Bride Dies During First Dance

During Kim Sjostrom and her husband Teddy Efkarpides's first dance to a Greek song that means Love Me, Sjostrom complained of being lightheaded. Her new husband thought she needed sugar, but she collapsed. EMTs and hospital workers, as well as wedding guests, attempted to revive her, but nothing worked. She had died of heart disease.

Kim Sjostrom, 36, dreamt of having a real life version of the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which quietly played in the background as friends and family did her hair and readied her for her big day.

Sjostrom's wedding had become a project of the entire Davie Elementary School where she had been a teacher. Fellow co-workers had paid for her wedding gown, flowers, and decorations. One of the teachers, an ordained minister, even preformed the complete ceremony. "It was perfect for her", said Dominic Church, the minister friend.

Sjostrom carried flowers that were the color of the Greek flag (blue and white) as she walked down the aisle to be married to Teddy Efkarpides, a 43-year-old carpenter and Navy veteran.

Sjostrom had been the poster child - literally - for juvenile diabetes and had one previous cardiac incident when she was in her 20's.