We met in graduate school while we were both doing our Ph.Ds. It was a sunny day in August '01 when we met at a cafe near campus. It was love at first sight--yep, the struck-by-lightning, can't-remember-your-own-name variety. He was sitting at a table in front of the cafe, writing in his journal (I have in fact seen the very entry!); I said "hi" and we talked for hours, enthralled. It's been a long road since then, but I think, deep down, we've always known this was It.

We got engaged during a weekend trip to Victoria, B.C. Michael proposed at High Tea at the Empress Hotel...did this influence our wedding tea-party theme? Or does tea just really reflect the emotional tenor of all our important life events? You be the judge.

Website for The Empress: http://www.fairmont.com/empress/