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Bridal Gown Model To Say 'I Do'

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By ANGELA DELGADO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - For Derek Speer and Dana Stewart, the hour of 11:11 was a significant one.

Even before they met, they each grew up relating the time with hopes and dreams. After they met, when they looked at the clock and it read 11:11, be it morning or night, they told each other to make a wish.
Speer said the clock read 11:11 the first time Stewart told him she loved him.

Because of its constant appearance in their lives, Speer knew he wanted to make the numbers a part of his marriage proposal to Stewart. On Nov. 11, that's exactly what he did.

That Sunday afternoon, while Stewart was modeling a bridal gown in the Women's Lifestyle Extravaganza show at the InterContinental Hotel, 4860 W. Kennedy Blvd., Speer got down on one knee and asked Stewart to be his wife.

"When you know, you know," Speer said to Stewart. "And I know. And I know you know. The next time that you wear one of those white dresses I would like it to be walking down the aisle to me to become my wife." Stewart was happy to oblige, to the delight of her loved ones and a couple of hundred spectators at the show.

"It was awesome," said Stewart, of Westchase. "It was totally unexpected. He managed to propose to me while I was already wearing a wedding dress while my entire family was there. He really pulled it off. I was impressed."

The couple - who met in December during a business meeting but didn't date for six months because their employers wouldn't allow it - plans to marry on Aug. 8 a k a 8/8/08.

To fit the date, Speer gave Stewart an engagement ring with eight diamonds on each side.

"We all knew," said Dan Wren, Stewart's father, of the surprise proposal. "I thought it was very romantic, and I knew she would not only be surprised but overjoyed."

"I was worried about Dana passing out, to tell you the truth," said Penny Wren, Stewart's mother. "I think it's wonderful. They just seemed to be made for each other." This is Speer's first marriage and Stewart's second. She has two daughters, Mercedes, 9, and Dania, 6.

Speer, who lives in Hyde Park, said he asked the girls how they would feel if he proposed to their mom, and Mercedes replied, "That would be awesome. We like you."
Speer and Stewart like the idea, too. "I can't wait to start talking about where it's going to be," Speer said. "I want nothing more than to be with her. It just feels right."

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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