Dear eHarmony,

After a six month run on eHarmony, 29-year-old Eli decided to let his membership expire. While the experience had been interesting and entertaining, he hadn’t met anyone compelling enough to keep up the monthly payments. He had a successful job, loving friends and family, plenty of opportunities for adventure and travel. Being single, he decided, was okay. To his surprise, Eli kept receiving matches the day after his membership expired. What he had forgotten was the automatic renewal policy. In that batch of “post expiration” matches was me…and we were married one year and one day later.

Eli and I hit it off from the start. I think what struck us about each other from the beginning was just how much we had in common. We were both the children of parents who were both pastors, heavily involved with service work in our communities, and interested in traveling and living abroad. Eli was always easy to be around. So many pieces of who he was reminded me of where I had come from. We had a comfort and familiarity between us – the kind that makes you wonder if our futures might be connected.

It took us about seven months to answer that question. Since we lived in different states, weekends were our coveted time to spend together. We went to the movies, the circus, the aquarium, comedy shows and hung out with friends. There were hours of nightly phone calls, checking in on each other and enjoying the pleasure of having someone to share that with. Christmas brought our first exchange of “I love you’s” and Valentine’s Day progressed the momentum of feelings and attachment between us. (The 14 consecutive Valentine’s Day cards mailed my way between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14th might have had something to do with that!). With spring came my birthday…and the gift of a lifetime. Eli handed me a plane ticket to join him on a service trip to Togo, West Africa. It would not only be our first trip together, but also our first time working and serving side by side. In May, a week before the big trip, Eli asked me to take the train into NYC after work to meet him for some Friday night salsa dancing. On the way there, we stopped in Times Square at a caricature artist’s station. I curiously watched as she began to draw the two of us together…and then Eli on one knee…and then a diamond in his hand! Eli, grinning from ear-to-ear with tears welling up, followed suit, retrieved a small box out of his pocket, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him right there in Times Square.

Our parents married us three months later in a Poughkeepsie garden overlooking the Hudson River. Precious is how I would describe the day. Rain clouds parted overhead for a patch of blue sky just moments before the ceremony. We released butterflies as a symbol of us being released to each other and the rest of the world. Guests said they had never felt so confident around the future of a couple than they had about us that day as we said our vows. One of the best parts of the day was giving all the single guests eHarmony cards. Who needs to rely on the strange superstitions of retrieving garter belts and tossing bouquets when a team of experts are just waiting to match you with the love of your life?! Over the first few months of our marriage, we have received numerous emails and updates from our single guests who are quite excitedly posting profiles, receiving matches, and meeting who might very well be the other halves to their “stories.”
We are immensely thankful to eHarmony for giving us our Once Upon a Time, and love having the rest of our lives together to see what the rest of the story brings!

Love,
Stefanie & Eli
Matched 9/17/08
Married 9/18/09

We recently received a joyful update from the happy couple – join us in congratulating Stefanie & Eli on the birth of their beautiful daughter, Karis Juliet!

The post Dear eHarmony: Stephanie & Eli’s Love Story appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

Well folks, eHarmony has only ever used real eHarmony success couples in our commercials and other advertising.  After all, with almost 5% of marriages in the United States attributable to our service, it’s not as if we’ve got a shortage of couples to choose from.  

All the same, we know that pictures speak a thousand words, and so we’re delighted to be able to share with you some wedding photos of one of our couples in our recent TV campaign (and the eHarmony.com homepage), Justin and Kate.

Justin prepares for the big day

Kate gets the finishing touches before her walk down the aisle

Taking their vows

The kiss!

The wedding party

How sweet it is!

Bride and groom get down and boogie!

So glad we could bring you two together!

Special thanks to Kate and Justin and their talented wedding photographer Krista Lee for allowing us to share these photos!

Still need more convincing?   You can interact with real success couples on our Facebook page,  and read stories of eHarmony success here.   Do YOU know any eHarmony success stories from among your own circle of family and friends?  Please comment and tell us about them!

The post Answering the Most Common Question about eHarmony appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

By Jackie Filley

As I’m sitting here watching Austin’s new kitten, Coco, run around the living room tormenting our other two cats, I am in awe of how much has changed since my last post.  The last time I blogged was in June of 2010! Wow! A lot has changed!!

