By Leslie Mann
Chicago Tribune.
It was “clear from the start,” Sade sings in “Kiss of Life.” “I knew you were the one for me. I swear the whole world could feel my heartbeat.”
How do you know when your true love is “The One”? As Sweetest Day approaches, it falls on Oct. 17 this year, we collected a variety of answers to that question.
“My body tingled every time he touched me. Still does.”
-Mona Scott-Young, CEO of Monami Entertainment and executive producer of “Love & Hip Hop” (VH1 series), talking about her husband, Shawn Young
“I was a bachelor living in the woods with a bunch of dogs, and here was a woman who loved me enough to give me a gift certificate for two llamas. (I always wanted a llama.) We got married in our backyard, with our new llamas, Larry and Louie, in the receiving line.”
-Bill Berloni, “From Wags to Riches With Bill Berloni” (Discovery Family), about his wife, Dorothy
“I knew Steven was the one when he waited patiently while I went to an artists residency program for a year.”
-Chelcie Porter, photographer, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
“My daughter, Mary, then 12, kept inviting a neighbor, David, for dinner because he was sad. (His wife had died.) I joke that I had to marry him because I couldn’t afford to keep buying his dinners. But, really, it’s because we shared the same values. We’re both 91 now, and Mary still adores him.”
-Mary Peck Stockton, retired college administrator, Portland, Ore.
“While we were at Ikea, I told Sarah, ‘I know we just started dating, but I’m not going to spend $200 on this table if you don’t want it in your house someday.’ She told me to get the table.”
-Matt Paxton, host of “Hoarders,” regarding Sarah, now his wife
“After our first date, Jace had to return home to Australia. I crazy-missed him so much I flew to Australia later that week. The rest is history.”
-Paige Hemmis, DIY expert on “Home & Family” (Hallmark Channel), about her husband, Jason Short
“I knew it was love when my now-wife (Jude Medeiros) told me you can’t get good bread or pizza outside of New York. (The fact that she was insanely cute didn’t hurt.) During our wedding, the minister asked us what brought us together. We both said, ‘Carbs.'”
-Jean-Marie Navetta, director of equality and diversity partnerships, PFLAG National
“When I met Jeff, he talked about family, dogs, love, careers. But I knew he was the one when the discussion turned to finances. You have to be able to freely discuss money matters.”
-Cris Ruffolo, nonprofit development director, Kalispell, Mont.
“On the morning of 9/11, the madness of the attacks left me wanting to have a family with Stephanie. In an instant, everything else was meaningless.”
-Brian Arbuckle, composer/producer based in Los Angeles, about his wife, Stephanie Richards
“When I met Sharon, I knew I had to spend the rest of my life with her. When you’re young, you go with someone because they’re attractive. You don’t know that sharing values is really what’s important. So I’m lucky to have found someone who is extremely attractive and shares my values, too.”
-Felix Munoz, retired sales representative, Tucson, Ariz.
“On my first date with Daniel, we sat in the bed of his pickup under the big Texas sky. I saw my first shooting star. I went home and told my sister I just met the man I was going to marry.”
-Chandra Yarter, wedding photographer, San Antonio
“I knew Scott was the one when he asked me, for our first date, if we could go toy shopping with his daughter. Being willing to stand in long lines right after Christmas with his daughter said a lot about him. After that, we were inseparable.”
-Jennifer Gallaher, Hunstville, Ala.
“Maybe it was the fact that she could hold a standing split, or that her left rib cage was covered in flowered tattoos, or that she was the hottest chick in the yoga class. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I introduced myself to Molly. A couple who bends together never breaks.”
-Alex Mitnick, musician and host of online children’s show “Alex & the Kaleidoscope,” about his wife, Molly Callaghan
“I knew John was the one because we became best friends. Too many people settle for someone they can live with instead of someone they can’t live without.”
-Jennie Johnson, registered nurse and author of “Wake Up Call 911: It’s Time to Reduce Your Risk for a Heart Attack and Stroke”
“I’m Jewish, and Rudi (Raab, a now-retired police officer) is the son of a Nazi, but when we met I thought he was intelligent, attractive and articulate. Since then we’ve written a book, ‘Stumbling Stone,’ about our quest to get answers about his family’s past.”
-Julie Freestone, retired health department administrator, Richmond, Calif.
“I knew I could spend the rest of my life with Elle when we were sitting around one day bored, but content being bored together.”
-Dr. Dwayne Steele, occupational medicine physician, Minneapolis
“I knew Cathy was the one on our first date. She’s unconventional, has a high degree of tolerance (necessary to put up with me) and never judges anyone negatively. And, she’s pretty!”
-Jim Stanek, retired transit system station manager, Novato, Calif.
“After I met Joan on a blind date, I wrote, ‘Her very warm smile grabbed me right away, when I hugged and kissed her on that fateful day.'”
-Daniel Lavery, attorney and author, Granada Hills, Calif.
“When I first met my husband, Scott, I had a premonition, as if I already knew him. I felt like we went back a long time.”
-Natalia Paruz, musician, New York
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