Divorce Mark Smedmor had been looking forward to his holiday in Portugal for months. The 46-year-old was single again following the end of a 19-year marriage and a 10-month relationship, so he was ready to embrace life (and the beach) again as a single man.
But things never quite happen the way you planned. Just before he was due to fly to Portugal, Mark dropped a quick "hello" email to a woman he'd spotted on DatingDirect.com, and nothing was ever the same for him again.
"Her photos on the site wowed me," says Mark. "And her profile was very sincere. So I sent a 'hi' message." Bridget, 38, was rather pleased to get it, since she'd seen and liked Mark's own profile but had been too shy to make a move.
Bridget had also been married, and was bringing up her nine-year-old son as a single mum whilst juggling a job as a payroll manager. Like Mark, she was looking for a serious relationship rather than a bit of fun.
However she admits that her initial attraction to Mark was physical. "I wanted someone who was handsome and sexy, and Mark looked fit in his photo - and he also had kind eyes."
The mutual attraction was carried over into their emails and phone calls, which flew thick and fast. The pair got along so well that they arranged to meet up just five days after their first phone conversation.
The one problem was that Mark lived on the Isle of Wight and Bridget was a ferry ride away on the mainland. "I was a bit unsure whether things would work out because of that," admits Mark. "But the distance was really only a few miles, so I thought: go for it."
When Mark and Bridget met at the King's Head pub in Yarmouth, they chatted for hours. Things were going swimmingly - except that Mark was about to leave for his single-man's jaunt to Portugal.
"Suddenly I didn't want to go on holiday," says Mark. "But Bridget told me to go, because I'd already paid for it. So I went."
It proved to be the turning point in Mark and Bridget's fledgling relationship. Rather than throw himself into the sangria-soaked social life, Mark spent every evening in an internet café, chatting online to Bridget.
"I think a lot of trust built up between us when we spent that week chatting online. We spent hours talking honestly about ourselves and our lives. All I wanted to do was come back and see her."
Four weeks after their first meeting, Mark asked Bridget to marry him - and she said yes. "It happened so fast, but it was perfect. We married in Barbados, I sold my house on the mainland, Bridget rented her flat out and we bought a beautiful bungalow together in Sandown on the island."
Three years on from that first email, Mark and Bridget couldn't be happier. "We are so happy and so in love, says Mark. "Our plans now are just to build a happy family unit and live as long as possible. Who knows what's going to happen along the way? We just want to be happy, whatever we do together."
So dont be scared or nervous give it a go - you've nothing to lose and everything to gain...Drunken flings on a saturday night dont hold a candle to meeting someone you've conversed with online and got to know - actually it makes it even more exciting to be honest....
G
Good luck to Mark and Bridget and long may love and hapiness rule!!
Happily Married "J"
What goes round comes round.
After about 4 months, I knew I had to meet her. So, I bought a ticket and flew to Detroit, it was my first time in the states and I was really scared about what reality may bring. But things just got better and better. I enjoyed 3 weeks with her and our relationship continued to grow deeper.
I was home for a month and ached to have her near me, chatting and the long distance thing was no longer good enough, so I flew back. I was able to stay for 3 months on a holiday visa, after that time we got married. I came back to the UK and she soon followed me 3 months later. She sold everything she had, and relocated to the UK, never setting foot here before. We are now looking at 9 years married in February of 2009, and we have never been more in love. We are best of friends and deeply in love. My wife says it works because we got to know each other from the inside out, and like to old saying goes, it’s what's inside that counts. I'm sure that dumb luck also plays a part, but I feel truly blessed. We now have a lovely home in the midlands and we are in good secure jobs, building a solid future together.
It's so nice to hear of other successful on line relationships working. There can be so much bad stigma attached to meeting people on line, and this is understandable, but there is also the good side too. I would just like to say, all the best to anyone who has found true love on line.
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