We were traveling along two fairly divergent paths when we joined JDate. I was finally feeling ready to start dating again after being comfortable in a great job and recovering from the loss of my mother. Sean was looking for a serious relationship after having tried blind dates and online dating without much success. I decided to create a profile on JDate as a result of being bored on a cold day and wasting time surfing the web. Sean, on the other hand, took advantage of an offer by his hometown rabbi, Donald Weber, to join JDate for free.
After having only been on JDate for about a month, Sean instant messaged me and we had a decent conversation before he asked me out. I was a bit hesitant to say yes because I considered him geographically undesirable since he lived in Baltimore. However, since he agreed to meet me in DC for our first date and let me pick the restaurant, I decided to give him a chance. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. After being thwarted at my original restaurant choice by the long lines, we went to a Chinese place. It turned out to be a great choice since Chinese is one of Sean’s favorite foods. At the end of our date, I told Sean that while other guys I met on JDate looked worse than their profile pictures, he looked better. While I felt sure that the comment would earn me a kiss, he only offered me a peck on the cheek.
Despite the inauspicious ending to our first date, we continued to see each other and, in the process, bridge the Baltimore/D.C. divide. Sean’s caretaking skills during an illness won me over and we were engaged just before the New Year after dating for nearly two years. There was no particular romantic story to our engagement, but it was wonderful nonetheless. Sean let me pick out the ring in the jewelry store and after purchasing it, he said, “So, you want to marry me?” After I said yes, he handed it to me and I have jealously guarded it ever since.
We are very grateful to Sean’s rabbi for providing Sean with a free subscription to JDate. Sean’s rabbi officiated at our wedding in August.
Melissa and Sean
Baltimore, Maryland