The Candlelit Stroll
Carlos Rocha, a 26-year-old entrepreneur Denise Mateus, a 26-year-old financial advisor Location: Toronto Music Garden Wedding date: June 23, 2018 Photography: Mango Studios Denise and Carlos met while they were working part-time at a Portuguese bakery in Etobicoke. They were 15, and Carlos had a crush on her. He spent four years asking her on dates, but she kept him in the friend zone until, one day, his tenacity paid off. They had dinner together at a Portuguese restaurant, and they’ve been together ever since.
Carlos wanted the proposal to be a fullafternoon affair. He purchased a brand new Audi for the occasion and drove her to a helicopter pad for a surprise ride over the Harbourfront. When she asked what the occasion was, he told her he’d won the tickets at work, but she was suspicious. After a sushi dinner near the water, he nervously asked if she wanted to go for a walk. “That’s when I knew something was up,” she says.
They strolled toward the Music Gardens, and, when Denise caught a glimpse of the rose-covered archway lit up with candles, she burst into tears. A guitar player appeared and started strumming John Legend’s “All of Me.” Carlos got down on one knee and told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her happy. “It was like a movie,” she says.