Look how big!
Blake, Austin, Sean, Jason and John

The biggest change since last year was that we finally found and bought our “forever home.”  Steve and I have been renting ever since we were married. With five boys and our own private zoo we were a little particular about the house we wanted to settle into. Just like everything else in our life, God had his plan, and we stumbled upon our “forever home.”  On October 29, 2010 we purchased our first home together and are enjoying every square foot….especially the pool!

Now onto my guys…where to start…with the oldest of course!
On June 6, 2011, Sean Steven Filley walked across the stage in the Don Haskins Center at the University of Texas at El Paso and received his diploma from Franklin High School.  He will be living his dream of going to college and playing basketball in California at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz. His apartment will be only five minutes from the beach and I’m going to have a hard time keeping Steve in Texas during basketball season. The good thing is Sean’s coach will be keeping him so busy that all he will have time for is school, basketball and sleep. He and Steve are so excited and I’m …well… I’m already planning out my care packages for him!

Blake is now 15 and is counting down the days until his 16th birthday so he can get his driver’s license. He already has his permit and is my “chauffeur.” I LOVE having him drive me around – too bad it’s only going to last for a couple more months!  Blake is a sophomore and is the videographer for the varsity football team at his high school. This Friday, June 17th, Steve will be officially adopting Blake. Blake and I are so excited! How perfect is it that it’s on Father’s Day weekend!??!

Jason, who is also 15, has grown physically the most out of all the brothers. He is almost as tall as Sean and bigger and stronger in almost every way.  Jason is continuing in football and soccer. He is going to be the one who will miss his big brother the most when Sean leaves for college. Thank goodness for Skype and texting.

Austin is now 13 and an 8th grader in middle school. He has developed into the funniest  teenager any of us know.  The boy can just make you laugh!!  This last year Austin played football, basketball, soccer and ran track. Most importantly, he continues to impress us and his teachers with his academic achievement. Smart and funny…what a combination.

Last but not least,  there’s John.  John is now 8 and still the baby!  I’ll admit that we still struggle with John sleeping with us. It’s hard not to think of him as the baby of this crew. He will still crawl into bed with us from time to time and wakes Steve up with a knee in his back. In order to help him sleep in his own room, I bought walkie talkies — how perfect this will be — I thought to myself (proud mommy moment). Unfortunately, it didn’t work like I thought it would BUT the best part is we have call signs. Steve is Red Leader, John is Red Two and I am Green Leader.  I think Green Leader is the boss…but don’t tell Steve!

The last year and a half has not been without it’s challenges. Steve and I both lost grandparents who we were very close to and I lost my surrogate dad/Blake’s godfather.  We still have the memories of our loved ones, grandparents and great-grandparents to remind us and our kids of the importance of family.

With four teenagers, every month seems to have it’s own unique crisis that we are dealing with…car wrecks, grades, girlfriends, emotional break-downs, you name it…we’ve lived it! The only thing that we can do is keep moving forward knowing that God has a plan even though he chooses not to share it with us most of the time. Or to quote Dory from ‘Finding Nemo’,”Just keeping swimming, just keep swimming.”

Our schools continue to grow along with the work load. It’s a good thing that Steve and I share 29 dimensions of compatibility because we spend almost every waking moment  together!  Steve continues to press forward with organizemydad.com which has come a long way and a perfect tool for Dad’s on Father’s Day. Steve and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary on July 8th! It’s hard to believe that we are only at five. Some days it feels like 15 or 35, if you count in dog years. For the most part, it’s been fantastic. Steve and I were recently interviewed by a local writer and asked “What strategies do we use to blend our family?” We both looked at each other and said “We don’t have one…it all came so naturally.”  We still believe that we were perfectly matched and we owe that all to eHarmony!

The post eHarmony Success Couple: The Filleys Find a Forever Home appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

Leigh Anne and I met in February 2008.  She’s a huge UNC fan (which she mentioned in her profile) and I went to Duke.  At first I wondered if that would be an issue but it turns out it is a great conversation starter and a chance for us to rag on each other.  Especially these days with March Madness going on! I never thought I’d find myself rooting for the Tarheels, but Leigh Anne has that effect on me.  She’s changed my life…for the better.  So now I like both shades of blue, although I still think Duke blue is the way to go. We would like to thank the staff at eHarmony for all the good work you do.  Without you guys, a diehard Duke fan and a diehard UNC fan would never have found each other!

