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Dec 4, 2008 8:30 am US/Eastern
Crist Says He Has 'No Jitters' About His Wedding
Crist and Carol Rome Will Wed On Dec. 12 In St. Petersburg
Crist Proposed To Rome With A Sapphire And Diamond Ring
They Got Engaged July 3
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ―
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Governor Charlie Crist & Carole Rome
CBS
Gov. Charlie Crist, a week away from his wedding, says he has "no jitters" about the big day.
In an interview published in Thursday's Tampa Tribune, the longtime bachelor says: "I'm ready."
Gay rights activists are planning to demonstrate outside the St. Petersburg wedding against the gay marriage ban that Florida voters passed last month. Crist said the protesters have a First Amendment right to do so.
The service will be held at First United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg with a reception to follow at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort.
The ceremony is black-tie optional and guests are asked not to bring gifts. A card enclosed in the invitations reads: "No gifts please, due to Florida law." The governor is required to report presents thought to be more than $100.00.
The couple got engaged July 3rd. He gave her a blue sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds.
There's no word on where the couple is honeymooning.
Rome, 39, is a consultant for Franco American Novelty Co., her family's New York-area Halloween costume company. She stopped managing its daily business when she moved to Fisher Island near Miami in 2006. Crist said they met at a dinner where he and friends were discussing fundraising.
Rome was previously married to Blue Star Jets president Todd Rome. She has two daughters, aged 9 and 11, but Crist said he hopes the couple has a child of their own someday.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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