AMERICAN LOVE STORY SOUTHLAND COUPLE TO MARRY ON MORNING TV.Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer GLENDALE - Lorenzo Abundiz and Peggy Beeuwsaert have loved each other in sickness and in health. Friday, the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, couple will take vows to do just that for the rest of their lives in a wedding ceremony before 16 friends and family - and millions of guests watching on television. Abundiz, 47 and a retired firefighter, and Beeuwsaert, 33 and a personnel analyst for the city of Glendale, will tie the knot in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of City's Times Square on ABC's ``Good Morning America Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. The show was adapted from The Morning Exchange, a morning show created by and airing on the ABC affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio, and was launched nationally as .'' The entire wedding, including early preparations and reception, will be broadcast from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. locally on KABC-TV (Channel 7). Viewers of the morning news program were won over by the couple's love story and chose them to win the all-expenses-paid wedding ceremony offered in a contest sponsored by the show and WeddingChannel.com. Abundiz, once awarded a Medal of Valor For other medals of the same name, see . The Medal of Valor (O't Ha'gvora, Hebrew: עיטור הגבורה) is the highest Israeli Military decoration. for his rescue of two fellow Santa Ana Santa Ana, city, El Salvador Santa Ana (sän'tä ä`nä), city (1993 pop. 129,873), W El Salvador. It is the second largest city in the country and the commercial and processing center for a sugarcane, coffee, and cattle region. firefighters, met Beeuwsaert (pronounced ``bees hurt'') in April 1998 when dropping off an application at the Santa Ana personnel office where she then worked. On their first date, he introduced her to his parents. A month after they met, Abundiz was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Right then, Beeuwsaert said she committed to sticking by his side. She said he made their courtship as normal as possible despite frequent doctor visits. ``He was always very thoughtful and considerate, and here he was going through the hardest time of his life. This was way beyond what I had received from any man that I had gone out with, you know? He's just a very loving, kind person,'' she said. In March, Abundiz (whose cancer is in remission) wrote a letter proposing to Beeuwsaert, which ran in Woman's World Woman's World is a popular American supermarket weekly magazine with a circulation of 1.6 million readers. Generally marketed with other tabloid papers, it concentrates on short stories about popular woman-focused subjects such as weight loss, relationship advice and magazine. ``The headline read 'Will you marry me, Peggy?' and I didn't get it,'' she laughed. ``And then I started to read it and I started to cry. I couldn't read anymore. So he finished reading it for me, and then got down on one knee and proposed.'' A few weeks later, while flipping channels, Abundiz caught the end of ``Good Morning America.'' The anchor was reminding viewers to mail in their wedding contest entries. His ears perked up Adj. 1. perked up - made or become more cheerful or lively; "his attention made her feel all perked up" enlivened - made sprightly or cheerful . Abundiz got on the phone to New York that day to find out more about the contest. He then wrote a letter describing their love story, sending it via overnight mail to beat the deadline. ``We were looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. somebody who had really met with some twist of fate,'' explained Shelley Ross, ``GMA'' executive producer. Thousands of entries flooded the show's mailbox, but only 20 made the cut. Judges then narrowed the entries to the five most compelling stories to present to viewers. Each story was unique, Ross said. One couple met in an emergency room, while another barked orders at each other as military drill sergeants. The man finally confessed: ``Woman, I think I really like you,'' Ross said with a laugh. But she said the story that ``truly captured the hearts and minds of the 'Good Morning America' viewers was the story of Lorenzo and Peggy.'' In the pre-dawn hours of June 1, an ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. crew showed up outside Abundiz's Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga (răn`chō k  'kəmäng`gə), city (1990 pop. 101,409), San Bernardino co., S Calif. home to present the engaged couple with
a bouquet of roses and balloons and the news that Internet voters had
chosen them to win the wedding ceremony.
``We still are in shock,'' Beeuwsaert said. From that moment on, viewers have been a part of the couple's wedding plans. They watched as the couple cooked with celebrity chef In its strictest sense, a celebrity chef is a someone who has become well-known for his/her cooking. The first historical personality that fits this description is Martino da Como but in practical terms the term grew in popularity during the 1990s. Emeril Lagasse Emeril John Lagasse (born October 15 1959, Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live , looked at wedding cakes with ``GMA'' food contributor Sara Moulton and selected flowers with Rebecca Kolls, the show's gardening authority. Viewers helped select everything, including the bride's wedding dress. Beeuwsaert says they proved to have good taste. The bride-to-be admits planning the ceremony was easy with so many helping hands. ``It's been such a blessing. Everybody's been so nice. I told the people at 'Good Morning America' I'm going to be sad to go, it's going to be like leaving a job,'' she said. On the wedding day, 16 family and friends flown in by the show will join them in Times Square. During the ceremony, the couple will be serenaded by opera singer Russell Watson, who will perform a song written by the groom's father shortly after he met Beeuwsaert. New York State Supreme Court Justice Lorraine S. Miller will officiate of·fi·ci·ate v. of·fi·ci·at·ed, of·fi·ci·at·ing, of·fi·ci·ates v.intr. 1. To perform the duties and functions of an office or a position of authority. 2. To serve as an officiant. . She was touched by the couple's story because she lost her husband and mother to cancer. After the groom kisses his bride, a reception will take place in Times Square. Then they will be whisked off in a New York fire engine to begin preparing for their honeymoon in Ireland, also provided by the contest. Staff Writer Bob Page contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Peggy Beeuwsaert, 33, and Lorenzo Abundiz, 47, will say their ``I do's'' Friday on ABC's ``Good Morning America.'' Will Lester/Staff Photographer |
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