Beth & John
Dating after divorce marked a new chapter for both Beth and John. They were ready to find a partner for companionship and love, and both came to eharmony hoping to build a meaningful relationship with someone new. For Beth, finding love again came after a long first marriage. “I was married very young and stayed with my former husband for 23 years!” When she met John 12 years after her divorce, something about their connection felt different. “It was attraction coupled with the best humor. John just completed me. We are so similar it is sometimes scary!”
What neither of them knew at the time was just how close their paths had already come. Both worked in education and lived fairly close to each other – but they had never met.
How Beth and John matched on eharmony
For Beth, there was something about John that stood out from the beginning. “The matching process itself was terrific. I matched strongly with four men. Each of them were definitely catches – but there was just something about John.” One detail on his profile immediately caught her attention: “I especially liked the blurb under his picture: ‘educational administration.’ I knew he was involved in education, and as a special education teacher, I knew we would have a lot in common.”
John’s profile also gave Beth a clear sense of who he was and what he was looking for. “John’s profile was very clear. I knew his likes and I enjoyed reading what he was looking for.” Beth decided to make the first move: “He was the first match I contacted. All the other men reached out to me.” Looking back, the fact that eharmony brought them together feels particularly meaningful: “We never would have met without eharmony – even though we were both in education and lived fairly close.”
Building a friendship before their first date
Beth and John didn’t rush to meet in person. Instead, they spent two months getting to know each other through messages and phone calls. “For two months, we used messaging and spoke on the phone. It may seem strange that we did not meet for two months, but we were developing a relationship built on friendship first.”
Still, the connection was there from the very beginning. “From day one, we just clicked! We both went on a few dates from eharmony, but when we ‘met’ online, it was fireworks! Never a lull in conversation, similar humor, etc.” And when they finally met in person after two months of talking, the connection lived up to their expectations: “When we did meet, all the hype that was built up was TRUE. We met and that was ‘it!’”
Their first date at Bradley Beach
For their first date, John chose somewhere that already meant a lot to Beth. “I grew up spending summers at the Jersey Shore. John knew Bradley Beach was important to me. He picked me up at my home, and we went to Bradley Beach to walk the boards, then the beach.”
“We had lunch at a local restaurant and shared stories about our children and exes, of course. Afterwards, we went back to my place to swing in my backyard and have lemonade.” It was a simple first date, but one that left them both wanting more. As Beth remembers it: “The day was terrific. We made plans to see each other again.”
From dating to a serious relationship
After spending two months talking before meeting and another two months dating, their relationship began to deepen. “After dating for two months, following a previous two months of talking, we had the conversation about being exclusive and developing the relationship.” It didn’t take much longer for them to realize where their relationship was heading: “Within six months, we knew this was going to be leading to marriage.”
Four and a half years after they first started talking, Beth and John were married.
A partnership of love and support
Today, Beth describes their relationship as “a partnership of love and support.” For her, that partnership shows itself in both the difficult moments and the small details of everyday life. “John helps me in every way, whether it’s taking out the trash, supporting me during tough health times, being a caring stepfather to my adult children, or just making me laugh.”
“He will kiss me good morning every day and ask me about my day during it and afterward when we are having dinner. He knows what I need and gives me his time and love unconditionally.” Looking back at the relationship they have built together, Beth says: “We both always say this is what it should have been when we were young(er)!”
Four and a half years after that first connection on eharmony led to marriage, Beth and John are grateful their paths finally crossed. “John and I feel so fortunate to have found each other – we are truly best friends, lucky to have matched on eharmony!”