The post How Two March Madness Rivals Found Happily Ever After appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

While there, Elvis, AKA Dr. Claudio Palma, noticed a woman who had passed out. He decided it was now or never and immediately rushed in, giving the woman CPR and reviving her before the paramedics came to take her to the hospital. Needless to say, she was “all shook up” when she came to, wondering why Elvis was kissing her.

Congratulations and a job well done, Claudio and Rhanee! Here are some more details about how they met and what went on that day, in Rhanee’s own words:

The moment Claudio and I met, we have been inseparable. Without eHarmony, we would have never met. He is an anesthesiologist and I am in the nonprofit world, helping transitional aged youth with disabilities enter the competitive work force. Our connection is unreal and so are the connections of our kids. He has 2 boys and I have 2 girls from our previous marriages. Our families instantly clicked and we are all so happy as a blended family.

Within a year of meeting, we became engaged. 9 months later, we decided to get married at the 2.5 mile mark of the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon dressed as Elvis and Priscilla. Immediately after we finished the race, we ate at Burger Bar in Las Vegas. In this restaurant, I saw a woman pass out on the floor, and yelled for Claudio to go to her aid. She was unresponsive, had no pulse and was not breathing. Still dressed as Elvis, Claudio gave her CPR and brought her back to life. When she woke up, the woman was shocked to see that Elvis was in heaven!

Without eHarmony, we would have never met or got married on this particular day dressed as Elvis and Priscilla. eHarmony not only saved this random woman’s life, but has brought life for our new blended family of 6!

Our wedding day was documented on national and international headlines. We can credit this all to you!

Thanks for sharing your awesome story with us, Rhanee.  We wish you and your growing family all the best.

The post eHarmony Couple Saves Woman’s Life on Wedding Day—Dressed as Elvis and Priscilla! appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

My wife Debbie and I met via eHarmony in June 2008. We have been inseparable ever since. As Debbie and I were getting to know each other via telephone conversations, Debbie told me that she was a breast cancer survivor.

Right after Debbie’s youngest child was born, she went to her six-week appointment and they found a lump in her breast. The rest of the story is a whirlwind. She ended up having a double mastectomy and all the trauma that went along with being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27.

I remember the first conversation we had about the cancer. Debbie said that we needed to have a “boob” talk. Like most men I was EXCITED to hear this!!! Well, the story was not quite what I was envisioning. It was deeper, more meaningful and made me love her more! I was not scared, intimidated and I accepted her, scars and all!

So, for Mother’s Day this year, Debbie asked the kids, some friends, and me to run the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We signed everyone up and we had a goal to raise $500. We did GREAT—we raised almost $1000 and Debbie and I had our own little competition to see who could raise the most money. I KICKED HER BUTT!!!!

I had no idea how this race would affect me. When we got to the race, I could not believe how many people and how many survivors were there! I had such mixed emotions: sadness, happiness, inspiration from all the strong women that have been through it and are currently going through it. When the race started and 20,000 people cheered and took off, it was breathtaking. When we finished, they announced they would be doing a survivor walk. So Debbie went to the “Pink Cafe” where all the survivors met. We heard bag pipes and then all the pink shirts of the survivors followed. While the crowd cheered and many tears flowed, I was so proud to see my wife in the line of survivors!!!

The day of the race marked Debbie’s 11-year, 9-month, and 3-day cancer-free date. We celebrate on August 5th each year as a remembrance. Debbie calls it her birthday, not an anniversary, because she said she was born again that day. My wife is an incredibly strong woman and this event made me realize what she might have went through 11 years, 9 months, and 3 days ago. I did not know her when she had cancer, but I know the impact her cancer has had on me. You don’t hear Debbie complain of scars, or the experience EVER. She has the most incredible positive attitude I have ever seen. People will occasionally ask her about the breast cancer or bring it up. She is not embarrassed by it and always will tell people what they want to know with ease.

Debbie said there is a 3-day walk coming up, and I guess I will someday be lacing my shoes for that! What a great experience that would be, but until then—every year, the day before Mother’s Day, you will find this proud husband “hiking for hooters” at Salt Lake’s Race for the Cure!!!

The post eHarmony Husband Shows Support for Wife, an 11-year Breast Cancer Survivor, at Race for the Cure appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

Matt and I started dating after meeting on eHarmony, during October of 2007.  I saw his profile and thought he was attractive.  What really helped me was being able to see his personality profile. He showed interest, and we began emailing from there. We had similar family histories, which was important to me.  He was easy to communicate with and seemed to be ready to date.

