1/20/2005 08:02:22 PM|||Scott Lewis|||

And the winners are...

Jeff Dewald and Margaret Neary, the Northeast Philadelphia couple who got engaged on the same train platform where their eyes first met, have won the Dunkin' Donuts wedding contest.

"We are very, very happy," said Neary, a 22-year-old bank employee who will get to marry her city firefighter fiance Feb. 11 at an all-expenses-paid wedding in the parking lot of the Dunkin' Donuts at South 16th Street and Washington Avenue.

John Townsend, who operates a limousine company, and Michele Sarao, a cosmetology student, both 28 and from New Milford, N.J., won the New York-area portion of the contest. They got engaged amid rose petals and strategically labeled gift boxes.

About 25,000 online ballots were cast in the competition for the best wedding-proposal story, Dunkin' Donuts spokeswoman Donna Walter said. About 11,000 were for the Philadelphia-area contest.

The six finalist couples - three in each of the two metro areas - who vied for the freebie wedding and Bahamas honeymoon apparently did their share to rock the vote.

"It looks like they went out and were campaigning and getting people to vote for them, which is great," Walter said.

Neary and Dewald thanked their families - including Neary's big, enthusiastic clan - and the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Besides the couple's word-of-mouth and e-mail efforts, Neary's sister Debbie turned into a one-woman publicity machine, Neary's parents blanketed Mayfair with 1,000 flyers, and her mother campaigned at St. Hubert High School, where she works in the cafeteria.

Dewald, who turned 26 during the contest, said his battalion chief, Jim Grugan, initially busted his chops but ended up taking him under his wing and helping him get the word out in the department.

Dewald heard from firefighters he had never met, telling him that they, their wife, their daughter in Oregon, whoever, had voted for him and his bride-to-be. In bars, strangers wished them luck.

Now crunch time begins.

"The actual reality is hitting us. We have less than four weeks," Dewald said.

Not to worry, Walter said. Celebrity event planner David Beahm will help them fast-track details such as gowns and tuxedos, and has already started planning what he said he envisioned as "a pink-and-orange extravaganza."

Even the losers got some good news: Dunkin' Donuts decided to give the four couples Bahamas honeymoons.

Jump

|||110627300272618393|||Northeast couple in wedding winners' circle1/20/2005 10:59 PM|||Brian|||I myself have a somewhat romantic relationship that revolves around Dunkin' Donuts:

http://www.ranzino.com/2004/02/drive-thru-window-to-my-soul.php1/22/2005 12:30 PM|||MW|||This isn't related to your post, but I really like your site design. The colours, logo and layout are nicely done.

That's all. Cheers.1/23/2005 4:08 AM|||potterfreak|||Cheers...have fun....1/25/2005 10:32 AM|||Anonymous|||I read that John Townsend from West Milford NJ (the NJ couple that won) was posting lies about other couples online to get more votes. Why would Dunkin' Donuts want a couple that does that represent them? Tisk Tisk1/25/2005 10:32 AM|||Anonymous|||I read that John Townsend from West Milford NJ (the NJ couple that won) was posting lies about other couples online to get more votes. Why would Dunkin' Donuts want a couple that does that represent them? Tisk Tisk1/25/2005 10:33 AM|||Anonymous|||I read that John Townsend from West Milford NJ (the NJ couple that won) was posting lies about other couples online to get more votes. Why would Dunkin' Donuts want a couple that does that represent them? That's pretty low and 'Jerry Springer-ish'... Tisk Tisk2/02/2005 11:49 AM|||Anonymous|||JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE COMMENTS STATED ABOUT
JOHN TOWNSEND ARE COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED. NO LIES WERE
SPREAD ABOUT OTHER COUPLES. HOWEVER FRIENDS OF ANOTHER COUPLE HAVE MADE THREATS AGAINST THE WINNERS. HOW
UNMATURE CAN THEY BE. STOP BEING A SORE LOSER AND BE
HAPPY YOU GOT A FREE HONEYMOON ALSO. ITS A SHAME THIS2/02/2005 11:51 AM|||Anonymous|||TO ADD TO THE ABOVE IT IS A SHAME THAT THIS SITE HAS TO
BE MARRED BY THIS IMMATURITY. JOHN AND MICHELLE HAPPEN
TO BE HONEST AND GREAT PEOPLE. THEY WOULD NOT STOOP TO YOU LEVEL. HOWEVER I DO WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN
YOUR MARRIAGES AND HOPE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT
THESE UNTRUE ACCUSATIONS2/04/2005 11:23 AM|||Anonymous|||"unfounded" great couple? That's what's great about today's technology, there's a new thing called a "printer". I'm sure between the family and friends of the two "sore loser" couples, someone would be more than happy to send you copies. They're not fooling anyone w/ the innocence act - they did this to themselves!