This is a serendipitous story. A story about the Universe using its energy to manifest a soulmate connection. Every little circumstance had to be just right for us to cross paths... and it was. And we did.

Jamie:

My best friend Alex and her husband Caleb had moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia and I was antsy to go visit them after a rough few months. I stayed with them in their cute little place for one month. While I was there, I was using dating apps just as I was back home. Because, HELLO, I wanted to have some fun and see if Mr. Right happened to be in the South because he wasn't on the Central Coast, I knew that for sure after almost a decade of dating. But to my surprise, every time a guy read that I lived in California, he didn't want to pursue a date. So, after complaining about this to my friends, Caleb said,

"Give me your phone, I will find you a man"

to which I replied, "Good luck, I've been searching for the last 8 years, it's not that easy. But, have at it".

So, Alex and Caleb opened a bottle of wine, lay on their couch, and swiped through my dating app: Hinge. This lasted about an hour while making some funny commentary with a side of giggling. When the two of them came across Richard's profile displaying an array of photos of him playing rugby, with friends, and the crowd-pleaser shirtless photo of him and all his muscles - Caleb intuitively said, this is the guy 😉!

The next day, I was pleased to see Richard messaged me. I told him, "Full disclosure I don't live here, I'm leaving in a week, and I don't have a car". But he didn't care. He insisted he would come to me, we would go to a restaurant within walking distance and he just really wanted to meet me.

Richard:

I downloaded and deleted the dating apps many times and thought I would give it another go. I stumbled upon Jamie's profile and just her beauty alone was enough for me to hit the like button. She had an array of different photos but I saw one of her upside down on a zipline and thought “She seems like a lot of fun”. I got a message from her the next day and we spoke for a day or two before we moved our communication from the Hinge app to text messages. I wanted to meet this girl so we set up a very casual date. I didn’t really have a plan but I thought I would just “wing it”. Jamie didn’t have a car, but I offered to come pick her up and go somewhere. I had just got home from getting my lion tattoo, which took about 8 hours! I remember showing up in Lawrenceville and my GPS taking me to the wrong apartment complex parking lot. I had to call her to direct me to the right one. That was the first time we had spoken over the phone. Hearing her voice made me smile. I eventually made it through the gate and texted Jamie to meet me downstairs. I still remember to this day, her walking down that ramp in her jean shorts and a black tank top. I could not stop staring at her. It was love at first sight! I remember being nervous the whole night.

The Date:

It was July 2, 2021, and Lawrenceville was having a Fourth of July festival. We went for a stroll, chit-chatted while we waited for a seat at the restaurant, got cocktails to go post-dinner, and watched the fireworks, and at the end of the night, they both knew, this date was different from the rest. As a polite gentleman, Richard asked Jamie if he could kiss her at the end of the date. She giggled and eagerly said yes. We shared our first kiss on a grassy hill with cocktails in hand on the night of our first date. Neither of us was ready to say goodnight, but we made plans to see each other the very next day.

For the rest of Jamie's week in Georgia, we managed to see each other every single day. Jamie met Richard's parents, Aunt, and dogs. We spent the Fourth of July (just 2 days after our first date) on the lake with Richard's family. We went on a double date with Richard's best friends Jarrod and Megan and he finally got to meet the friends who hand-picked him on the app, Alex & Caleb.

It was the best start to the summer. We reconnected in November after Jamie returned from traveling and she surprised Richard for his birthday. In December 2021 we made it official, we were boyfriend and girlfriend.

After dating long distance for 2 years, traveling the world together for 6 months, and experiencing the lowest of lows and highest of highs together, Richard gave Jamie the surprise of her life. On September 15, 2023 Richard got down on one knee and asked Jamie to marry him. It was the best feeling in the world and the easiest question she'd ever had to answer.

We are best friends, lovers, and soon-to-be husband and wife and we are so excited to celebrate our love in the country we love most. Richard is from South Africa and we fell in love with Cape Town after spending 3 weeks there together. After driving along Champan's Peak drive at sunset and eating the freshest fish and chips of our lives right on the harbor in Hout Bay, we knew that one day we would like to get married there.

Thank you so much for believing in our love and sharing this special moment with us in such a special place. We promise it will be a trip of a lifetime and capture a place in your hearts as well. Here's to 2025, an amazing once-in-a-lifetime vacation, and to getting Richard and Jamie married! Cheers to the future Mr. & Mrs. SHORE ❤️ We can't wait to dance the night away with you all!