Interracial Marriage

Teresa & Graig -
Ohio, United States

Engaged May 2012

Interracial Marriage - A Gondola Ride and a Ring | AfroRomance - Teresa & Graig Interracial Marriage - A Gondola Ride and a Ring | AfroRomance - Teresa & Graig Interracial Marriage - A Gondola Ride and a Ring | AfroRomance - Teresa & Graig Interracial Marriage - A Gondola Ride and a Ring | AfroRomance - Teresa & Graig Interracial Marriage - A Gondola Ride and a Ring | AfroRomance - Teresa & Graig Interracial Marriage - A Gondola Ride and a Ring | AfroRomance - Teresa & Graig

A Gondola Ride and a Ring

What drew Teresa to dating on the Internet was the way it can supercharge the search for love. “I’ve used other dating sites previously,” Teresa says. “Online dating helps you sort though the interview process a little quicker.”

“This site was not my first experience,” Craig says. “I wanted to try online dating to see if I could find a person who was more like me than the random encounters out in the street. As I was specifically looking for an interracial relationship, this also let ladies see that we were looking for the same thing!”

Teresa says she was about 80% certain that nothing amazing would come of her online dating experience, but that bleak assessment was based on what happened with other online personals communities. “I’ve been on other sites in the past, with no results.”

“I was not very confident of finding love online before or even after joining the site,” Craig tells us. Well, we’re glad we could prove them wrong! And so are they. Teresa was only a member for “a week or two” before a certain gentleman contacted her. “Craig sent me an email letting me know he was interested, and that he thought we had some common interests,” she says.

We both knew we wanted a long-term relationship,” adds Craig. Teresa responded to his message, sparking a lively chain of correspondence. She describes their rapport. “I was impressed with how easy conversation was between us, and the vast number of things we both enjoyed. I could tell he was really interested because his emails were not just a few lines, and he actually thought about them before sending a reply.”

Craig appreciated that Teresa was a contemplative person, like himself, but at first it wasn’t easy to read her. “My first impression was, she sounds really cool and fun, but I thought she was very formal based on our texting and how she would imply what she wanted rather than coming out and saying it.”

In the email exchange Teresa kept her distance to some extent, but she knew Craig was her kind of guy. She didn’t keep him waiting too long for a date! “A man shows his interest when he is willing to write to you, and takes time to correspond,” she explains. “Don’t wait a few months before meeting, or they will grow bored! After several emails, I wanted to meet and see if he was who he said he was. I knew he was someone I wanted to meet face to face.”

Craig was ready, too. “I think we had gone as far as we could go with texting and phone calls. It was time to see if we had chemistry face to face. I think we also knew it was time, before we invested too much more into getting to know one another.”

Arrangements were made and after a little anxious waiting, the big day arrived. There were no unwelcome surprises at “hello,” luckily. “I was happy he was the same person in photos as in person,” Teresa says. “I was relieved that the time we invested in starting to get to know each other was not in vain.”

“Pictures don’t do her justice,” Craig says. “She is extremely intelligent and confident in herself.” He was surprised at how easily their conversation flowed, and that he actually found himself nervous in Teresa’s company. She tells us “time flew,” which is always a good sign. “We got so caught up in talking and laughing that we barely realized a few hours had passed.”

The date went so well, in fact, that before it was over the pair were already contemplating their next meeting. “I was certain [we would go out again], and I think we even talked about it before parting,” Teresa relates. “He is very close to all of the requirements of my ‘type,’ as I really thought about what I wanted and needed before I started searching.”

Craig was convinced, too. “No doubt in my mind,” he says. “I knew we had to go out again.” What impressed him the most was “her honesty,” he recalls. “And how she knew exactly what she wanted.”

For Teresa, there was more to the man she met in person than his online profile could convey. “His kindness, generosity, patience, and the way he really listens” stood out to her. “Those are all things you wouldn’t be able to grasp from a profile page,” she adds.

Craig had never dated anyone quite like Teresa before. “She is totally different,” he notes. “That explains why my previous relationships were not successful! She is my type now. I am so happy to have finally found her. We totally compliment each other’s lifestyles. Harmonious is the word that comes to mind.”

Seeing more and more of each other, the couple saw their relationship segue into serious territory. Then, it happened. “One day, out of the blue, he asked if I wanted to go to Italy with him,” begins Teresa. “Even after only knowing him a short time, I agreed. A few months later, we arrived in Venice. As part of our tour, we were treated with a gondola ride. Without my knowledge, Craig had spoken with the tour guide the evening before to arrange the perfect proposal setting, accompanied by Italian music and champagne. After a few minutes on the gondola, he professed his love for me, and asked if I would be his wife. Of course, I said, ‘YES!’”

Asked for advice to share with singles on our site, Teresa is glad to help. “Don’t put everything out there right away, or pull out the already created wedding-ideas portfolio,” she laughs. “Also, be specific in the type of person you are looking for; I even made a list at one point. Compare what you find in the people you are encountering to that list and see what you can compromise on, if they don’t measure up. Make sure your list is the things that MATTER, not the surface values.”

Craig wants to share the wisdom of his experience, as well. “Do not settle for people that play games. Be honest about what you want and your expectations up front. Also, be willing to look beyond a photograph to what is at the core of the person,” he says.

“Stay aware,” Teresa warns. “If you don’t feel right about a person/situation, then it’s probably a red flag telling you to keep away.”

Asked how he would describe true love, Craig ponders the question for a moment. “Finding the pleasures in sharing everything with someone who thinks like you,” he says. “Going through good times, and not so good times, knowing you have someone who only wants the best for you.”

“I feel like I have everything I could ever need,” Teresa says. “I feel comfort that through all things I will have a partner to share the good and the bad. Someone to laugh with, and live life to the fullest with.”

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