Interacial Marriage

Gina & Gregory -
Bossier City, Louisiana, United States

Engaged December 2016

In Vegas, They Went “All In”

Gina approached her first foray into Internet personals with great caution. “I wanted to meet people at a safe distance, in order to have time to get to know them in a safe way,” she tells us. “I wasn’t really looking for love, at the time.”

When Gregory signed up with our site, he was equally “green” and lacking aspirations for lifelong love. “I was not very confident because I had never online dated before,” Gregory admits. “I had just had surgery and was looking for someone to talk with.”

After a couple of months as members of our site, Gregory reached out to Gina via email. He remembers being drawn to her “degree as a psychological doctor. I wanted to talk with her about some of my experiences,” Gregory says.

She really liked the way he handled himself online. “He was shy and not crude, rude or sexual,” laughs Gina. “It was refreshing.”

After awhile she felt ready to take a leap of faith and convene on the other side of the screen. “We had done a significant amount of FaceTime, so I was ready to see if there was body chemistry,” Gina explains.

Gregory felt no hesitation about it. “She had helped me process through some difficulties, and it seemed like the right next step,” he reflects.

Their first date took a bit of doing, as this was a long-distance pairing. “He flew into OKC from Indianapolis and we went to Bricktown,” Gina informs us. “We went dancing!” adds her man.

Gina’s first thought about Gregory, meeting face-to-face, was, “He is so shy! He has a nice smile.” He remembers his first impression of her being favorable. “I thought she was pretty, and I liked how she dressed. She dressed eclectic. I didn’t know how green her eyes were! She is more beautiful in person.”

What about that elusive “body chemistry” Gina mentioned earlier? Gina liked the way they aligned. “I thought our hands felt like they fit when we held hands,” she says. The first date was such a success that “he stayed for four days and we had a great time,” says Gina. “I figured it would become ‘a thing.’” Gregory nods. “By that time we were pretty sure!”

His type before Gina was more problematic for him. “Before, I had been attracted to a more passive/aggressive style,” concedes Gregory. “Now Gina is willing and enjoys talking about anything.”

She’s happy to have broken a personal pattern of her own. “He is consistently calm and positive,” she observes. “I had been attracted to men who are narcissists... Thank God Gregory is not that way!”

With any coupling comes obstacles, of course. “The distance was a problem,” Gregory reminds us. “We lived 800 miles apart!”

“I had a private practice and five adult kids in the area,” Gina says. “I wasn’t willing or able to relocate.... He had to take the plunge!”

We asked the happy couple when they knew this relationship was going to be special. “We talked daily, but I was still talking to other men,” she says of the courtship’s early days. “When we met in Vegas, that determined our commitment to be exclusive.”

From there, it wasn’t too long before the relationship’s evolution was formalized. “We were in the art museum on Valentine’s Day,” Gina reminisces. “We were in a room with dim lighting and there was a beautiful blown-glass display. I turned around and he held the ring up! I smiled, kissed him and put it on.”

She says he’s changed her life tremendously. “Gregory is easy going, and my life is much calmer.” He credits communication as an asset to them. “I have someone I can talk to, share with, and she gives me feedback... like it should be.”

Here are Gina’s online dating tips to help you find the right person for you. “Make sure they are who they say they are,” she declares. “I made Gregory send me a picture of his license and degrees! Research the person online before you meet them. We also FaceTime-dated watching movies together.”

Gregory puts in, “Take your time to get to know them. If they have unfinished business, let them take care of that — stay out of it.”

Gina and Gregory have some unfinished business together – they need to get to the chapel and complete this engagement!

Click here to read more inspiring interracial couples stories.