Doniece's Version:

In 2016, after taking a year off dating, I decided to dip my toe back into the dating pool by joining Match.com. I figured I would have better luck here than on the free dating apps that I had tried in the past. After 3 weeks with no luck, David slid into my DMs. I was skeptical at first because his profile read like a bot or a fake page. It literally said, "Everything you need to know about me, just ask." I spent an hour writing my profile, and here he had just one sentence. His saving grace was having multiple pictures, so I decided to run him through the friend test. I sent his profile to a friend and asked if she thought he was cute. Once she gave me the green light, I responded to his DM.

David lived 3.5 hours away so while we texted and called each other regularly, I never anticipated that we would meet in person. Coincidentally, David had an independent documentary he wanted to see however it was only premiering in DC, Atlanta, and Raleigh. Prior to meeting me, he planned to see the movie in DC, however now, he had the opportunity to come to Raleigh for a chance to meet face to face. We met at the theater, and I was overdressed and nervous, and he was casual and calm. We spent the movie gently nudging each other as our way of flirting during the 2.5-hour documentary. We grabbed dinner afterward and the entire time I was all smiles, though in the back of my mind, I knew this was too good to be true. I was just getting back into the dating scene, and he lived 3.5 hours away.

If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. David and I kept talking, texting, and visiting each other on weekends. We never went more than 3 weeks without seeing each other. After 5 years of long-distance dating and several miles on our Hondas, David moved to NC! 1.5 years later, he proposed on

December 30th! The guy I thought would be my starter bae back into the dating world, became my fiancé, and I'm thrilled to be the future Mrs. Noel!

David's Version:

Working in the corporate world, life was very hectic when I was busy being goal-oriented and ambitious, trying to become the best version of myself. This left dating at the bottom of the list of "to-dos". In 2016, I tried online dating to see what was out there. I ended up expanding my demographic area on the site, and that's when I noticed this cute, pretty young thang that caught my eye. A country girl in Raleigh, NC. She looked good in her pics. She's short and thick, so I decided to shoot my shot and slide in her DM's. We exchanged numbers and stayed in touch regularly, even though the distance between us was 3.5 hours from each other. As time progressed, and after going back and forth on the phone, we decided to meet up for a movie date which was playing in Raleigh. I made the drive to NC for our first date. My first impression when I saw her was, that she is definitely gorgeous from head to toe, but I was wondering why she wore such a fancy dress to the movies lol. Like they say, "You don't get a second chance to make a first impression", and she definitely made one on me. We grabbed dinner after the movie and had a great time getting to know each other better.

I already knew Doniece was the one because she gave me butterflies. She genuinely cares about me, has shown support, motivates me, and makes the drive to see each other, especially long distance, I knew she was a keeper. After almost 7 years of dating, and relocating to NC, I had to put the full-court press on her. On December 30th, I made reservations at an established 5-star restaurant. My niece was in town for the weekend because I wanted her to witness a special moment in my life. I also made sure Doniece's sister was present to witness the moment. I made the arrangements with staff about this being a big and important night, making sure everything was perfect, and that they were all on board. After we ate dinner, I was nervous as heck about my next move. All I knew at that moment was that I wanted to change both of our lives prior to entering the new year. I grabbed her hand, walked her to the center of the restaurant, and proposed to her. When she said "Yes", it literally left chills down my spine and filled me with excitement. The country girl where it all started in her DM's, is now my Fiancée!