Michelle & Ben in Camp Hill, PA

It took a while for Michelle and Ben to become more than friends -- even though Michelle’s pals referred to Ben as her “pseudo boyfriend.” The Bride Michelle, 28, strategic communications The Groom Benjamin, 32, investment banking The Date June 23 Just four months after finally becoming a couple, Ben found out he was being deployed to Afghanistan. “We were fairly serious from the beginning, and we decided to remain together,” Michelle says, and after his 6-month tour ended, the two planned a move across the country. The day before they left, Ben took Michelle to dinner, where a case of nerves and excitement drove him to propose right in the parking lot of the restaurant. She said yes not once but twice, as Ben proposed to her again in a more romantic setting in front of his entire family -- this time with plenty of photographic evidence.