In the spirit of Valentine's Day, BradfordToday is sharing stories on local couples and how they found love
It was love at first sight, says Tal Dinovich of his wife Alex.
The Bradford couple first met in their hometown overseas through Tal's friend in 2006, who happened to be dating Alex.
As soon as they met, there was an instant connection. Alex ended up breaking off her relationship with her beau and shortly after pursued a relationship with Tal.
Not even half an hour later, Alex received a call from Tal asking her out on an official date (with his friend's permission).
"There were fireworks everywhere," said Alex of their first date.
But their romance would be short-lived.
Alex was only 17 at the time, and she and her family were planning to move to Canada in the next seven months. Tal was 18 and serving in the military on a five-year term and unable to go with her. Knowing their time together was limited, the couple embraced a short and sweet relationship before Alex left to start her new life in Toronto, Canada.
"She moved to Canada and broke my heart," recalls Tal.
Before she left. Tal told her that one day they would meet again and that Alex would be his wife.
It wasn't until 2013, that the pair connected again through Facebook. Alex had just broken off an engagement with her fiancee, and Tal had just come out of a serious relationship.
Soon after reconnecting online, Tal was on his way to Canada to be with Alex.
It was like "picking up right where we left off" said Alex.
After a month in Canada, the pair flew back to their home country to stay together for a bit, before Alex came back to Canada to find the couple a house to buy together.
"I remembered someone once mentioned something about Bradford to me," said Alex, who drove from her parent's place in North York up the highway to Bradford.
There was a new builder in the neighbourhood who had signs advertising new build homes for sale. Alex followed the signs to the model home and decisively put a down payment on a new build.
"This is Alex," laughed Tal, who says he admired his wife's ambition. "If I had to buy the house, it would take years, she knew what she was doing."
When she got back to her parents, she sent Tal photos of the layout of their new home.
"I was very excited," said Tal.
While waiting for the house to be built in Bradford, Alex flew back to her hometown, where she and Tal got married and welcomed their first child.
The couple has been living in their home in Bradford since 2016, and have made a life here in Bradford, with Alex operating her own skincare business in town and Alex working in the IT industry.
The couple has three children together, age five, three and nine months.
When asked what it is they love most about one another, Alex says it's Tal's smarts.
"He is extremely smart, he and my father are the smartest people I know," she said.
Tal says he has always been attracted to Alex's fearless attitude.
"She is a fearless warrior," he said, "Everything she does is fearless, calculated, smart, and I admire this about her. She is amazing."
