Hinge Success Story!

Neither of us ever thought we would meet the love of our life on a dating app... but here we are! We'd like to shout out Hinge for bringing us together. In a busy world where it's difficult to meet people, we leaned on technology, and to our surprise, it worked. Hear the story from each of our perspectives below.

Laura: I haven't had the best success with the dating game in general, so I was even more skeptical to resort to a dating app, but it turned out to be the second best decision of my life (second only to saying YES to Daniel Richard Miller). Dan & I both had the perspective that we would rather meet in person quickly rather than message on the app or text, so we met for our first date in October of 2023 at Peppino's Pizza in Jenison. I remember thinking that he was super attractive, but rather stoic, sitting with his arms crossed as we chatted before our food came. I could tell he was serious about dating, not looking to waste time, but he was also extremely genuine in his process. Dinner went well and now it was (apparently) time for frozen yogurt where we talked for quite a while. Things were off to a great start with 3-4 more dates in the upcoming weeks. But, ultimately, I wasn't sure about moving forward and we parted ways. Honestly, I was a little intimidated with how perfect he was and, because I wasn't 100% sure, I didn't want to lead him on, so I called it off instead. A few months went by and, to my surprise, Dan texted me to sub on his indoor volleyball team. As most of you know, it's hard for me to turn down an opportunity to play volleyball, so I said yes! (God knew what he was doing... as usual!) We had a great team and a great time playing together, so Dan asked me to be a regular on the next session and I, again, said yes. We were just friends through this time, but we both still felt drawn to each other. When this session came to an end, I could tell Dan was looking for another way to continue seeing me, so he invited me to a different volleyball opportunity at his friend's private indoor court. Again, how could I say no?! One week, after we finished playing, we walked to our cars together and Dan was asked to help with a friend's car issue. Of course, because he's always the first to jump in to help someone in need, he came to their rescue, but only after asking me to stick around and wait for him. We talked that night about the possibility of trying out this whole dating idea again and the rest is history! We went on a breakfast date at Anna's House and had great conversation. Dan took me to the airport as I was headed to a bachelorette party and I was smiling ear to ear all weekend, thinking about him constantly. I quickly knew I wanted him to meet my family and I got rave reviews after we got dinner together. I was so glad they were beginning to love him as much as I was. I invited him on my family's vacation to spend more time together and see if I would get sick of being around him... I didn't. Summer 2024 will go down in history as maybe my best summer ever and it ended with Dan proposing to me in Ohio in front of my family and friends. Falling in love with Dan happened fast, but I'm blessed to say I'm still falling further and further in love with him everyday. God has truly blessed me with this INCREDIBLE man and I plan to hold on tight to him for the rest of my days.

Dan: I never thought I’d find myself on a dating app, but in 2023 I finally expanded my dating pool with my 20s coming to close. And now I’m SO glad I did. September of 2023 I remember seeing her profile and almost immediately matching (at 6:30am). I still remember thinking “there is no way this girl is going to go on a date with me”. A tall, beautiful blonde supermodel who loves Jesus. I was worried this was too good to be true and I was about to get catfished. Thankfully God was merciful and we set up a pizza date at Peppino's, a local pizza joint.

I still remember the first time meeting Laura. She was absolutely stunning in her white knit sweater and my first thought was “wow she really is tall, hopefully she gives me a chance”. We enjoyed our dinner and had great conversations- shared our values and beliefs, but the most attractive thing outside of her physical beauty was how abundantly clear it was that she valued and loved her family, and that she bowed her head and said a prayer before she ate her pizza. Fast forward a couple weeks and a few more dates and I felt confident enough we were going steady. I felt it was the right time to have a conversation about defining our relationship. Unfortunately, I never got the opportunity to have the conversation as Laura let me know she no longer wanted to continue going on dates. This was heartbreaking, but I had a peace and comfort that God is in control and if it wasn’t meant to be that is why it didn’t work out. Secretly, her boldness and intentionality communicating our ending was respectful and displayed a maturity that made her even more attractive.

Fast forward a few months and I still found myself thinking about Laura more often than I’d like to admit. And then I had the opportunity to strike up a conversation! My indoor volleyball team needed a female sub so I quickly reached out to Laura to sub. (It also helped knowing she was a two-time volleyball national champion). To my surprise she said she was free and her performance on the court got her invited back whenever we needed a female sub. In February 2024, I asked Laura to join the team and each week we played together, I told myself I would ask her to see if there was a chance we could grab food sometime to catch up. After 2+ months and lots of encouragement, (thanks Evan, Caleb, and my Mom- who has always been my biggest relationship supporter 😂), I finally mustered up the courage to talk one evening after playing. Laura said she would love to catch up outside of volleyball and I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity at redemption I couldn’t screw up.

We rekindled our friendship with a breakfast date at Anna’s House and quickly decided we both wanted more than to just be volleyball teammates. We continued to deepen our connection and I was confident I had found a God-fearing woman who shared beliefs, morals, and values, who I felt I could be myself with, and had fun spending time with.

Things were progressing nicely and Laura asked me to spend a week with her family up in Ludington for their annual vacation. I knew this would be a pivotal moment since her family was in Ohio and I hadn’t spent much time with them. I prayed and knew this week would determine our future. Thankfully, God heard my prayers and I knew without a doubt I was going to marry Laura and join her family. I then began preparing and planning how and where I would propose without her knowing, so it would be a special surprise. August 24th, 2024 I got down on one knee and asked Laura to be my future wife. Special thanks to her family and friends, (Bri and Marie), who helped me pull off a surprise proposal. Laura has the biggest heart and amazes me daily with her care and compassion for others. I’m SO thankful God has given me the opportunity to partner with such an amazing woman. I love you MORE Laura Marie!!! Can’t wait for May 10th!

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