The extraordinary story of Delores and Derick began more than 30 years ago, in chemistry class of their junior year at American High in Fremont. First it was friendship, than it was love. A few years later, even though they still loved each other, they decided to part ways. Delores wanted to have children, but Derick absolutely didn't. His own father was distant and Derick didn't think he could become a good father. Delores' longing for children was the opposite. The neonatal nurse loved children so much that it was important for her to have her own.

Nonetheless, Delores and Derick's friendship endured. He listened when she talked about the great, divorced father she'd met, a nurse in the hospital where she worked. Derick attended their wedding, was in charge of the ceremony music, and decorated the get-away-car. He showed her his happy face. What he didn't divulge was that he cried after the wedding about his loss.

The great weekend dad turned out to be not such a great husband and father for Delores' kids. She stuck it out; divorce never came to mind. Besides, she had Derick whom she could call and unburden herself. Years passed and the kids grew up. She felt torn between wanting to be a good mother by providing a peaceful home for her children and wanting to keep her marriage together. When she realized she had no choice, she asked her husband to move out.

For over three years Delores refused to get a divorce by trying to find a balance between being a wife and a mother. She began working overtime to pay for both mortgages. Yet he still was disruptive to the family life. One afternoon in 2005, Delores finally realized that she didn't want to continue with this relationship.

"I was alone,” she said, "and it was as if the clouds had parted, and I realized that I was done. I wasn't angry or crying but just felt an overwhelming sense of peace. My first thought was, 'I've got to tell Derick,' and picked up the phone." Then she remembered she hadn't heard from Derick for over a year and thought he might be happy with his longtime girlfriend. So she hesitated and put down the receiver. Five minutes later the phone rang. It was Derick, asking her advice about how to end his relationship without hurting his girlfriend. By the time the phone call ended, they had agreed on trying a long-distance relationship. Ten weeks later, just minutes after she had received her husband's divorce papers, Derick arrived for their second first date. When she saw him again, she knew they would be together forever. Later he confessed to her that she always had a special place in his heart and that he never really stopped loving her.

When something is right, then everything falls into place. The bridal gown Delores adored so much but couldn't afford turned up on Craig's list for a fraction of the price. The couple also found out that planning a wedding made them cross paths with so many wonderful event professionals. First, Delores contacted Jewel of Savadelis Films, a renowned video business. Jewel was so taken with their story that she agreed to shoot the video and secured the assistance of the best wedding professionals in the area to give the couple the best wedding they could imagine.

Delores had always pictured a wedding overlooking the beach. A friend and Jewel suggested the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay. Sunni Oza, the catering director, and Tony White, senior wedding specialist, did a superb job. Ron Grandia, of A Different Kind of DJ, not only did an excellent job with suggestions and creative ideas, but brought the couple to tears by surprising them with tunes from their childhood. Peter Rudolfi provided the ceremony music. Susan Morgan, of Elegant Cheesecakes, modeled the wedding cake after Derick's design. Linda Kaldani, of Details, provided the beautiful linen and chair covers. Pico, of Pico Soriano Design, an artist whose medium is flowers, created the beautiful floral decoration. Photographer Melissa Bagley did an extraordinary job of capturing the essence of the wedding. The officiant was Brent, Derick's best friend. He was so happy that he cried along with the groom.

"I could go on and on about these great wedding professionals. Derick and I learned that when planning a wedding, like with anything else, you get what you pay for. We aren't wealthy, in fact, quite the opposite, but you can't put a price on the peace of mind you experience when you enlist the best of the best. Our wedding was all we envisioned and more, and we are so happy that we each got to marry our best friend in such beautiful surroundings and in the capable hands of wedding professionals who truly enjoy their work."

"When I look back on our wedding day, the part that touches my heart and makes my eyes well up is hearing the opening notes from Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." We hadn't even thought about our last dance, let alone picked a song for it. Ron had remembered our story behind that song and selected it without telling us. The story? Back in 1976, my dad had taken us teenagers to Santa Cruz for the day in his pickup truck with the camper. Derick had been sitting at the back of the camper, watching me in the distance doing cartwheels along the water's edge when the song came on the radio. Elton John was singing, "...ballerina, you must have seen her, dancing in the sand...." Derick told me later that for 30 years he would think back on that day whenever he heard the song. As the song began, it brought a flood of emotion, and I found myself smiling through tears, swaying with my new husband and, suddenly, we were the only two people in the room. Derick began to sing the lyrics to me "Pretty eyes, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man". I joined in with him, and I remember looking up, watching him singing with his eyes closed, with pure joy on his face. And I realized that I had never seen him happier than at that moment. Time seemed to stop, and when the song ended and I opened my eyes, I found that we were totally surrounded by all of our family and friends who had quietly made a circle around us, holding hands."

I met this special couple after their return from their honeymoon in Italy. Their faces were radiating with happiness, and you just knew they belonged together. Delores admitted that she had always imagined growing old with Derick, and Derick talked about his best friend Brent who, after another of his breakups, commented, "She just wasn't Delores, was she?" Neither is bitter about the missed chance and the consequence of a failed abusive marriage. What matters to them is that they are together now, happy with Delores' grown-up children, and the knowledge they finally reached home.