So here’s a crazy story for you of two people who met online by accident and then realized they already knew each other.
Admittedly, yes, Craig had accounts on several online dating sites. He is a successful architect in Atlanta who didn’t have time to hang out at bars waiting for the right person to walk in the door. Monica wasn’t on ANY dating website. But one day she got on chemistry.com as a favor to a friend who had asked her to do the free trial just to see what kind of men were out there. In order to play with the free trial, it made Monica set up an account. So she threw one together with the most sparse information, not even putting any photos up, just to allow her to do some research for her friend.
The automated algorithm matched her with Craig immediately and sent her a notification. Out of curiosity, she clicked, and, to her surprise, recognized him. She contacted him and he replied, even with her having no photos up. He didn’t even know her name during the email exchange, but he said he was curious about her. “He didn’t know my name for a long time,” Monica said, laughing.
Well, it turns out that they were in school together at Georgia Tech the same year. Though they never actually met while there, they discovered that Craig’s business partner was Monica’s architecture professor at Georgia Tech.
They eventually met up for a real date at a restaurant, and Monica says Craig charmed her and continues to charm her every day. We met up with them at The Cloister on Sea Island in Georgia for their sweet elopement. It was there we saw for ourselves that Craig is equally charmed by Monica. The two of them are like teenagers – super flirty, affectionate, and constantly laughing. We had the best day wandering The Cloister with them, watching them become unexpectedly emotional during the ceremony at the Avenue of the Oaks, and then having the unbelievable honor of being invited to join them for their wedding dinner at the Chef’s Table at the Georgian Room. The staff prepared an incomparable eight-course dinner for the four of us as we watched all the preparations from our table in the kitchen.
Monica and Craig treated us like old friends, and we bonded quickly. They spent part of their honeymoon in Charleston, where we live, so we met up with them for a few more photos and drinks at a rooftop bar overlooking downtown. Craig and Ben now email one another regularly, and we love getting little updates and check-ins from them. They are just two people we felt we were destined to meet, and I know there will be many more shared experiences in our future.
See more Charleston elopements here.