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Amy Scherzer's Diary

Love at first flight

They had a lot in common: Nephews. Loud families. A fondness for deli food. So the salesman and future lawyer decided to enter into a contract, a rather long one.

By AMY SCHERZER
Published September 2, 2005

TAMPA - With her first semester of law school in Michigan behind her, Nicole Capitano flew home to Tampa to soak up every minute of her 2003 winter vacation. She relaxed at Disney World with her parents, Gilda and Joe, sailed to Cozumel on a four-day cruise with her best friend, and flew to New York with her sister Maria.

All too soon, it was time to go back to school.

Joe Capitano, president of Radiant Group, rushed the youngest of his six children to the airport on Jan. 11, 2004. Nicole ran to the gate, the last person to board the Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit.

Had she gotten there earlier, she probably would have heard Matt Nassif complain about his seat assignment. He flew that route all the time, he said, and he always got his preference, an aisle seat.

Nassif's mood changed when Capitano approached the empty seat beside him, her gray hooded winter coat over her arm.

At first glance, he thought, why can't people get to the airport on time? A second look led to, wow, she's hot.

"You can put your coat above mine," Nassif nodded to Capitano.

She stuffed it in the overhead bin and sat down.

"He was so handsome and I was so nervous, I pretended to be reading my book," she said.

Minutes later, she felt a tap on her arm. A deep voice asked, "Good book?" That broke the ice and the two talked for the next two hours.

She learned that Nassif was born to Lebanese-American parents, Sandy and Gene, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A University of Iowa graduate, he lives in a Detroit suburb and sells orthopedic surgery equipment for Linvatec, whose headquarters are in in Largo.

Capitano shared her story. A 2000 graduate of Villanova University, she worked in London for a year, then organized events at the Italian Club in Ybor City, where her father was president. She started law school in the fall of 2003.

As the plane soared, so did the conversation. The topic that really made an impression: nephews.

"What kind of bachelor carries pictures of his six nephews in his wallet?" Capitano remembers thinking at the time. But then she pulled out pictures of her three nephews and two words floated in her mind: family values.

Nassif promised to e-mail her, and they said goodbye at the end of the concourse.

"I didn't expect to ever hear from him again," Capitano said.

But an e-mail arrived the next day. It began formally - "As per our conversation" - and ended - "How about lunch on Friday?"

They talked for hours at Zingerman's, an Ann Arbor deli. On his way home, Nassif called his sister and told her he just had lunch with the woman he would marry.

Back on campus, Capitano bumped into a friend.

"Nicole," she said. "You're glowing."

Within six weeks, Nassif talked to her parents on the phone and met them in person at her nephew's baptism. Capitano met his parents at his brother's 40th birthday party in Cedar Rapids.

"Before I came to Tampa, Mrs. C. prepared me," said Nassif, now 35. "She said, "We Capitanos are a big Sicilian family. We're loud and we like to eat.' "

Sounds just like my big Lebanese family, Nassif told her.

The couple drove her car to Tampa when she finished her first year of law school. That summer, Capitano, now 27, clerked for U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara.

While she was away, Nassif realized how much he loved her. Given that they met in the air, he contacted Northwest Airlines to see if he could propose in flight, over the intercom. They said no, citing FAA regulations.

Instead, he took her to Zingerman's.

Before she arrived, Nassif enlisted a server in his plan. She came to the table, explained there was a bit of a delay and offered them a puzzle while they waited.

She promised a free dessert if they finished before the meal arrived.

Capitano assembled the puzzle, revealing a picture of her and Nassif in Key West and the words: "Will you marry me? Love, Matt."

The Capitano and Nassif families gathered for five days of nuptials, June 22-26. The first day, Joe Capitano cooked dinner for the two families. The next day, the Nassifs hosted a rehearsal dinner at the Tampa Yacht and Country Club.

They married on June 24 at St. John Greek Orthodox Church with Monsignor Laurence Higgins co-officiating. Their 10 nephews and one niece participated. Then 225 guests celebrated at the Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa. They danced a Sicilian tarantella and Lebanese dubki and indulged in ethnic desserts.

Nassif surprised his bride with a toast in Italian. She surprised him and sang Come Away With Me by Norah Jones. A fireworks display capped the evening.

The families spent the rest of the weekend relaxing at the hotel. On their 17-day honeymoon, the newlyweds, who plan to move to Tampa next year, visited Bora Bora, Moorea, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This time, Nassif got the aisle seat. His bride sat happily beside him.

Amy Scherzer can be reached at 226-3332 or scherzer@sptimes.com

DATEBOOK

SEPT. 16: Ybor City Chamber of Commerce's 40th annual gala, the Buster Agliano family to receive the Cesar Gonzmart Award; black tie; 6:30 p.m.; Columbia Restaurant; $85, or $160 per couple; 248-3712, ext. 22.

SEPT. 17: Vineyard of Oz fourth annual wine tasting benefit for Tampa Theatre; 711 N Franklin St.; $80 for Ruby patrons at 6 p.m.; $50 for Yellow patrons at the 7 p.m. grand tasting; $5 discount for members; 274-8680.

SEPT. 17: Club 15 Black and White Gala benefits the Children's Cancer Center and other charities; Hyatt Regency downtown Tampa; 7 p.m.; $80; 293-9316.

SEPT. 29: Celebrity fashion luncheon benefits the Hillsborough Association for Retarded Citizens; fashions from Georgette's of Old Hyde Park; Hyatt Regency Tampa; $50; 10:30 a.m.; 273-6364.

OCT. 1: Wicked Broadway Ball benefits the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center; 6 p.m.; dinner on Morsani stage; $400; 229-7827.

[Last modified September 1, 2005, 08:26:09]