Our first date did not come without obstacles.  I came down with the flu, postponing our date.  When we finally met, it was wonderful! The conversation went so easily, it was the most comfortable meet you could ask for.  We found a lot of things in common, and lots of complimentary things.  Before you knew it, we were spending evenings seeing unnecessary movies, and going to dinner out like crazy, just to have reasons to see each other.  Finally, we found that we have a shared love for the sport of hockey.  This is not common in southwest Florida, so we spent most of our evenings going to see our local Everblades and Florida Panthers.

Matt is from New Hampshire, and moved to Florida for golfing.  I have lived in Florida my whole life, and am settled as a teacher.  I was looking for someone who was willing to find adventure in things… and I found everything I was looking for and more.  I didn’t know that a happy relationship was supposed to be this good!

Not long after meeting, Matt and I traveled to New York City, Boston, and finally our big trip to Colorado.  In April, 2009, we went for our first trip to the Rocky Mountains at Beaver Creek, Co.  Neither of us had seen anything like it!  Little did I know that after a beautiful weekend of skiing and enjoying beautiful conditions that I would also leave engaged to my best friend.  Matt asked me to marry him, in the middle of Beaver Creek on their outdoor skating rink.

We happened to be ice skating in our Everblades jerseys to celebrate their being in the playoffs.  When a wonderful lady offered to take our picture, we posed, and Matt got down on one knee! I said, “Yes!” We continue to cherish the pictures we have of our special moment, and how it shows us and our passions.

We are best friends, and are blessed to be looking forward to a beautiful future together.  Anytime we face a challenge, we have to look at each other and agree that we have the hard part of this deal taken care of. We met our perfect person… everything else we can work out.  We have eHarmony to thank for that!  Matt likes to joke and say it was the best AND most expensive 3 months he’s ever signed up for! I think it was just the best! We are set to get married on May 1, 2010, and are enjoying planning together.  Each day we grow closer and closer.

The post Hockey-loving Success Couple Puts Engagement on Ice appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

Tim’s Story:
We first met on September 6th, 2007. Our first face-to-face meeting was at the races in Grand Forks, ND. Since that day we have been inseparable. Much of our first couple months of dating was actually in farm equipment (I work for a farmer)….so we really got to know each other.

We enjoy many activities together such as: hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, watching movies, going to the local events in our small town, cooking, spending time with family and friends. It has been amazing getting to know each other. Funny thing is we only grew up an hour and half apart. It has been a comfort to both of us being from similar backgrounds and family settings.

We did go through a bit of a scary time; Alysa ended up in the hospital one night had surgery. Needless to say, that was hard on me seeing her wheeled into the operating room leaving me wondering if I would see her again. Thankfully, everything went well and all is good.

On April 1st, I asked Alysa to marry me. Trying to fool her, I had a 25-cent ring in the box, but in the end I pulled out the real thing. Try telling your family and friends that you are engaged on April Fool’s…it was tough! Finding Alysa was the best thing that could have happened in my life. I have finally found my partner in life and the person that I want to share every day with.

Alysa’s Story:
April 1st Tim proposed, I just had to ask if he was April Foolin’ me! It was so cute, I walked into the room and he was down on one knee with a 25-cent frog ring in the box. He asked me if I would marry him. I told him, “Not with that ring!” It was such a surprise, and he was super proud that he got me good, because I had no idea.

The post April Fool’s Proposal Sealed with 25-cent Ring appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

About five weeks into dating Molly, my mom was driving through Seattle and stopped in for dinner.  Naturally, I was excited to introduce her to Molly.  After about an hour of conversations like jobs, friends, sports, college, religion and pets, we finally got to family.  Molly told my mom that her mother had attended Queen Anne High School.  My Mom calmly asked what her maiden name was, and it all started from there (by “started” I mean a jaw-dropping gasp followed by a five-minute dumbfounded look).

It turns out that not only did our moms go to high school together (my mom is two years older than Molly’s), but Molly’s mom was in the same graduating class as my aunt and uncle (they were high school sweethearts).  This by itself was fun to discover, but it was nothing in comparison to the discovery that our grandparents were best friends!  My Grandpa Jack and Grandma Barbara were like peas in a pod with Molly’s Grandpa Bob and Grandma Betty Carol.

