Posted on 07/01/2003 1:26:41 PM PDT by blanknoone
he's a strict vegetarian, while nothing makes him happier than a juicy rib-eye steak. Her father is a fiercely liberal congressman. His, a conservative, once campaigned against hers. She is Jewish. He is Roman Catholic. But Lauren Ackerman and Paul Forte are an easygoing pair and have similar tastes in humor and style.
And both are ardent Mets fans. But more on that later.
They grew up in Queens, where their families knew each other for years. But though Ms. Ackerman and Mr. Forte attended Ryan Junior High School in Fresh Meadows, they never got to know each other. Then, seven years ago, a mutual friend fixed them up.
Ms. Ackerman, 33, a managing editor for children's books at Simon & Schuster in Manhattan, said that she quickly developed a crush on him.
Mr. Forte, 29, is the quality assurance manager for the Atlantic Records division of the Warner Music Group in Manhattan. He said it was more serious than that. "The first time we ever really hung out together, I told her that one day we would be married," he recalled.
Still, it was a little touchy with their parents. Representative Gary L. Ackerman and Rita Ackerman, who live in Jamaica Estates, Queens, and Washington, were slightly flummoxed on learning that their daughter, raised to be a good Democrat, was dating a son of Dominick Forte, the former Queens County vice chairman of the New York State Conservative Party.
"I kind of scratched my head and said, `This isn't what I'd planned,' " Mr. Ackerman recalled. " `Maybe it's not serious.' My wife said: `They're only going out. If you make a big deal out of it, it'll get more serious.' But we got to know Paul. He's a wonderful young man. His family is very nice, too — as long as you don't talk politics."
The elder Mr. Forte and his wife, Bernadine Forte, now live in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y. He was supportive of his son's relationship with Ms. Ackerman, saying it was "not about politics or ideology."
Perhaps not, but among the things Ms. Ackerman soon learned about her future husband was that his political views were far from conservative.
The relationship progressed quickly. Soon they were inseparable.
"After we got engaged, we invited everyone over for Thanksgiving," Ms. Ackerman said. "I was a little concerned. But it was perfect. By the end of the night, my father and Dominick were sitting on the couch smoking cigars and telling old stories."
The couple decided on an outdoor wedding, but where? Nothing they looked at spoke to them. Finally, Mr. Ackerman suggested Shea Stadium in Queens, home of the New York Mets. His daughter and Mr. Forte embraced the idea with the speed of a shortstop scooping up a hard grounder.
They were married at Shea on June 14, a night when the Mets were out of town. At the front gates, guests were greeted by sheets of rain (it was, after all, June in New York), and milling actors pretending to be scalpers. They carried signs saying, "Tickets wanted for Ackerman Forte wedding!" Other actors, pretending to be tailgaters, hovered around a van, tossing a beachball and downing chips and beer.
Inside, the Mets organist, Robert Shaheen, serenaded guests with his rendition of "All You Need Is Love," and Ari Ackerman, a brother of the bride, stood on the field and sang the national anthem.
Then Rabbi Charles G. Agin stepped up to home plate, over which a bridal canopy decorated with cream and red roses was set up under a tent. The couple was joined there by Dr. Joseph Modica, a minister of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and an uncle of Mr. Forte.
As the bridegroom stepped on the glass, the giant display screen erupted into a splash of neon fireworks.
Afterward, guests lingered on the field, posing for pictures on the pitcher's mound, running the bases and, in at least one case, evoking the memory of Bill Buckner of the Red Sox on the site of his infamous fielding error in the 1986 World Series.
Unable to play down politics completely, the two families played it for laughs instead. The bridegroom's father cheerfully spoke of hooking up with the father of the bride to write a television sitcom based on their politically diverse families. "We don't care who they get for the bride and groom, but we want to be cast as the fathers," the elder Mr. Forte said.
The script, if and when it is written, will need to reflect this change: "I was a registered Conservative when I met her," the bridegroom said. "I am now a registered Democrat."
Even the NY Slimes wedding announcements are biased. See, he is all right, he is a democrat now.
Once was funny. Five years worth just pi**es me off.
Spineless, unprincipled twit. Definitely PW. In 5 years, he's going to hate himself, his wife, and most of all his ex-wife's lawyer...
These two lose a ton of credibility right here!
What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. May God have mercy on your soul.
FMCDH
Six months if she cooks....
And their wedding rehearsal forced the PSAL high school baseball championship game out of Shea, and into a minor-league stadium. More liberal entitlement -- high school baseball fans were inconvenienced for the sake of pleasing a liberal congressman. Why am I not surprised that this is not mentioned in the story?
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