Michele Goldstein, daughter of Dana Goldstein and Gene Goldstein of Tucson, and David Clementi, son of Rosanne Clementi and Frank Clementi of Tampa, Fla., were married on Sept. 4, 2011 at Skyline Country Club. Rabbi Marc Sack of Tampa and Ronald Sandler of Tucson, a family friend, officiated.
The bride graduated from Catalina Foothills High School and briefly attended the University of Arizona. She is a licensed aesthetician and specializes in makeup artistry.
The groom graduated from Florida State University, where he majored in biomedical mathematics and received a commission into the U.S. Air Force. David is now a captain and he and Michele are stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga., where he flies the A-10C Thunderbolt II.
Michele and David welcomed their first child, Levi Benjamin Clementi, into the world on Dec. 19, 2011. The Clementi family is anxious to return to Tucson in the near future and are hoping for an assignment at Davis Monthan Air Force Base.
How they met:
Dave was stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force base for a six-month period. Dave had decided to get involved at Congregation Anshei Israel and periodically read Torah on Saturdays. We were originally introduced by a mutual friend but the timing must not have been right because nothing really sparked between us. One Saturday I attended synagogue for my cousin’s Bat Mitzvah. It just so happened to be a Saturday that Dave was there reading Torah. He sat behind me and when I turned around and waved, he didn’t recognize me because my hair color was lighter. After the service we connected at the oneg and really hit it off. We began texting and talking over the next week while he was home visiting family in Tampa and when he returned to Tucson we had our first date, which was to a UA basketball game. That was the beginning of a wonderful relationship!
The proposal:
Dave, already living in Valdosta at the time, convinced me that he was working and flying at night (something that is common once a month). He was flying, but it was a Delta flight to Tucson not an A-10 in south Georgia. When I got home from a cousin’s birthday dinner, to my surprise, Dave walked around the corner, got down on one knee and proposed. I wish I could tell you what he said, I’m sure it was so incredible but my shock in that moment erased it from my memory. Dave also included my dogs in the proposal — he knew how much they meant to me — by having shirts made for them, with the question, “Will you marry me forever?” and pictures of us on the shirts! It was a complete shock to me and the best moment of my life! He had also planned for many out-of-town family members to be in on the surprise by joining us that weekend at a surprise engagement dinner. It truly was a wonderfully thought-out weekend with never-ending surprises!
Special memory of the day:
The most special moment for me was standing under the chuppah with Dave, with our rabbi and Ron, listening to them officiate our Jewish ceremony. It was a moment that I had looked forward to my entire life, and I really did live in that moment like so many had told me to do. I remember looking into Dave’s eyes and thinking how thankful I was to have found him and fallen in love with him. As a young child you can only hope to find happiness, and with Dave I have found my soulmate and best friend and the person that I want to spend my life with.
Wedding attire: Michele wore a Monique Lhullier gown and David wore a tuxedo from Jos. A. Bank.
Wedding planner: Louise Thomas of Events Made Special
Photographer: Shelley Wellander of She.we Studio
Videographer: Cam Wellander of She.we Studio
Caterer: Skyline Country Club
Music: Luke Bishop of Satyr Entertainment
