Anieska - (905) 454-4825

Wedding Dress (Marquessa)
Ling - (416) 966-4096

Superstars DJ
(905) 850-3535
(905) 850-0122

Andrea Garofalo - Entertainer at the Reception
(905) 803-0365

Ida Puzzo - Singer for the Ceremony
(905) 584-9295

Il Cavaliere - Banquet hall
Gino - (905) 794-0315

Hungarian Florist
Joseph - (416) 532-0864

Mirage Video - Videographer
Bill - (416) 580-4799

Privately Yours - Limo
(905) 850-6187

Mad Hatter of Oakville - Headpiece
(by appointment only) 2272 Mowat Ave., Ste. #72 (905) 257-1414

Peter Fox Shoes
24 Bellair St 416-960-5572

Avec Plaisir - Bustier, Lingerie
124 Cumberland (416) 922-7702