Model/Actress Vanessa Tarazona knew Tom Breitling worked at the Golden Nugget, but they dated for months before she learned he co-owned the Vegas property. When a fan of FOX TV's “The Casino” requested an autograph, Tom had some explaining to do. "I'm a little anti reality shows because they take jobs from actors," Vanessa admits. His humility, however, further endeared to her the polite Minnesotan, who'd followed her back to L.A. the day after they were introduced. "He took me out to dinner three nights in a row; I've spoken to him every day since," she says.

In March 2007, two years into their long-distance relationship, Tom told Vanessa they'd have company while yachting in Costa Rica. Their friends never showed. Instead, after dinner for two, a waiter presented a black box on a silver platter. Inside, Vanessa found—a necklace. The following evening, Tom unveiled a multimedia slideshow he'd created about their romance. "I was bawling; I had my face in my hands," Vanessa remembers. When she looked up, Tom was on his knee. "I thought he was fixing his shoe," laughs Vanessa. "I was so thrown off."

Tom proposed, "I will marry you tomorrow if you'd like," but Vanessa says, "We compromised on September." They compiled a list of beloved European cities and jetted to Italy's Lake Como, where they were instantly enchanted by Villa del Balbianello. One problem: the historic Cardinal's home was reserved during the only period when Villa d'Este had ample vacancies. The evening before the dejected couple planned to try France, a call came in. Balbianello was available after all.

Their Rehearsal Dinner at a hilltop restaurant was an emotional highlight of their three-day celebration with 28 guests. "Everybody in the room made a toast," Vanessa remembers. "We were all crying; the waitresses were crying."

Boats took everyone to Villa del Balbianello for the couple's Catholic marriage service, conducted in English and Italian by Monsignor Dan Dillabough from Tom's alma mater, the University of San Diego. Heeding Andre Agassi's advice, Tom whisked Vanessa away for a few private moments after the ceremony. "I remember those ten minutes more than any other," says Vanessa.

Fireworks followed a three-hour, seven-course meal and the party continued at Villa d'Este's disco. The newlyweds enjoyed a week-long Italy roadtrip and six days of island-hopping in Spain. Their honeymoon continued following a reception for 300 at the Wynn Las Vegas, where they saw their wedding photos for the first time—enlarged to 8x10 feet. While in Paris, Tom surprised the former Miss Tarazona with an excursion to tiny Tarazona, Spain, before they continued to South Africa for a six-day safari and Manhattan for a week of shopping and shows.

"We'll both jump on a plane in a second," says Vanessa, but with a baby due in August, they're also eagerly anticipating family life. Tom's new book about his entrepreneurial rise from lawn-mowing kid to casino owner encourages readers to believe "everything is possible," especially through "the power of partnerships." His marriage, he says, is a terrific example: "We have tremendous love and respect for each other, and we share the same vision." Now Tom has something else in the works. This time, Vanessa knows what he's up to even though the world doesn't yet.

Written by Kim Knox Beckius