Cohen - Varsalona

Holly Cohen, 31, and Peter Varsalona, 35, plan to wed on March 3, 2007 at the Puck Building in Manhattan with Andrew Ilowitz officiating. They expect approximately 160 guests to join them at the celebration and hope to honeymoon in Hawaii for two weeks. The couple resides on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Gibby and Patti Cohen of the Upper East Side. She attended Manhattan’s Winston Prep School, class of 1993, and continued her education at Curry College, graduating in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology with elementary education with special education. Cohen received her master’s degree in education from Bank Street College in 2000. She is currently a special education teacher at the Sterling School in Boerum Hill.
The groom-to-be is the son of Christine and Joseph Varsalona of Jersey City, NJ. He graduated from Jersey City’s St. Peter’s Preparatory School in 1989, and Columbia University in 1993, with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a New York and New Jersey state licensed professional engineer and is a partner with Rand Engineering & Architecture, P.C., which is a Manhattan-based consulting engineering and architecture firm.

Who proposed, and how?
The bride-to-be says: “Peter proposed on Christmas Eve. We were opening our presents, taking turns. When we were done, he said he had another present for me. I opened this chest, and I saw a bag. I opened the box inside the bag, and as soon as I opened it, he asked, ‘Will you marry me?’ ”

How did you meet?
The bride-to-be says: “Peter and I met through friends.”

VanDuser - Rubin

Katie A. VanDuser, 32, and Michael G. Rubin, 36, of Bay Ridge, plan to be married on Sept. 9, 2006 at the Eagles Nest in Bloomingburg, NY, with Father Richard Hasselbach and Rabbi Hershel Jaffe officiating. They expect 200 guests to join them and will honeymoon at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas for seven days.

The bridesmaids will wear chocolate colored dresses and carry sunflowers and burgundy roses.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Donna and Greg VanDuser, of Wallkill, NY. She attended Wallkill Senior High School, class of ’91, and continued her education at Dutchess Community College. She is currently employed by Empire BlueCross BlueShield at their Metrotech complex in Downtown Brooklyn.

The groom-to-be is the son of Joan and Jack Rubin of Rock Hill, NY. He attended Canarsie High School, graduating in 1987, and Brooklyn College, class of 1994, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He is now working as a computer technician for Apple Computer, Inc.

Who proposed, and how?
The groom-to-be says: “Let me preface the story by saying that one of Katie’s favorite places is Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. She told me once that when we first started to get serious, she went there by herself and prayed that our relationship would continue.

“So we made plans to go to Bethesda Fountain on Saturday, and I told her we would go [engagement] ring shopping afterwards. She had no idea that I already had a ring that my grandmother left me when she passed away.

“We got there, and I asked her to tell me again about that time she went there to pray. She re-told the story and ended with, ‘... and my prayers were answered.’

“So I said to her, ‘Would like one of your other prayers to be answered today?’ I took the ring box out of my pocket and got down on one knee (yes, I know, very traditional) and simply said, ‘Will you marry me?’
“She was completely dumbfounded. She couldn’t even speak. She was in complete shock and just kept saying, ‘Oh my God ... Oh my God.’

“Finally I said, ‘Can you give me an answer because my knee is starting to hurt?’

“At this point, she said ‘yes,’ then drained my cell phone calling everyone she knew. (Figures that this is the one day she forgot to bring her cell phone.) We followed that up by dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Manhattan. A perfect ending to a perfect day. The dinner was the best we ever had, and the waiter gave us cheesecake on the house to celebrate the news!”

How did you meet?
The groom-to-be says: “We met on-line. One night, Katie was looking over profiles and did a search for single men in NYC that love theatre. Many profiles appeared but mine stuck out. Katie fell in love with the picture of me holding my cat, Precious.

“Katie also loved the idea that ‘theatre’ was included in his profile, but it turned out to be a progressive band I like called ‘Dream Theatre.’ Katie had a strange feeling looking at my picture and felt that I was special.

“She was no stranger to blind dates and was ready to take a long break from dating, but something said to try once more and so she e-mailed me. That night she wrote a long e-mail explaining herself and who she was. The next morning, she looked at the status of the e-mail and it was unread, so she took it back and deleted it. A week later it was still on her mind so she went back online and just sent a short note this time: ‘Hi my name is Katie, and I am looking for friends in NYC.’

“Thus an online friendship started which turned into a first date about a month later. We met at the Palisades Mall for dinner at Dave and Busters. We had a great night! We each knew we had found someone really special in the other. We tried saying goodnight for several hours but we did not want the date to end!
“Finally, after the magical kiss goodnight we parted ways ... Katie got pulled over on the way home and got out of her ticket. How? She told the police officer she just met the love of her life, so he let her go! The rest as they say is history!”

Concerns about the wedding?
The groom-to-be says: “We are praying for a nice day since the ceremony and cocktail hour will be outdoors.”

The bride-to-be says: “I hope all of my bridesmaids get their dresses on time, and we have enough room for all of the guests.”

The Brooklyn Bride welcomes Brooklyn engagement and wedding announcements.

Fill out the Engagement form .|. Fill out the Wedding form

For more information, e-mail us at weddings@brooklynpapers.com.