38 Days After Being Matched, He Placed a Ring Box on the Couch
Briana was so thrilled to be matched with Daniel that she went to work and bragged about him to her female co-workers. This man of her dreams came into her life on October 8th, 2015, with a notice from CatholicMatch telling Briana that one of her matches had expressed interest in her.
“For those of you who don't know how CatholicMatch works: they send you profiles of men they think you'd be a good match with (based on criteria you fill out) and you can click a little button that says you're interested or not interested. If you select ‘interested’ and your match does the same for you then you get an email saying you've expressed interest in each other,” explains Briana, 31, from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“I really couldn't believe this incredibly handsome, masculine, and passionately Catholic man was interested in me.”
But no! Daniel never followed up after he expressed interest. Disappointment ensued.
Take the bull by the horns
Dennis Heltemes Photography.
“October 26th, 2015, I figured he was too good to be true, but that also meant he was too good to let go without trying a little,” Briana says. “And so with that thought—and with the help of a little wine—I did something I had never done before. I sent the first message in the form of an emotigram— just a little smile, no message.”
Happily, the very next day Daniel responded with a note apologizing for his delay and expressing that he wanted to send a note earlier, but life got in the way. In his message, he also asked Briana questions about her job, faith, and what she liked to do in her free time and answered the same questions about himself.
“I responded to his note the same day and was a blubbering idiot (and even said so in the message). On October 30th, 2015, he wrote back and told me to not feel like an idiot (phew), shared more, and answered my questions. Then he asked if I'd be interested in meeting for a date.”
Not into game playing, Briana replied the same day saying her schedule was wide-open. “I’m pretty sure I broke at least ten dating rules with this whole process,” she laughs. “He sent me a text later that day, and we set up a date for the next day—at least I wasn't the only eager one.”
Nothing wrong with looking your best for the first date
On October 31st, 2015, Briana spent the day shopping with her mom for the perfect first date outfit. “I ended up wearing something I already owned (a soft blue sweater, black pencil skirt, and boots) and finished the look with the trusty red lipstick,” she remembers. “I, of course, made sure to get approval from my mom and my close girlfriends before leaving my apartment—thank goodness for mirror selfies and texts.”
Dennis Heltemes Photography.
They met at a Russian restaurant called Moscow on the Hill, located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Daniel arrived first and texted Briana letting her know where he was sitting.
“He got major bonus points for this,” she sighs.
When Briana walked into the restaurant she noticed how good he looked. “He had a perfectly trimmed beard and wore a green, blue, and black plaid sweater—he looked just dashing.”
After a delicious dinner, dessert, and fulfilling conversation about philosophy, theology, politics, Daniel paid the bill and asked Briana if she would like to continue their date at The Happy Gnome.
“I’m pretty sure I said, ‘Yes’ before he even finished the question.”
Over a couple of glasses of pumpkin beer—a festive choice for Halloween—they talked about their faith, past relationships, travels, and future dreams.
Daniel asked if he could take Briana out again soon. "The whole first date with Brianna was so good," says the 32-year-old. " She was/is the whole package. Beautiful, smart, faithful, and unafraid of commitment."
“When he asked, I full on yelled, ‘Yes!’” she exclaims.
A November whirlwind
"After the first date, I knew she was a serious contender for my future wife," Daniel remembers fondly. "We were in such a similar place in life it made moving forward and discerning so easy."
The next couple weeks were a whirlwind of dates and too many texts to count. “I was absolutely twitterpated and loved every minute of it,” she gushes.
On November 12th, 2015, Daniel convinced Briana to go to a couple of Salsa classes. “Yes, Daniel is the manliest man I've ever met, and he can dance!”
Dennis Heltemes Photography.
