Charlotte moved halfway around the world to find love, but she still needed a little help from CatholicMatch to go the extra 500 miles.
The now 26-year-old wasn’t have any luck meeting a Catholic spouse in England, where she was born and raised, so she took a leap of faith and moved to Australia.
“I had family in Melbourne, Australia, and I knew there was a very large Catholic community where my sister lived, so I decided to move over to Melbourne, hoping to meet somebody as I was ready to settle down,” shares Charlotte.
However, things didn’t go quite to plan. Even after moving so far, she still hadn’t met the one.
“I discovered overtime that there was no one in the parish that was for me,” recalls Charlotte. “So I looked to online dating after I was told about CatholicMatch.”
Charlotte was the answer to Alex’s prayers
After about two months on CatholicMatch, Charlotte felt ready to give up until she found Alex, now 29. Charlotte gave Alex’s profile a like, but she held off sending the first message.
“What attracted me to Alex at first was that he was very good looking, and he had a great profile that made him seem very down to earth, yet serious about his faith, which was very important to me.”
Alex was also on the verge of giving up on CatholicMatch. It was his birthday—and he had just finished three novenas to meet somebody—when he received the notification that Charlotte had liked his profile. He saw on Charlotte’s profile that she prioritized her faith and that they had a lot in common, so he sent her a message.
They worried that the other person wouldn't be who they seemed
After texting and talking on the phone for seven weeks, Charlotte flew from Melbourne to Sydney to meet Alex for the first time in October 2019.
“He met me at the train station in Sydney,” recalls Charlotte. “I was extremely excited but nervous about meeting him, and he felt the same. Since we had only seen pictures of each other and spoken on the phone, we were both worried that the other person might not be what we thought, but we quickly found out that was not the case. We were both very happy.”
The nerves didn’t last long. Alex also found Charlotte exactly what he hoped and expected, and he instantly made her feel comfortable and at ease.
“He always made me laugh until my stomach hurt,” adds Charlotte.
That feeling has lasted for Charlotte, “Now that we have gotten to know each other, I have found Alex to be caring and helpful,” she shares. “I can see him being an incredible spouse and father in the future. He is always eager to make me happy, see me smiling, and help me out in any way he can.”
Their first date lasted all day!
For their first date, Alex went all out. He took Charlotte out for chocolate fondue before showing her the city. After a couple of drinks, they sat on a picnic blanket in the park, getting to know each other even better. Afterward, he took her to a steak restaurant for what Charlotte calls a “lovely meal.”
That night, Charlotte stayed in the city and Alex went home. The next day, he came and met her in the city for Mass and breakfast before she had to catch her flight home. There was no ambiguity between them: they both agreed that they would like to see each other again. Not long after, Alex booked a flight to Melbourne.
COVID-19 closing borders was a blessing for them.
As it is in many relationships, the main obstacle during their dating relationship was the distance. As they went back and forth between Melbourne and Sydney, the couple had to take extra time off work for travel and so they could spend enough time together.
That changed when COVID-19 closed borders. Alex had driven down to Melbourne for Charlotte’s birthday when Melbourne closed their borders, and he got stuck. Luckily, his job has allowed him to work remotely due to COVID, so he has been living in Melbourne ever since.
“It has worked out so much better for us both,” adds Charlotte.
An engagement and wedding planning during COVID!
Ten months after they first made contact on CatholicMatch, Alex proposed to Charlotte.
“Alex took me to a beautiful restaurant, which had lovely gardens overlooking the city lights,” remembers Charlotte. “Before dinner, we went for a walk, and he sat me down on this heart-shaped wicker wooden seat. Then, he got down on one knee and proposed. I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt!”
After dinner and champagne to celebrate, the happy couple went home to celebrate with her family, who knew the proposal was happening that day.
They are planning their “traditional but modern” wedding for February, and they are praying that COVID doesn’t interfere.
