Interracial Marriage

Stephanie & Alan -
Solon, Ohio, United States

Engaged October 2015

No One Else Mattered

Soon after meeting on our site, Alan and Stephanie realized their relationship was special. In fact, they felt so strongly for one another that taking the next step seemed natural.

“He proposed to me on one knee, at sunset, near the lake at a place that was very special to him, because it was the spot where he’d watched the sunset with his father for the last time before his father passed on,” Stephanie relates. “I was touched that he’d brought me to that spot to see the sunset! Then he got down on one knee and pulled out the beautiful ring. I didn’t see it coming... and I cried like a five year old. We’re talking snot bubbles! And of course I said yes.”

What led up to this wonderful moment? Stephanie started dating online because “I wasn’t finding the type of guy I’d be interested in being in a long-term with, and I was curious as to what online dating had to offer. I’ve never limited myself to one race and I wanted to meet someone with the same relationship goals as mine.”

Still, she wasn’t certain this was the right move. “I was hopeful, but at the same time I was being careful, so I’d say I was confident but realistic,” explains Stephanie.

Alan knew he wanted to use online dating to meet women of other races and/or cultures. “Your site was not the first,” he tells us. “I tried other sites, but I wasn’t satisfied with them.”

What convinced him to post a profile? “I felt more comfortable trying to date outside of my race online, rather than approaching women in person,” Alan explains. He put his odds of success at “50/50, probably.”

By that point Stephanie had been with us for some time. “I’d been a member off and on for three years,” she recalls. “I’d closed my account for about a year, then went back on and met Alan two days later.”

Here’s what happened — she noticed a new member who’d joined a month earlier. The username was “Buckeye_Guy” and guess who the profile belonged to? “I reached out to Alan with a Flirt and he messaged me back,” says Stephanie. “And from that moment on, no one else mattered to either of us. He was the one, and I knew it.”

So what was so great about this guy, anyway? “He was hot!” laughs Stephanie. “Awesome blue eyes and he was a family man looking for a long-term relationship, like me. We thought alike in a lot of subjects, and we still do. We complete each other’s sentences.”

Alan is more concise about why he responded to “Amflady” (Stephanie). “Her picture!”

It wasn’t long before the duo decided to meet on the other side of the screen. As Stephanie tells it, “We got along so well, and we had talked for awhile on FaceTime. It was just time to meet.”

In person, Stephanie wasn’t disappointed. “OMG!! He’s even hotter in real life!” The photo of Stephanie that Alan saw didn’t lead him astray, either. “She’s beautiful!” he remembers thinking at the time.

They were so taken with each other’s good looks that nerves became a bit of an issue. “I was actually surprised by how nervous I was,” admits Stephanie. “I’ve never been nervous meeting new people, but with him, my heart was pumping and my hands were sweating.”

For Alan, the most surprising thing about their first date was “How well we clicked.” He was “110% sure” he wanted to see Stephanie again.

“We didn’t even want to say goodbye,” she declares. “I hated watching his car go down the street... so yeah — we’d already planned the next date before he left.”

Once they started dating in earnest, this couple-in-the-making found their attraction went more than skin deep. “I appreciate what a true gentleman he is,” notes Stephanie. Something Alan really values about Stephanie is “how loving and caring she is.”

Asked if they are each other’s type, they both say yes. “100% on point!” Stephanie says. “Completely similar” is Alan’s response.

The wheels turned quickly for these two and before long they were thinking marriage. Alan explains why he popped the question. “[This relationship] made me look forward to my second half of life. I’m looking forward to growing old with her.”

Stephanie is overjoyed to have met her match. “I’m happier now,” She says. “My soul is at peace because I finally found its mate.”

Now that they’ve found each other, the couple can concentrate on helping others along their own road toward love. “Hang in there,” Stephanie says, first and foremost. “I would get frustrated and delete my profile for a few months, all the time! But you gotta get back in there. Eventually you will find the one who is meant for you — just be patient, they always come when you need them the most and when you least expect them. Also if you want a long-term relationship, don’t get involved with anyone who just wants to be friends or just date. Only engage those who want the same type of relationship you do. And make sure you share the same interests and even the same (or similar) religion. Those issues are important for long-term compatibility.”

As usual, Alan’s words are few but direct. “Follow — and believe in — what you want. Don’t settle.”

Right now the only thing these two are settling on is a china pattern for the wedding.

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