When David, 29, received Sarah’s message, he felt a spark of hope. He’d become discouraged by online dating, having experienced too many dead-end messages and first dates. Except for his mom offering to pay for a CatholicMatch membership renewal, he hadn’t planned to continue on the site. Then, to his surprise, Sarah messaged him. David felt relieved that someone besides him had taken the initiative.
Sarah, 27, had been a CatholicMatch member intermittently for several years, which led to a couple of serious relationships that fizzled. In May of 2021, she subscribed to the service for a third time.
It was then that she noticed David’s profile. Liking his vibe, she sent him a quick message.
When David received Sarah’s message, he felt intrigued right off the bat because they shared a lot in common.
“Sarah was interested in similar kinds of religious devotions, and she also liked fantasy novels. I found her very relatable in her profile,” David recalls. “Plus, she had this funny story about accidentally drinking a roach that caught my attention.”
“I didn't actually eat the cockroach. I just almost ate it,” Sarah banters.
Both Sarah and David are residents of Florida, so they were very familiar with the antics of cockroaches.
Flowing conversation...
Sarah says she felt delighted by how easily and naturally their conversations flowed. After a few days of talking, David told Sarah he wanted to see her in person, and he offered to drive to her city, Fort Myers, FL.
“We met up over burritos and walked around a historic downtown area. We were talking so much that we ended up walking way longer than I anticipated!” she shares.
The excitement David felt about his relationship with Sarah continued to grow.
“The more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to spend time with her,” he recalls.
Then, they became exclusive!
After three months of long-distance dating, the couple agreed to date exclusively. Sarah and David saw each other in person once or twice a month, and spoke daily when they weren’t together.
“We texted every day and made regular online dates, often watching cartoons or playing video games,” she shares, adding, “We both had a devotion to the daily rosary, and David asked me if I’d be interested in praying a rosary together once a week over video call—something that really impressed me.”
No oversharing...
David purposely kept his relationship with Sarah on the down-low. More than once, he had overshared about his relationships on social media, only to see them end.
“I was secretive about this relationship for nearly a year. I barely talked about it to anyone except my immediate family,” he shares. “This prevented me from oversharing and I was able to just focus on Sarah.”
David knew he wanted to marry Sarah six months into their relationship, but he didn’t want to rush her. Sarah had expressed early on that she wanted to take things slowly.
They dated for a year before looking at engagement rings.
“The next time I see her, God, I’m marrying her!”
Despite expecting a proposal in the near future, Sarah didn’t know about David’s plans for a beach proposal on the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux—Sarah’s Confirmation saint. He set everything into motion, even hiring a photographer. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian got in the way.
However, David was determined not to let the weather get in the way of his proposal. When Sarah told him to stay home because it was too dangerous (much of the area around Fort Myers was devastated by the hurricane), David insisted on making the couple-hour drive.
“I actually got kind of annoyed with him, having no idea about his plans,” Sarah shares. “I'm like, ‘I don't want you to drive through flooded debris and drown.’”
David laughs, “But you're worth it!”
Coming to his senses, David finally listened to reason and decided to wait to propose, but he promised God:
“‘Lord, I laid my plan before You. For weeks, I looked forward to this day. If I had even the slightest inkling that you disagreed with this day, I would have proposed sooner. Now that day has passed. The next time I see her, God, I’m marrying her.’”
Finally, the proposal!
A week later, when it was safe to travel, Sarah visited David at his home. When he opened the door to her, Sarah noticed his nice suit and the music playing in the background. As she entered David’s home, she saw that he had hung colorful lights to create a romantic mood.
“He asked me to dance. At this point, I was about 50% sure that this was the proposal!” she says, adding, “After all of my typical worrying and the intense stress of the past days, in that moment God granted me a deep sense of peace. After their dance ended, David proposed to her with a ring and a dozen roses.
“Later, we realized that it happened to be the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary,” she shares.
The best wedding!
In July 2023, they exchanged their marriage vows at David’s childhood parish. Their family and friends played a big role in their wedding.
“The wedding Mass was celebrated by a recently-ordained friend of David’s, assisted by my dad, who’s a deacon,” Sarah says. “Also, many of our family members sang in our wedding choir."
The couple also personalized their wedding with religious momentos, and their reception reflected their mutual interests. For example, as a sign of their love of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary, Sarah carried her first Communion rosary along with her wedding bouquet, and David wore a rosary lapel pin. The reception included references to their favorite books, movies, and video games.
“For one, our first dance was set to music from Final Fantasy VII, and we cut our cake with a mini replica of Sting from The Lord of the Rings,” says the couple.
“My personal opinion, it was the best wedding I've ever been to,” Sarah says.
“I have to agree with that,” says David, smiling at Sarah.
Adventure awaits!
After they honeymooned in the Florida Keys, David and Sarah's adventure really began.
“Moving in together after a long-distance relationship came with challenges and adjustments, but has been a wonderful adventure. Biggest adventure yet, and a wonderfully answered prayer: welcoming our baby boy in November 2024.”
