Blogs

Photo courtesy of the McDonald family via NJ.com

Even death couldn't keep Olympia and Michael DeNittis apart. After 67 years of marriage, they passed away within 32 hours of each other; what's even more remarkable is that Michael didn't know his wife had died.

Olympia lost her battle with pneumonia on February 2nd at JFK Medical Center’s Haven Hospice in Edison, NJ, and her family made the difficult decision not to tell Michael, who was suffering from cancer in another hospital just seven miles away. "I saw him in the hospital (and) there was a glimmer of hope we might be able to bring him home," his granddaughter, AnnMarie McDonald, explains to NJ.com.

However, despite their attempts to shield him from the sad news, it appeared that Michael had a gut feeling something was wrong — he told his relatives he had a dream that he had died the night before and he also asked about his wife's prescription medication.

"I knew that she knew that he loved his life and wanted to continue living it," AnnMarie tells CBS News. “So I think she wanted to predecease him, to some extent, to kind of welcome him into heaven." 

Finding love online certainly isn't a new concept; dating websites are a dime a dozen these days. But you can also find love where you least expect it — like on your favorite social networking site. Because Instagram is a photo-driven medium, it's easy to feel like you know someone before you even meet them.

"Despite the geographical distance between us, meeting Matt on Instagram felt very similar to meeting someone in, say, a bookstore or at a party," said Robin, who met her husband through a comment he left on one of her photos. "We were following an overlapping group of people with similar interests and a similar aesthetic. Meeting each other felt very organic in that respect."

An added benefit: "Our year-long long-distance relationship was of course very difficult... [but] people from all over the world were cheering us on, and they still are. Rough days are so much easier when you feel that sort of positive energy, even from strangers," she said. "We give people hope, I think, that their perfect partner is out there, and they, in turn, give us hope, with their kind words and thousands of likes."

These five love stories prove that a picture really does say a thousand words. 

Beulah & Alex: Fell in Love Through an Instagram Contest

Zach V. Curley and his bride-to-be, Teresa Daley, haven't sent out most of their invitations for their May wedding yet, but they did contact a few special people in their "A" list: Mickey and Minnie, The Obamas and Robert Griffin III. To their surprise, they actually got a response back in just five days from the Washington Redskins quarterback, who also included a signed autograph (still waiting on Disney and the White House).

"Just that somebody as big as RGIII would take the time, right away, to write something back — I thought that was really cool. Obviously I’ll be a Redskins fan all my life, but he will be my favorite player from now on, until the end of time," the groom tells The Washington Post.

Photo Credit: @marylandterps01 on Twitter

Curley decided to pass Griffin's response along to The Post to prove that despite getting a bad rap — the Redskins have received a lot of negative coverage recently — the kind gesture meant a lot to him ("it will be one of my favorite wedding memories").

There are many obvious romantic moments that every bride looks forward to on her wedding day — reciting the vows, being announced as "Mr. and Mrs." at the reception and locking eyes with their new husband during the first dance. But if you're lucky, there will be one unexpected moment that in a split second, will remind you why you fell in love with your husband in the first place. 

As a wedding planner, I always remind my couples to take everything in, which we all know can be quite a challenge on the big day. You want to remember it perfectly for the rest of time, but also allow yourselves to let go and truly be present. I'll need to heed my own advice at my upcoming wedding, since I know it'll be tough for me to forget about schedules and details when the time comes and fully live in the moment!

Photo by: Elizabeth Messina on Kiss The Groom via Lover.ly

In The Emily Post Institute's latest book, Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette: 6th Edition, Emily's great-great-granddaughters Anna and Lizzie Post tackle modern-day wedding questions that the original etiquette expert never could've dreamed about, from how to use (wisely) use technology, the rules for same-sex weddings, and much more. Here, the fourth generation of Posts discuss how to choose meaningful wedding flowers.

Photo Credit: Ariella Chezar

There are many ways to use flowers to personalize your wedding. The following are some ideas to make your celebration special and unique.

The Language of Flowers
In the 1800s and early 1900s, romance was often communicated with flowers. A young man would present a red rose, which symbolized love, to a young woman. She would return a purple pansy, which silently relayed the message “You are in my thoughts.” Traditionally, no words were spoken that would commit either party during this courtship, so knowing the language of flowers was of paramount importance if an accord was to be reached. Today, it is a charming idea to select flowers, and even herbs, that convey special floral messages between the bride and the groom.

The epitome of classic elegance, the bateau neckline is timeless! It offers coverage and support, and it offers a '50s Audrey Hepburn-elegant flair. This look is complemented well by an updo to show off the sophisticated neckline and to elongate the neck. Vintage accessories would also be a great accompaniment. Here, a few of our faves from Pronovias, Amsale, and Justin Alexander.

—Naima DiFranco

When Lucas Bane's proposal video to his partner of four years, David Devora, went viral, he got one response he certainly wasn't expecting — an apology from someone who tormented him as a teenager for being gay.

Lucas and David from LUCAS and DAVID on Vimeo.

After viewing the video above, where Bane shut down a street in West Hollywood to surprise Devora with a flash mob proposal, the bully — identified as "B" — sent Bane a Facebook message that read: 

"I'm sure you have no idea who I am. I went to high school with you. If you do remember me it's probably not positive as I was a bit of an a**hole back then. I saw your video today on Facebook and wanted to say Congratulations! No need to respond I just wanted you to know that I think what you have is awesome and wish you the best."

Bane was shocked when he saw who the message was from. "I gasped when I saw the name," he told The Gaily Grind. "When I read the words and his follow-up response, I sobbed. That sounds dramatic, but it's true."

Read their full exchange below:

Childhood friends Amanda and Cody Karth, who fell in love years later, spent months planning their dream wedding. But just hours after the celebration, Amanda suffered a devastating medical emergency that completely erased all memories of her wedding day.

"The one day that every girl dreams of, I don't remember," Amanda revealed to "Inside Edition."

Just before sunrise the next day, Cody woke up to the sound of his new wife gasping for air. He desperately performed CPR while calling 911. Amanda went into cardiac arrest and had no pulse when the paramedics arrived; the life-saving team shocked back to life and rushed her to the emergency room.

"Amanda was about as close to death as you're going to get," said Dr. Adam Frank of the NCH Heart Institute in Naples, FL. 

As she lay unconscious for four days, her doctor worried about brain damage. She'd sustained an unusual medical phenomena called Broken Heart Syndrome, where the heart muscle suddenly becomes dysfunctional.

When she woke up, Amanda miraculously recovered quickly — but she never gained back the memories from her wedding day. 

With the help of "Inside Edition," she and Cody got a second chance at their big day. The crew rounded up their friends, family members, and the paramedics who saved her life as Amanda got to relive her wedding day and make new memories. The one change — her new vows: "You were there, overcoming devastating blows. My hero."  Watch the video: