Jackie and Peter!

Here’s their wonderful story:

Our Story:

Although not completely uncommon these days, Peter and I met via the internet. I’d been living in NYC for about a year and a half before we met (in 2005), having no luck meeting people via the usual routes. I did, however, have much luck finding an excellent roommate and buying/selling some furniture on Craigslist, and one day happened to notice that they had a dating section so I figured I’d try my luck there too. Peter was not the first person I met, and in fact I was just about ready to give up. I put up an ad just seeking interesting people to hang out with and do fun NYC cultural-type stuff with (live music, theater, museums, all that good stuff). I got the usual responses from people looking for a hook up, and then I got a (shockingly) long email from someone who appeared to be a genteel man from the 1950s (he used the phrase “I will eat my hat” when letting me know that he would, hands down, be taller than me – and I’m 5’11″!). Intrigued by his polite and antiquated-style message, I wrote back without expecting much. We exchanged emails for the week before Thanksgiving and agreed to meet when he returned the Saturday after Thanksgiving. What really got me was that he proceeded to make all of the arrangements upon hearing that I had been to, and in fact really loved, the place he suggested. Up until that point, no guy I had been on dates with made plans for the date, and in advance no less! Still, I didn’t get my hopes up too much because, though a date and time to meet had been made, we had yet to exchange photos. I decided it wasn’t necessarily all that important to me, and since he didn’t ask for my photo either, I figured we were both throwing caution to the wind! Well, the evening of our first date, I was running late and had forgotten to take his number with me! I was nearly 1/2 an hour late when I showed up at the restaurant, and despite convincing myself that a 6’5″ blond guy would be pretty easy to pick out, it did take me a few minutes and some awkward stares to find him (thank goodness!) sitting at the bar with a beer, patiently waiting for me to show up! Though I wasn’t sure what to make of it in the end, we did have a great dinner & conversation, and ended up going to see some live music a favorite place of mine until about 1AM. Admittedly, I sweated it out for the next couple of days wondering if I would hear from or see him again. But 3 days later, he asked to make plans with me for the following weekend! And the rest, as they say, is history…

We have been together for 4 and a half years and in January of this year, Peter asked me to marry him! Within about a month of dating him, I was positive he was who I wanted to be with for the long haul. But upon seeing us together, we are in many ways a very unlikely couple. I am mixed African American and lots of other stuff, from a Northern New Jersey suburb, grew up as an only child in a single-parent household. For much of my life I have been involved in creative endeavors, from creative writing to art to theater, and have not had or wanted to much to do with science, sports or technology. I was the quintessential 80s kid though, growing up watching cable TV and, yes, had big hair, wore lots of neon and had at least 2 pairs of L.A. Gears. And very much a city slicker! Peter is blond, blue-eyed, originally from the Augusta, Maine area, is the oldest of three (and the only boy), and is the epitome of a computer nerd. He is very much into outdoor stuff like hiking and camping and sailing, and was never allowed to watch TV as a kid. He’s relatively introverted and I’m pretty social. But despite some obvious differences, we share many many common interests, love NYC, and just somehow “clicked.” As with most relationships, things haven’t always been rosy. Our first two apartments together we disasters (the first had a bedbug infestation and the second we had mice, rarely ever had hot water, and often got stuck in the elevators, just to name a few issues) and we have both gone through various job growing pains – unemployment, salary cuts, grad school, etc. We have grown together through good and bad, and I am thankful I have had someone like Peter by my side. His family is amazing and everyone gets along so I am super excited to gain some great in-laws! We are looking forward to having a our wedding in the Hudson Valley, a place we’ve visited many times over the years together, and that is the perfect balance of creature comforts and natural beauty! Plus, it’s an excuse to get our friends and family outside the box (or island, as the case may be!). Who knew I’d end up finding the love of my life on a lame-looking website called Craigslist!

To all our couples,

Thank you for your participation in our 2011 wedding photography giveaway.  All of your stories were filled with such romance and really warmed our hearts.  I applaud the gentlemen for such creative proposals… believe me, my wife gave a lot of why-didn’t-you-propose-to-me-like-that looks a lot as we read these.

Jackie and Peter won with 159 comments.  Coming in for a close second was Michelle and Christopher with 115.

Michelle and Christopher, as our second place contestants we would like to give you a free engagement session which includes a 2 hour session with web gallery and a $100 product credit!

Thank you again everyone for sharing your lives with us and we hope that you still consider J. Castro Photography for your wedding day needs.

-Jaymie