Denise Verde employed a unique method to lose weight and get in shape: She got married.
Last summer, before her wedding this spring to high school sweetheart Michael Verde, Denise took off a jaw-dropping 60 pounds and is now sporting taut abs in addition to a healthy new lifestyle.
Her wedding boot camp included running 12 miles a day and later working with a personal trainer. Denise's wedding dress had to be altered to a size 4 from a size 14.
"My motivation was to be healthy to get married," says Denise, who teaches third-graders at PS 244 in Brooklyn. "I feel like I accomplished my goal."
Denise, 23, and Michael, 25, have known each other since elementary school in Elmont. "We each had brothers and sisters who talked to each other, and so we always knew each other," Denise says. They began dating in high school in April 2000.
Six years later, Michael took Denise out to Morton's Steakhouse to celebrate her new job as a teacher. As they ate, Michael took her hand and began playing with a sweetheart ring he had given her when they were teens. The ring, he said, was battered, and needed to be changed, so he slipped it off and replaced it with an engagement ring.
"I was totally surprised," Denise says. The couple now lives in Franklin Square.
The planning of the wedding went smoothly, thanks in part to her almost-two-year engagement. "I never became a Bride.zilla because I was relaxed about everything," she says. "Having the time to plan made a big difference."
The ceremony took place April 13 at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Elmont.
Denise's sister, Christine Tulley, was maid of honor. Michael's brother, Thomas, was best man.
Denise wore a white Private Label by G. ball gown with a sweetheart neckline, long sleeves and a beaded bodice. She also wore a rhinestone tiara. Michael wore a double-lapel tux adorned with a small orchid and lily of the valley.
The reception was at Mille.ridge Cottage in Jericho, where Code Bleu offered the couple's 175 guests a versatile musical mix, from Bon Jovi (Denise's favorite band) and AC/DC to Spanish and dance music. As the band played, guests enjoyed entrees of swordfish and chicken cordon bleu, as well as an extensive seafood bar. Denise's parents' wedding figurine from 1967 sat atop a four-tiered, chocolate fudge and whipped cream cake.
After the cake, Denise tossed her bouquet of lily of the valley, white Dendrobium orchids, white roses and stephanotis.
Michael, who is an IT recruiter in Garden City and also a volunteer firefighter, had a firetruck make an appearance at the church in Elmont. Several of Denise's students, who made the trek to Jericho to see their fit and feisty teacher marry, were impressed, she says.
Michael also was impressed with their special day. "We had a great time, and we couldn't be happier!"
