He Proposed To Her Two Times!

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When Carrie’s profile caught Ben’s eye in the fall of 2021, he was instantly impressed by her beauty and her faith. 

Carrie’s faith-filled responses to the questions in her bio were perfect, he thought, and he had a strong desire to learn more about her. 

A speech therapist from Virginia, Ben had first joined CatholicMatch 7 years earlier, in 2014. Realizing that the area he lived in was not home to many Catholics, Ben hoped CatholicMatch would help him find a woman with the qualities he was looking for. 

Carrie––an entrepreneur, also from Virginia––joined CatholicMatch in 2021! In the years leading up to 2021, Carrie had dated several Protestants. Through this experience, she began to realize how important it was to her to have a spouse who shared her Catholic beliefs and devotions. 

In particular, Carrie hoped to find a spouse who would share her great love for Our Lady and would truly love her and cherish her through all the struggles of life.

It was this desire, Carrie shares, that led her to join CatholicMatch. 

But the idea of joining CatholicMatch did not entirely appeal to Carrie. She had some hesitations and frustrations with the idea of online dating in general, and she shares that it felt unnatural to get down to such deep questions online before meeting someone in person. 

In the end, her desire to find someone who shared her Catholic Faith helped her to overcome these hesitations. Just 3 and a half months after creating a profile, Carrie met the man she was looking for! 

In October of 2021, Ben arrived at the coffee shop of their choice in Lynchburg, Virginia. Standing inside the coffee shop and waiting for him to arrive, Carrie was a little nervous, but very excited! 

Ben came inside. After exchanging a few words, they stood in line, ordered their coffee, and took a seat! Everything was about to begin.

But then, something went wrong!

Taking a sip of his coffee, Ben scalded his tongue. Thinking he could cool down his drink to avoid burning himself again, he blew on it. . . but the foam splattered out on the table! He got up, got a napkin, and started cleaning it off. 

Luckily, Carrie found Ben’s blunder endearing! She felt bad because she knew he was embarrassed, but her heart was warmed by the humble way he handled the situation. 

After Ben sat back down, they started talking. Soon, their conversation was flowing and their nerves were calmed. By the end of this first date, they were both interested in getting to know each other better and intrigued by everything they had come to know about one another that day! 

Getting ready to say goodbye and not sure if he should give her a hug, Ben said lightheartedly, “I don’t know how to do this. . . ”

Ben’s humility warmed Carrie’s heart once again. They gave each other a little hug and said goodbye. Soon after, they went on a second date, where they watched a cellist perform at Holy Cross Church. 

During those first dates, Something about Ben communicated purity of heart and humility, and Carrie was attracted to those qualities. She was impressed by his lightheartedness, his laid-back and care-free attitude, and his ability to have great conversations. 

As they continued dating, it became clear to both Ben and Carrie just how much the other cared about their relationship.

Ben lived 1.5 hours away from Carrie when they started dating, and the distance was difficult for them. Eventually, Ben decided to move to the same city as Carrie so that they could spend more time together! 

One of Ben’s favorite memories from when he and Carrie were dating happened the day he moved into his new apartment. That evening, Carrie came over and was excited to make dinner for Ben in his new home! As she stood in the kitchen making soup, the pot tipped and the soup poured into the crack between the oven and the counter. Carrie started tearing up and was upset with herself for making a mess in his new place. 

“I fell for her there,” Ben shares,“Because I could tell that she cared a lot about the way things were going.” Her desire to do something sweet and thoughtful for him communicated to him how much she cared for him. 

Carrie shares that Ben was very good at communicating how much he cared for her as well.

One of her favorite memories of coming to see this happened on their first Valentine's Day together.

Knowing how much Carrie likes butterflies, Ben decided to make her a beautiful, butterfly-themed valentine. He drew many butterflies on the front of the card and wrote the word “butterfly” in a different language under each drawing. Carrie loved the card, and his thoughtful card meant so much to her! 

By the time Ben and Carrie had been dating for 7 months, they had been talking about marriage for some time and were on the same page about their future. 

It was May of 2022, and Carrie knew the engagement was coming.

Ben asked her to go on a day-trip to a beautiful spot in the Blueridge Mountains the following Saturday, and she figured he must be planning to propose! 

As the day approached, though, Carrie was sad to notice that a storm was coming to the mountains on Saturday. She told Ben about the storm, and they decided to postpone their trip. . . 

They spent the day together anyway, and they were both in for a surprise that afternoon! When Carrie looked outside, she was excited to see that the storm was passing and told Ben, “It’s clearing up outside!” The bad weather over, they decided to go to the mountains afterall and planned to get there in time to watch the sunset. 

After picking up dinner, Ben and Carrie drove to a beautiful overlook in the mountains. They were happy to find that they had the spot all to themselves! 

“It was so quiet, like the world was waiting for me to say something,” Ben says. The storm had cleared and the full moon was out even though the sun hadn’t set yet. There were just a few pretty clouds in the sky. 

As they stood looking out at this thrilling scene, Ben asked Carrie to marry him! Realizing he was standing when he asked the question, Ben said, “Wait a minute!” Then, he got down on his knee, and asked her a second time!

Overjoyed, Carrie said yes to becoming his wife! 

In 2023, Ben and Carrie will be married at Holy Name of Mary Church in Bedford, Virginia, and will hold their reception in the church hall. They plan on going to the Dominican Republic for a honeymoon after their wedding day! 

The past few months of engagement have been a fruitful time for Ben and Carrie. They share that they continue to grow in faith together and are learning to see more and more the beauty of marriage! They especially enjoy learning more about the sacrament through reading a multitude of great Catholic sources. 

As they continue learning about all that marriage entails, both Ben and Carrie express how excited they are to live their lives more fully through this sacrament. They are also excited to become more fully themselves by living for one another. 

Carrie expresses how much Ben helps her to become more fully who God created her to be.

“It is like nothing I have ever experienced before,” Carrie shares. “He sees sides of me that no one else can see,” she continues, “and he pulls me more and more into flourishing”. 

Carrie is also excited to continue building her new Catholic business with Ben’s support! She recently founded a mission-focussed business called “Wings to Fly,” which focuses on spiritual direction, retreats, and talks. Carrie is also currently studying theology through an online M.A. program! 

Ben is always so supportive of her mission, Carrie says, and he helps her to do what God is calling her to do.

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