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Crist's December Wedding Will Follow Tradition

Governor's Press Office

Gov. Charlie Crist and Carole Rome will exchange vows at United Methodist Church in St. Pete.

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By CATHERINE DOLINSKI

cdolinski@tampatrib.com

Published: November 13, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - T-minus 29 days and counting.

Florida's social event of the year hits the Tampa Bay area the evening of Dec. 12, when Gov. Charlie Crist ties the knot with fiancee Carole Rome in St. Petersburg.

How's the bride feeling during these final weeks of wedding planning under the public microscope?

"I have never been happier in my life," she said this week. "I have been so blessed to have finally found the man of my dreams. I am so in love with Charlie Crist, I cannot express how blessed I feel."

There remain a few particulars to sort out, said Rome, of Miami, "but for the most part, it's all set."

Among the details:

Where: First United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, where Crist is a member

Guests: about 200

Vows: "traditional"

Wedding dress: "It's beautiful," said the bride-to-be, who picked it out during a recent trip to New York City. Rome was circumspect on the details but said, "I'm just over the moon, I'm so happy with it. It's very traditional."

Attendants: Rome's sister, Michele Oumano Powell, will be maid of honor. Skylar and Jessica, Rome's 10- and 12-year-old daughters from her previous marriage, will be junior bridesmaids. Crist's father, physician Charles Crist Sr. of St. Petersburg, will be best man; the governor's sisters and their husbands will be bridesmaids and groomsmen. Rome, whose father passed away in 2000, said she has not yet decided whether anyone will give her away at the altar. Procession details are likewise still in the works.

Reception: the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. Dancing? Maybe. Initial plans for an additional reception in Tallahassee have been scrapped.

Honeymoon: somewhere in Southwest Florida; exact location remains under wraps

As governor, Crist has tended to lead more on the fundamentals than details of policy, leaving the latter to lawmakers to hash out. Not so, apparently, as bridegroom.

"The governor has been nice enough to participate and be part of the process," Rome said. "He was extremely active, for which I was really, really grateful - I was just so grateful; it's our special day, so it should be our shared vision."

Rome, who turned 39 last month, grew up the youngest of five children in the New York City area and attended Georgetown University as a business major. After her father died in 2000, she took over Franco American Novelty Co., her family's century-old Halloween costume business. Her sister Michele runs the business now, but Rome continues to act as a consultant.

Crist, 52, proposed to Rome on July 3, presenting her with a sapphire and diamond engagement ring. The couple had been dating for nine months. Rome's divorce from Todd Rome, president of Blue Star Jets charter service, became final prior to the engagement. Her ex-husband has publicly wished the couple well.

Crist has also been married before - 30 years ago - but it lasted less than one year.

Carole Rome said the couple will likely take only a few days for their honeymoon. Given the governor's obligations in Tallahassee, she said, "I think we're going to keep it fairly short."

Crist is not the first Florida governor to get married while in office, but he's the first one to do it in decades. The last time it happened was 1967, when Gov. Claude Kirk wedded Erika Mattfeld one month after his inauguration. Described by newspapers as a "German-born Brazilian beauty," Mattfeld was 33 when she married 41-year-old Kirk in a civil ceremony at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach. Officiating was state Supreme Court Justice and former Gov. Millard Caldwell, who had sworn Kirk into office the month prior.

Kirk had been married twice before. Mattfeld had divorced a Brazilian television actor/producer 10 days before the wedding, making a church ceremony impossible.

In Crist's case, rumors flew this summer about possible political motivations for his betrothal to Rome. Crist was a final contender this summer for the vice-president slot on the GOP ticket, causing some to speculate that the ambitious governor was marrying to enhance his career.

Those rumors quieted, if not entirely dissipated, after Sen. John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Asked about the gossip, Rome said she has never let it bother her. "That's just par for the course."

Florida's incoming first lady doesn't have plans to champion a particular cause or agenda after the wedding, she said.

"I think that, as it relates to Florida, whatever I can do to be supportive of the governor, his administration and his agenda, I'm happy to do it," she said. "He's done so many things to help Florida - I'm just so very proud of him."

Tribune researcher Melanie Coon contributed to this report. Reporter Catherine Dolinski can be reached at (850) 222-8382.

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