Bride-to-be Blogger Carly: Remembering Our First Date

Carly and Sean at their engagement party.

During lunch with my co-workers yesterday, we started talking about how we each met our significant others. While some of those stories date back quite a while, my story with Sean began just three years ago. And since we’re coming up on the third anniversary of our first date, I thought I’d use this blog to do a little reminiscing.

People say that love comes when you least expect it, and I am a perfect example of this adage. I met Sean during my second (and final) year of grad school at the University of Delaware. Living in a college town as 25-year-olds, my roommates and I often found it hard to meet people our age. One night we decided we needed to get out of the college bar scene, and headed to the big city of Wilmington to have dinner. We had no expectations of a big night out, as we all had to work early the next morning. But after dinner, we headed to Catherine Rooney’s for a beer before heading home. And that’s where it all began—but I’ve already told you this part of the story.

After meeting Sean at Catherine Rooney’s, he invited us to a party at this house the next night. It was at this party that Sean and I really hit it off, and the night ended with him asking me out to dinner. I happily accepted, and he said he’d call me later to make plans.

With butterflies in my stomach, I waited for Sean to make that call. But Sunday came and went with no call. Then Monday. He has to call today, I thought, but my phone remained silent. I sat watching The Bachelor with my roommates that Monday night, disappointment sinking in, when finally my phone began to ring.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Carly. This is Sean”

“Oh hi, Sean!” my heart racing, “How are you?”

“Pretty good. What are you up to?” he asked.

“Oh, just watching The Bachelor with my roommates. Actually, it’s really funny—your timing is perfect!” I said. “You called as soon as the commercial break started. If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were watching it too!” (He was.)

“The Bachelor? Nah.” (Liar.) “So, got any plans on Wednesday night?”

Sean took me out that Wednesday night. He picked me up and met me at my front door. He looked incredibly handsome, wearing a blue sweater that I now know to be his favorite. He took me to a tapas restaurant where I learned Sean’s love for trying new things, and sharing with me! I had an absolutely amazing time finding out more about him and couldn’t help myself from thinking, “This is my perfect man.”

I have an email saved that I sent my mom the next morning, as I sat at work with butterflies frantically fluttering around in my stomach. I told her that I had a wonderful time with “Shawn,” (I had guessed the wrong spelling) and that I was “seriously in like.”

That seriously-in-like didn’t take long to develop into so much more. And now, three years later, I’m getting ready to marry this guy I deemed the perfect man from date one.

And I couldn’t be happier.

Did you know from the first date that this was the guy you were going to marry? Or did it take a little bit longer?

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