Taryn Livingston and Zac Propersi
When Zac Propersi was 8 years old, his mom enrolled him in dancing school so when he grew up he would dance beautifully at his wedding. To everyone’s astonishment, he loved the classes — and went on to become an amateur jazz, hip-hop and break dancer.
Propersi met his future wedding dance partner, Taryn Livingston, in 2002 when they were students at Loyola Marymount University. “I had a huge crush on him,” she said, “and one of my girlfriends gave him the word.”
Propersi asked Livingston to the West L.A. school’s 2003 Charter Ball and invited her to dinner first. She wore a spectacular red dress worthy of the best table at any five-star Westside restaurant. He offered to take her wherever she wanted to go, and she chose Johnnie’s Pastrami restaurant in Culver City — her favorite fast food joint. That down-to-earth genuineness just knocked Propersi out. Then, at the ball, she kept up with his dancing and completely won his heart.
A week later, Propersi asked Livingston to be his girlfriend. Caught completely off guard, she took all of a second to think about it before saying, “Sure.” They’ve been together ever since.
“Taryn is my breath of fresh air,” he said. “She’s my go-to smile factory. She’s my best friend.”
In 2009, the couple celebrated their sixth anniversary at Yamashiro Hollywood, the romantic landmark restaurant where Livingston’s parents were married in 1972. She was sure this was the night he would propose. But she was wrong and could barely hide her disappointment.
The next morning Propersi brought her breakfast in bed. He set the tray on her lap, got down on one knee and proposed. He knew what she’d expected the night before, but had really wanted to surprise her. “I was so shocked,” Livingston said, “I ducked under the covers.”
Livingston, 26, a therapist at Summit View School in Valley Glen, and Propersi, 28, a lead software developer for the Tribune Co., were married on Oct. 3 at Temescal Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades.
Instead of having a maid of honor, the bride was attended by a man of honor, Jon Carmichael, Livingston’s best friend since high school. For their officiant, this couple who met at a Catholic university chose Rabbi Michael Barclay, who taught their class on Judaism — a man whose warmth and presence they had always admired.
The event was a team effort, with friends and family pitching in. One bridesmaid, a trained pastry chef, baked a two-tier wedding cake. Another gave them centerpieces of wildflowers. One evening, a half dozen friends came over to hem table runners.
As for the wedding dance Propersi’s mother had been dreaming of for 20 years — the couple wowed everyone with their performance to “The Time of My Life,” the steamy dance number from the 1987 film “Dirty Dancing.”
— Maxine Nunes, Custom Publishing Writer