Love: Allison TeKolste & Michael Tarnoff

Allison and Mike, both now 23, met in the early 1990s as kindergartners at Wayne Elementary. Although they always saw each other at school, they did not become friends until freshman year at Radnor High, where alphabetical order landed them in the same homeroom. "We started seeing each other every morning, and we hit it off," Allison said. "We became best friends, and we would talk for six hours on the phone every night. I had to get my own phone line."

Soon after the holidays that year, they started dating. And after graduation, both headed to State College to attend Penn State University.

In May 2007, Allison and Mike, both seniors at Penn State, had finished their classes and were enjoying their last week on campus before graduation.

"We went out to dinner - a nice dinner - and he seemed nervous," Allison remembers. "Then after he said, 'Why don't we go for a walk around the college?'"

The perfectly-timed walk had them in front of Old Main at exactly 9 p.m. As the bells in the tower started to chime, Mike got down on one knee.

Allison is a financial representative in the 401(k) department of Creative Financial Group in Newtown Square. Mike is a financial analyst at Johnson & Johnson in Exton.

The couple, who live in Wayne, kept their guest list to 94. "It meant a lot to us to have it small and intimate," Allison said. Having the most important people in their lives at the wedding made Mike and Allison feel very lucky. "There was just so much love and warmth around the entire place," she said.

Due to miscommunication, the DJ announced that the couple was about to cut their cake before any food had been served. "Everyone just sort of stopped. There were confused looks and muttering all around," Allison said. When informed of his error, the DJ told the guests his cake announcement was premature, and they should keep dancing.

Walking down the aisle with her father, Kurt, Allison said she was "overwhelmed with happiness" at "seeing the faces of her family and friends, and then, seeing Mike at the end, standing there with a big smile on his face."

A bargain: Allison was pleased to get the dress she chose at the price she paid. She found the strapless, diamond white dress, accented with crystals and a pink diagonal sash in the front that continued through the train, at a boutique in Lancaster. "With alterations, it was under $900," she said. "Pink is my favorite color, and it really worked out well."

The splurge: The couple splurged on the venue, Normandy Farm in Blue Bell. They had thought of doing something simpler, but once they saw the farm, that plan was out the window. They did no comparison shopping.

Two weeks in Hawaii.

Officiant

District Justice John Murray III, Blue Bell

Venue Normandy Farm, Blue Bell

Catering Normandy Farm

Photographer Dollface Studio, Philadelphia

Music DJ Howard, Bryn Mawr

Dress Reifsnyder's, Lancaster

Invitations Argus Printing, Wayne

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