Christopher Rimmer and Viktorija Vakulenko, both 34, met on Christian Dating for Free.
After just one month of talking online, Viktorija, who is originally from Latvia, travelled to the UK for work and met Chris in his hometown of Southport, Merseyside.
The pair discussed the idea of marriage on their first date and despite feeling an instant connection, abstained from having sex. One month later, Chris popped the question on Southport Pier where the couple had enjoyed one of their first dates.
The pair organised to get married in June 2019 – two months after they first met – and tied the knot at Shoreline Church, Southport, surrounded by 60 family and friends.
Chris and Viktorija have now returned from their honeymoon in Barcelona and can’t wait to start the rest of their lives together.
‘The moment I saw his profile I felt a connection to him – his photos made him look open and kind,’ Viktorjia said.
‘I spoke to a few people on the site but after I met Chris on there I stopped my other conversations and put all my attention onto him.
‘He had such a strong passion for ministry and it just felt right. I knew there was something special and we went for it.’
Viktorija joined the dating site in March 2019 after her sister encouraged her to sign up. She had only been a member for two weeks when Chris came across her profile and struck up a conversation with her.
‘I wasn’t sure about joining the dating site but I’d moved home after travelling in Thailand and my sister suggested it would be a good way to meet people – even just to make some friends,’ said Viktorija.
‘I spoke to a few people and then Chris started a conversation with me and it just felt right. To be honest I was planning to stay alone for a while – I didn’t expect to meet someone so quickly.
‘At the time I started applying for jobs in the UK and I planned to go over for the some interviews. It tied in together and I could also finally meet Chris.
‘I remember being at the airport with my mum and she could already see how happy I was, giggling on the phone to him.
‘I already felt like I was in love with him when we were talking online.’
Viktorija moved to Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, to stay with a friend before travelling up to meet Chris first the first time over Easter weekend in April 2019.
She said: ‘There was a postcard in my host’s house of Southport and [I] thought: “That looks so nice, what a cool place”.
‘It felt like there were lots of signs for us to be together and I was taking those signs as direction. I was super nervous but there were lots of sparks the moment we met at the train station.
‘He took me to the pier and it was such a romantic first date.
‘We started talking about marriage that day – we both knew that’s what we wanted. We joined that dating app because we were hoping to meet someone to have a future and because we both have the same faith.
‘Chris had a spare room for me to stay in that weekend and we knew nothing else romantic was going to happen. We were both prepared to wait until we got married because it felt right.’
After their first weekend together, Viktorija started looking for work in Southport so she could be closer to Chris.
Chris decided to pop the question on 15 May – less than four weeks after they first met face-to-face. He hatched a plan to take her to the pavilion restaurant, Southport, where they had one of their first dates and he asked staff to film the moment he popped the question.
Viktorjia said: ‘I knew we were going to get married because we talked about it but I didn’t know when it would happen.
‘Chris took me to the restaurant and it was a beautiful sunset. When he asked me I was so surprised and excited – it was all perfect.’
The couple couldn’t wait to make things official and set a date for the big day on 15 June this year.
She said: ‘My mum and sister came over from Riga but my dad couldn’t make is so Chris’ dad offered to walk me down the aisle.
‘We had only just met and he said I was “perfect” for Chris – it meant so much. Everyone had a great day and although it started cloudy it got sunny.
‘It was a perfect day and it never felt like it was too soon, it felt like it was just the right time.
‘We want children and I’m looking forward to the future and for now we’re looking for a place to live and focusing on our ministry.’
Chris, who had been on the dating site for a couple of years, recalls the moment he first came across Viktorija online.
He said: ‘We were both on the site because we wanted to meet someone and get married, I just hadn’t met that person yet, not until I found Viktorija.
‘The moment I saw her pictures I thought: “Who is this girl? I have to speak to her”.
‘We were so similar and we both had a strong belief in our Christian faith which brought us closer together.
‘The moment I met her I knew we were going to get married – we wanted to get to know each other a bit and become best friends. The day I proposed I didn’t have much of a plan, I just knew I wanted to take her to the pier where we had one of our first dates.
‘The sunset was incredible and I knew I had to do it then.
‘I told the staff I was going to propose and asked them to film us. It was perfect and they helped make the day really special for us.
After getting hitched, the pair went off to Barcelona for a honeymoon.
Since returning, they’ve been on the hunt for a home to call their own.
‘Everything’s a bit up in the air at the moment, we’re looking for somewhere to live to get settled.
‘We’re taking each day at a time and enjoying getting to know each other more.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/14/couple-who-met-on-dating-app-marry-after-just-two-months-of-dating-10914115/
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