As we connected with newlywed, recently engaged, and long-time couples for this month, we took to social media to ask our readers some pressing questions. They included: How did you and your significant other meet? When did you fall in love? What was your first date? We also asked the respondents to share their couple’s/ wedding song with us. Some of them grew up in Clifton, while others settled down in our city or raised families locally before moving elsewhere. The following pages are their love stories in their own words …
I was working at Hoffmann La Roche and dated a guy for seven or eight years. His sister and friend saw me at a baby’s Christening and said, ‘I don’t know if you’re interested, but I have a great guy. Can I set you up?’ He lived in Manhattan and when he called, he said, ‘My name is Edward … and you’re a potential candidate to be my wife.’ Twenty-four years ago yesterday on Jan. 16, I drove into the city and met him on a blind date. We never talked about marriage, but six months later, he proposed to me in a New York City gym. Kimberly Breznak (CHS We lived on Columbus Avenue, across ABC 1988) and Edward Tuccio. Studios, and Edward would be at World Gym evTheir first dance was Barery weekend when we started dating. He would do ry White’s “My First, My weights and I was in an aerobics class. Last, My Everything” and One day, the instructor asked, ‘Can you come “At Last” by Etta James up and volunteer for me?’ I was doing dips on the was their wedding song. bench as they were filming it and thought that the gym was filming it for its own thing. Now my husband is retired, so we spend time in Florida Then Marc Cohn’s song ‘True Companion’ came on and where we’re trying to learn pickleball, take walks together, the woman next to me said, ‘Is it your birthday?’ I said, and we love to eat healthy together. We also give back. ‘No’, but then the first doorman came in with a dozen rosWe’re members of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic es. Edward’s lucky number is seven and he came in with a Church in Passaic and we’ve donated to support Ukraine tuxedo on and the ring as the seventh doorman with seven through the church. We’re also big advocates and donors dozen roses. toward Juvenile Diabetes research. We’re in the process of We married within seven months on June 16, 2001 and creating the Edward J. Tuccio ’91 Student Success Center our first dance song was Barry White’s “My First, My Last, at the College of Charleston. My Everything.” Etta James’ “At Last” was our wedding Now that our kids are in college, I definitely want to song. My favorite highlight of our marriage is definitely travel the world. I would also love to give back to the our proposal. Before we moved up to Ridgefield, ConnectiBoys & Girls Club of Clifton and will one day. I’ve been cut, we spent a lot of time in Sea Girt and rented a house to events and galas for the Ridgefield club, but when my there every year. I have great memories of when our chilmom, Mary Guida, was single and on welfare, my sister, dren Brandon and Isabella were babies on the Jersey shore. Nicole Carnevale (CHS 1986), and I would go to the Club.
36
February 2024 • Cliftonmagazine.com