We're getting married!

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Laura and Steve met on a website called Plenty of Fish, or as Laura called it, Plenty of Frogs. She’d been “fishing” for years and had thrown back more frogs than she could count. Steve seemed out of her league, but Laura "winked” at him anyway. Steve was newer to the pond with no idea how lucky he was to find a keeper so quickly. They shared a few messages, but Steve was already dating someone IRL and felt compelled to see that through before pursuing Laura. It was common in online dating for love interests to vanish without explanation, so Laura was unfazed when Steve did the “POF poof" and disappeared without a trace. Soon after, she decided to take a dating break and hid her profile, not realizing Steve would soon be back looking for her. To his dismay, she had disappeared from his computer. Six weeks later, Laura was having Christmas drinks with a friend who convinced Laura to answer a few other frogs in her POF inbox. This made her “live” again for anyone looking for her. On Christmas Eve, Laura took a few minutes to set an intention for the coming year. She wrote a letter to Santa asking for the man of her dreams. She asked that he be kind, sweet, smart, funny, and cute. (She forgot to ask for rich. :) After nine long years of searching, she felt like she was really ready to find her life partner. On Christmas morning while making gingerbread pancakes for her boys, Laura heard her phone ping. Steve had found her again and had sent her a message. This time, he was not about to let her out of his sights, and he asked to meet her as soon as possible. Their first date was two days later.

On their first date, Steve was smitten immediately. After nine years of fishing, Laura was a bit more jaded and cautious. Before their first date was over, Steve had asked her for a second. A few days later, he crashed her New Year's Eve plans with friends Janice and Joanne. Laura didn't understand how Steve could be so certain so quickly, but nonetheless, she kept agreeing to dates. Of their common hobbies -- bicycling, the beach, and dancing -- dancing was the only option available in January and they danced everywhere they could. They hit Adelphia for 80s night on their first date and later danced at DiPaulo’s and Skyline Drive. Any place with a dance floor and a good beat provided affordable fun and good exercise. Laura had enjoyed country line dancing in the past but had gotten away from it. When she learned Steve shared her interest in country music, she suspected he might really enjoy it too. Her nephew’s band, Wanted, was playing locally, so she taught Steve one dance, the El Paso, in preparation for the night. They also (badly) two-stepped and shuffled that night, but Steve was hooked. He began to pursue line dance lessons with the same fervor with which he’d pursued Laura, and soon he became one of the better male dancers on the floor. He wanted to dance as much as possible and even though Laura loved it too, she longed for the occasional movie night on the couch. Steve's fervor typically won out though and the Dance Bully was born. It also didn’t take long for Steve to break through Laura’s ice, and by Valentine’s Day, they were in love. They gave each other their hearts that holiday: Steve surprised Laura at dinner with a heart-shaped necklace he’d slipped to the wait staff to be presented as dessert. Laura saved him a conversation heart that read “I Love You.”

Steve and Laura quickly became inseparable and as the weather warmed up, they began to expand their repertoire of shared interests. They had a wonderful first year of dating with trips to the mountains, Maine, Atlantic City, and Wildwood. They biked, danced, went to concerts, danced, zip-lined, danced, camped, danced, kayaked, hit the beach often, and also danced. Steve’s dance passion later translated into playing DJ for country dance parties held in Laura's barn which had been sitting unused and full of rubbish before Steve came along. Around the same time, Laura also started teaching line dancing and their passion spread beyond the barn. A friend dubbed them the Dance Bullies, although Laura insists that Steve is the Dance Bully and she is the Dance Bullied. She loves to dance too, but sometimes her feet hurt. She has been known to flip a bird or two when Steve plays one more song she must dance, regardless of her level of fatigue. Steve never formally moved into Laura’s house, but rather he simply stopped going home. From the outset, he treated her home with loving care, beginning with a long overdue sink installation that a previous boyfriend (a plumber, no less) had failed to complete. Steve realized mid-install that additional parts were required. Not willing to let the sun set on an unfinished job, Steve headed directly to Home Depot so he could complete the job. Laura's heart never looked back. Together they created the Happy Place, which began with a few colorful plastic chairs, a spray-painted crate, and a lot of weed removal. Each year, they have added to it, and now it will set the scene as they exchange vows. Whatever home ideas Laura dreamed up, Steve made them happen. They are very fortunate to have complementary skill sets and together have created a home they cherish.

Although their hearts committed early on, circumstances prevented them from marrying sooner. They chose to share their lives anyway and loved one another through life’s ups and downs including job challenges and successes, accidents, home improvements, barn parties, vacations, big birthdays, graduations, and the loss of dear friends and their beloved Mia. On New Year’s Day 2016, they spontaneously browsed engagement rings. Unable to pass up an incredible sale, Steve purchased Laura’s ring right in front of her to save for the future. It was their secret, or so Laura thought. Laura confided only in her dear friend Janice, whispering in her unconscious ear days before she lost her battle with brain cancer. Janice was there through all the years of dating and Laura wanted her to know that she had found her prince. Steve told everyone else, even Laura’s coworker, unable to keep his happy news under wraps. Laura was still surprised on May 5th, 2016, when Steve proposed to her on the stage of Delaware Park in front of 100 of their closest dance friends. Laura had been teaching that night and was not alarmed when the DJ called her up on stage. Steve got down on one knee to the roaring cheers of the dance crowd and asked her to be his wife. Laura was so happy that she initially forgot to say Yes! After they kissed, the DJ played “Ring on My Finger” and everyone danced. While not ideal, they were content to live as a betrothed couple for possibly the next ten years. They had everything they needed except the piece of paper and the title. They reminded themselves that they were already living their happily ever after. Fortunately, circumstances changed sooner than expected and in February 2019, after 6 years together, they were finally able to begin planning a wedding.

In March of 2020, with less than 100 days to go until the big day, Covid-19 turned the world upside down. There was no telling what life would be like in a few months, and even in the best case scenario, last minute wedding preparation would be challenging during a lock down. They agonized over whether to postpone or plow ahead and no option was without concerns. A September postponement was strongly considered, but as the virus raged on, even that looked less hopeful. In the interest of the health and safety of all of their loved ones, they decided to push the event back a year until 2021. While obviously disapointed, they reminded themselves again that they still had a good life to share together while they waited. Without a doubt, God blessed the broken road that had brought them together, and he would continue to bless them as they faced more than 400 more days before becoming husband and wife. They look forward to continuing their Happily Ever After and cannot wait to celebrate their joy with all of their beloved family and friends.