In the summer of 2023, Jeremy’s coworker asked him if he had met anyone yet. Jeremy said no, mostly because every dating app seemed to require money and he didn’t want to waste it on something that might not work. That’s when his coworker told him about something he had never heard of before… Facebook Dating. Jeremy’s first question was, “Wait… is that part of Facebook Marketplace?” After learning it was actually a free dating feature inside Facebook, he decided to give it a try and created a profile. Around that same time, Jennifer noticed Jeremy appear on her page. She’ll admit she was a little hesitant at first because of the age difference and distance. But her mom had been suggesting she should date someone a little older, so she figured she would give it a chance. From the beginning, our conversations were different. They weren’t just surface level. We talked about where we were from (both New York), our families, our sons who are around the same age, favorite shows, and even foods we both refuse to eat. The conversation was easy and natural, and before we knew it we had been talking for days. After a few days we decided to meet in person. Jeremy arrived early to the restaurant because he had never been there before and wanted to make sure it was a good spot for a first date. Sitting near the front, he quietly hoped Jennifer looked like her pictures and joked to himself that they weren’t taken years ago. While he was waiting, Jeremy noticed a beautiful woman walk past the window but didn’t think much of it… until she walked through the door and straight toward him. It was Jennifer. Jeremy’s first thought was, wow… she’s even more beautiful in person. Jennifer’s first thought when she saw Jeremy was a little different: “Oh my gosh… he’s a hot dad.” Once we sat down, the conversation flowed effortlessly. At one point Jeremy ordered an Old Fashioned and was very particular about how it was made. Jennifer remembers thinking, this man clearly knows what he wants. We talked and laughed for hours without realizing we had become the last people left in the restaurant, and the staff was getting ready to close. That night confirmed what we already felt while talking before we met. Something about us just worked. And the rest… is history.

Jennifer and her best friend Daisy have a yearly tradition they call Christmas in July, which just happens to be Jennifer’s favorite holiday to celebrate. That year they decided to invite a few extras along for the trip to Topsail Beach, North Carolina. Little did Jennifer know that Jeremy had been secretly planning a proposal with the help of Daisy and Jason. When we arrived at the restaurant that evening, Jeremy and Jason both suddenly realized they had “forgotten their wallets in the car.” Jennifer was a little confused about how that could possibly happen to both of them at the same time, but she was so busy telling a story that she didn’t think much of it. A few minutes later Jason came back inside and said we should all go outside to look at the dolphins. Jennifer thought that was a little strange considering it was already completely dark outside, but she went along with it anyway. When Jennifer walked down to the beach, she saw candles and lights set up along the sand. Jeremy greeted her and started walking her toward the setup. Jeremy had planned a long romantic speech, but Jennifer remembers thinking the speech felt like it lasted an hour… and also wondering why the heat must have been turned on because Jeremy was sweating so much. What Jennifer didn’t realize was that Jeremy had been nervously setting everything up on the beach and was trying to time everything perfectly. By this point, people from the restaurant and nearby beach houses had started gathering to watch what was happening. We suddenly had our own little cheer section. Then Jeremy got down on one knee and asked Jennifer to marry him. It was sweet, romantic, thoughtful… and perfectly timed during Jennifer’s favorite holiday tradition. Of course, she said yes. And that’s how the next chapter of our story began.