As you can imagine, after that night of dinner, both of our families quickly learned of the coincidence.  Pictures started surfacing of our grandparents having dinner together, playing with the kids together, and every once in a while, having cocktails together (apparently all four were fans of a stiff martini).

Molly and I went to her Aunt and Uncle’s for Easter dinner a few weeks later, only to see the wedding present my grandparents gave them years earlier.   A few weeks after that, my mom dropped off a painting Molly’s grandmother had painted and given to my grandmother as a present long ago.  These things were all small gifts and keepsakes that tied our families together long before eHarmony even knew who we were.

After a year of dating, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Molly (I actually knew about two months into our relationship, but it took a year to grow enough guts to propose).  That said, I decided to completely surprise her with a ring, dinner out and a surprise party with our family and friends.  At the surprise party, my parents presented us with a gift that will hang on our wall forever.  Somehow and somewhere they found a framed copy of my grandparents’ wedding certificate—signed by their witnesses, Molly’s grandparents. Unfortunately, none of our grandparents are with us anymore, but we definitely know they are smiling at the thought of Molly and I walking down the aisle together.

The post Success Couple Shares Amazing Commonalities appeared first on eHarmony Blog.

Jeff and I were matched in July 2007. We were 25 years old and had both been single for a year or so. I tried another dating site prior to this with disastrous results, and this was his first time trying online dating. We really enjoyed the entire eHarmony process and took our time getting to know each other that summer through daily emails, instant messages, texts and phone calls. After 2 months we agreed to meet!

It was the most perfect first date! Jeff had done his homework and was in cahoots with my best friend to get information on my favorite local restaurant, favorite flowers, etc. The day of our date, he arrived at my door with pink roses! We then went to a local park and he made it really personalized by bringing some of my favorite things… the Connect Four game and green tea to sip on while we sat outside and enjoyed the sunset over the marina. Later on, we actually went to a restaurant called Sunsets—so fitting! We enjoyed some great conversation and we knew there was definitely a connection!

We started to spend a lot of time together, but then a week later he had to go to Germany for work for 10 days. It seems like a relatively short time now but it seemed forever back then! When he returned to the US on Sept. 22nd, he asked me to be his girlfriend!

Our first year together was full of a lot of positive memorable events. For our first anniversary he even surprised me with a very romantic re-enactment of our first date, it was definitely a walk down memory lane.

Our second year together was full of trials and tribulations. In June 2009, I was laid off from my job, and shortly thereafter I learned that I had potentially cancerous kidney tumors. Jeff was by my side through all of it, supporting me and encouraging me through these ordeals. On September 16th, 2009 our families met each other for the first time. It was the day of my surgery to have these tumors removed. I was admitted to the hospital and spent 12 hours in surgery. Fortunately, the doctors were able to remove the tumors, save my kidney, and told our anxious families it wasn’t cancer!! Jeff says that that was a moment in time he will never forget—seeing our families come together for us and each other, crying and hugging, and knowing that I was going to be ok.

I was in the hospital recovering for a week, a few days in ICU and then in a regular room. Jeff came to visit during every visiting hour and helped me do normal everyday things like shave and wash my hair because I couldn’t do it myself! Even the nurse I had told me that her husband would never do that stuff for her…I felt so blessed to have a wonderful, thoughtful, generous and caring boyfriend.

Our families also helped a lot, bringing dinner when I could finally eat and just coming to visit. Ironically, our 2nd anniversary was the day before I got discharged from the hospital. We made the best of it and Jeff brought another one of our favorite games and we celebrated right there in my hospital room!

I spent another 2 weeks at home and Jeff bent over backwards to make sure would have a restful and speedy recovery. It worked! I was able to go back to work much sooner than expected and my doctor couldn’t believe how fast I was recovering! I know it was because of Jeff and our families’ unconditional love and support.

Two months later, Jeff asked me to go engagement ring shopping. I was thrilled; we had so much to celebrate! We waited until after the holidays and went on my birthday.

Exactly 6 weeks later, on this past Valentine’s Day 2010, he proposed!!  We are beyond thrilled, as are our families, and we are currently planning a destination wedding. We love telling everyone how we met, and we always sing the praises of eHarmony to others. Thank you so much for everything that you do—you have changed our lives forever!

The post A Valentine’s Day Proposal: Jennifer and Jeff’s Story appeared first on eHarmony Blog.