Nicholas and Elizabeth both knew exactly what they wanted in a relationship, so when Nicholas popped the questions after only a month of dating, it wasn't a hard decision. “We were both approaching thirty, and we both knew we wanted a lot of children, so we didn't waste any time,” says the Texas couple.
It started with a like.
Both residents of Texas, Nicholas noticed that Elizabeth had visited his profile and liked one of his pictures. “I paid for the membership just to message her back,” he explains. “I thought she was beautiful, and I saw a picture of her in a veil."
He adds, “I paid for the three month rate because I didn't expect much to come out of it so soon. I joined just after starting a novena to the Blessed Mother with the intention of finding a wife. The novena ended on the feast of the Nativity of the Mary on September 8th, and Elizabeth messaged me back the next day, which is coincidentally her birthday.”
Elizabeth was interested in Nicholas because he lived locally and because he agreed with all the teachings of the Catholic Church.
“Once we talked, I was attracted to his intelligence and faithfulness,” she says.
“We also had things in common. He worked with children and was interested in psychology. I have worked in a counselor's office for almost twelve years now and work with children extensively."
He wanted to meet up immediately.
Nicholas and Elizabeth met in person shortly after making contact on CatholicMatch. “This was different than most other men I met online. It was refreshing that he wanted to meet so quickly,” she shares.
He adds, “I wanted to meet as soon as possible. I didn't want to waste a lot of time sending messages back and forth because I feel like most people don't present themselves as well through written correspondence as they do face-to-face."
They met at a local coffee shop in Elizabeth’s city, which was only a 30-minute drive from Nicholas’s home. Right off the bat, Nicholas impressed Elizabeth by paying for her coffee.
“My first impressions of hi
m were that he was polite, intelligent, and intentional about life,” she remembers.
“He told me on the first date that his intention in dating was to eventually get married and have a family. This really drew me to him as I wanted the same thing.”
Nicholas adds, “I was very up-front about my past. I was raised Catholic and moved very far from the teachings of the Church before I reverted back to my faith. I was pleased that she wasn't scared away, and I was eager to see her again.”
Seeking: a meteor shower
Nicholas recalls one of their favorite dates. On their third date, they met with a young adult group in Elizabeth’s city and then they went to a rosary garden outside the church.
“We prayed a rosary together and talked for hours,” he recalls.
“My favorite dating memory is the night we were engaged,” Elizabeth shares. “We went to a local park and tried to watch a meteor shower together. We couldn't see it, because we were in the city. However, the stars were beautiful, and I loved being with him under the stars.”
Nicholas asked Elizabeth to marry him after knowing her a month. He took her to the rosary garden at a local parish and proposed to her. Nicholas got down on one knee and asked Elizabeth if she would be his wife and the mother of his children
“We both were 28 and knew what we wanted,” she explains. “We felt like we had known each other for years and prayed a lot about the decision.”
He adds, “My grandparents got married three months after they met and were married for over 40 years before my grandmother died, so I knew we could make it work. We also read a book together that recommended a short period of courtship.”
Game plan: discern first, kiss later
The couple saved their first kiss until after they were engaged.
“This took our minds off of physical passions and helped us to discern marriage with a clear mind. This may sound old-fashioned, but it worked for us,” they say.
Nicholas and Elizabeth met in September 2017, were engaged in October, and married on January 27th, 2018, at St. Anthony's Catholic Church.
“Our wedding Mass was a sung Mass in the extraordinary form. I have a lot of great memories of that day, but my favorite was the wedding itself. The church was beautiful, and the choir sounded wonderful. It was a beautiful, traditional Mass,” he says.
Unexpected sorrow in their first year of marriage
The couple sh
ares that they’ve been through a lot their first year of marriage with losing their first baby through a miscarriage.
“This was extremely hard on each of us personally. However, we stayed close to Christ, and it strengthened our bond to Him and to each other,” they say.
Nicholas and Elizabeth are expecting another baby around April 13, 2019.
Continue Reading
