“Hey Sarah, what are your top 5 favorite movies?”
When Sarah, 24, received this message from Daniel, 22, on her CatholicMatch account, she knew something was different about him. Instead of the typical one-worded greetings from others, leading with an intriguing question was the first thing Daniel did right. And once Sarah, who had only been on the site for about a week, viewed Daniel’s profile, she knew she had to respond.
Sarah remembers thinking, “he’s handsome, tall, Catholic, and he loves Tolkien? Where has he been all my life?” She even went to her parents to show them his profile, jokingly saying, “I found my husband!” Little did she know it was the truth.
Daniel had reluctantly spent almost eight months on CatholicMatch after initially deciding it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. Knowing it was a better online dating option than the secular alternatives, he still went in with low expectations of meeting anybody. But before Sarah had even finished setting up her profile, Daniel looked through it and knew he needed to message her.
“The very first email I received from CatholicMatch was one saying that Daniel had viewed my profile,” Sarah recalls. “I hadn’t even finished it yet!” A few days later when Daniel sent his clever message to Sarah, she finalized her subscription in order to respond to him.
The first video chat was an all-nighter!
It became clear in the messaging exchanges that there was a connection between Sarah and Daniel. About a week in, they decided to have their first video chat on a Saturday afternoon around 3PM. Though Sarah was nervous, it clearly went well—the two stayed up nearly all night chatting until almost 3AM!
They soon planned their first in-person date for the following weekend. Living about 2-and-half hours apart, Daniel drove from his home in South Carolina to meet Sarah in her hometown of Madison, Georgia.
A “disaster” of a first date?
The first part of their first date was one for the books…but maybe not ideal by anybody’s standards. They somehow ended up at a restaurant with Sarah’s parents, brothers, and one of her nephews! “My family can be a lot to handle for people who aren’t used to us, and [even] some people who are used to us,” admits Sarah, who was impressed with the way Daniel handled the company.
Daniel’s patience throughout the dinner was rewarded by the second half of the date, which he says was “awesome.” He and Sarah left the restaurant for a nearby park and talked for almost five hours! By the end of that weekend, which culminated in attending Sunday Mass together, they knew that this relationship was worth pursuing.
18 months of long-distance brought both challenges and clarity.
Although living 2-and-a-half hours apart was somewhat manageable for the start of their relationship, in the Spring of 2020, Sarah and Daniel were met with the challenge of the Covid-19 lockdowns. The initial phase of lockdown extended into a lengthier time apart, due to their own bouts with Covid and Sarah’s mom’s cancer battle. They ended up not seeing each other in person for a total of five months.
Daniel shares that during that time, he was facing some challenges of his own, including a panic disorder and a test of faith. Between the crisis in the world and their own personal crises, there was a moment when they thought it might be best to break up. But one night they talked on the phone for hours trying to figure out how to “fix things.”
After that conversation, the first time they saw each other was at Sarah’s mother’s funeral. They had all these questions floating over them about the future of their relationship. Yet, “as soon as Daniel walked in the door,” Sarah says, “it all just disappeared, and I said to myself ‘no, I’m going to fight to make this work.’”
The end of long-distance and the beginning of forever.
In April 2021, Sarah finally made the move to South Carolina to be closer to Daniel. Now living about 20 minutes apart, they grew a deeper foundation for their relationship which really “fortified” things.
The following April, Daniel surprised Sarah with a proposal at the Botanic Gardens in Georgia, the original place of their second date! He had offered to do a photoshoot of Sarah and her family in the gardens, during which he convinced Sarah to step away from the group for a time. They went over to a bridge in the woods and while posing for a picture, Sarah turned around and found Daniel down on one knee. “I lost it! I started crying—it was so beautiful,” Sarah recalls.
Sarah always wanted a fall wedding, so they set their wedding date for November 11th of that year and quickly started planning. The marriage preparation process was fairly smooth and thorough. Their pastor even told them they were one of the most prepared couples he’s worked with!
Married in the aftermath of a hurricane!
Days before their big day, a hurricane hit off the coast of Florida. It made its way up to South Carolina the night before Sarah and Daniel’s wedding, in which it poured rain all night and into the morning. But even the rains would not stop the day from being beautiful. Taking place at their parish, Our Lady of the Lake, Sarah’s priest uncle officiated their wedding, with Daniel’s deacon stepdad assisting. Sarah’s uncle started the wedding by saying, “What do marriage and a hurricane have in common? They are both acts of God.”
Daniel says he will always remember the moment he first saw Sarah in her wedding dress. He was immediately brought to tears by the sight of his beautiful bride. During the vows, Sarah was described by their pastor as beaming “like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day.”
After a fun honeymoon in Charleston, the joys and reality of married life set in.
Like most newlyweds, there has been an adjustment period as Sarah and Daniel get used to living together with their differing temperaments, and learning to work as a team on their house and schedules. But with the challenges also come the joys. The fun of becoming pet owners—walking into a pet store planning to buy a fish, and coming out with two adopted kittens instead! Cuddling together every morning and night, cooking for each other, and sharing their faith are just some of the joys they’ve experienced in their first months of marriage.
Looking back on their CatholicMatch experience, Sarah and Daniel say their best advice to others is simple: keep God and prayer at the forefront of your relationship, and find someone who will make you want to be a better person.
Continue Reading
