But when their relationship crossed a platonic line in October 2015, Ms. Newman said that their difference in age was initially hard to swallow by her parents and some other friends and family.
“In those early days, we had to deal with a lot of anger and pushback from family and friends,” she said. “Of everyone involved, it hit my father the hardest; he had his reservations at first,” Ms. Newman added. “It’s not that he didn’t like Anthony, he just wanted to make sure that this is what I wanted to do.”
But in the years that followed, she said, “most of the people who were upset about the age thing have now gotten over it,” including her father. “He would say ‘I see it too,’ so we’ve pretty much gotten over that hurdle.”
The couple became engaged Aug. 5, 2020. As part of the proposal, Ms. Newman said Mr. Falco presented her with a bottle of her favorite wine that did not feature its label, but another one that read: “Will you marry me?”
They were married Nov. 26 at the Park Château Estate and Gardens in East Brunswick, N.J. Pastor Tom McKenna, a Protestant minister, officiated before 150 guests, most of whom were fully vaccinated. They included the bride’s father, Frank Newman, mother, Lois Marr, and stepfather, Kenny Marr, as well as the groom’s children; his son Patrick Falco, 25, was his best man, and his daughter Allie Falco, 23, was one of Ms. Newman’s bridesmaids.
“They are both wonderful people,” she said of Mr. Falco’s children, “and we have a lot of mutual respect for each other.”
