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Sweet Love
Maria Tallarico and Michael Sleeman, October 18, 2008, Vancouver. By Alyssa Buckley
About the Couple
Bride: Maria Tallarico
Groom: Michael Sleeman
Occupations: Maria is the managing editor of Vitamindaily.com and Michael is the co-owner of St. Augustine’s restaurant.
How they met: Through friends.
Favourite date: A trip to Café Asean in New York City.
What attracted her to him: His sense of humour.
What attracted him to her: Her spunky personality.
Engagement story: “I’m not into romantic scenes at all,” says Maria. “Which Mike knows and uses to embarrass me publicly on a regular basis. We had just bought our house and Mike called me out to the balcony. I went outside and he said, ‘I see something in the sky,’ and I said, ‘Mike, if that’s a plane that says Maria will you marry me, I’m going to gag.’ Sure enough, a plane rounds the corner with a banner that says ‘Maria will you marry me?’ I turned around and he was on one knee proposing. We were both laughing so hard I don’t think I even answered.”
The Wedding Day
Wedding date: October 18, 2009
Guests: 300
Her best moment: The ceremony because it was the end of planning and the beginning of a great day.
His best moment: Seeing Maria walk down the aisle.
What they would have done differently: “Made a detailed itinerary for the day. You don’t realize how crunched for time you’ll be.”
Advice you would give to other couples that are getting married: Keep a list and chill out—and try not to bore your friends to death with incessant wedding talk.
Wedding song: An acoustic version of “Big Me” by the Foo Fighters, Maria’s favourite band. Maria has a major crush on the lead singer, but Mike doesn’t mind.
The day in three words: Best day ever.
Favourite wedding gift: “We got so many amazing and generous gifts at the shower and the wedding, we would hate to choose just one. I think our most sentimental gift came from my friend Amanda. She gave us a tea set with a note that read, ‘May you have no problem that can’t be solved over a cup of tea.’”
Most unexpected moment: Maria forgetting to say her vows.
Best surprise of the day: That it didn’t rain.
Honeymoon: Tokyo.
Favourite wedding detail: The bridal party. They looked fantastic and had amazing energy.
What made her day: Having the people I love there to celebrate with us.
What made his day: That everything went smoothly and ran on time.
