Maggie Halpin and Dimitri Saad

Approximate Date of the Photo
October 11, 2014

Where in Balboa Park was this photo taken
Lily Pond

Share your Love Story
Maggie and Dimitri met online, on OK Cupid. Dimitri had just started a new career in cheese, and was intrigued by the fact that Maggie mentioned she liked to go to her aunt & uncle’s house in Connecticut, where they have goats. Maggie thought, “Hey, he’s from San Diego, why not?” They discovered that they had lived only a few minutes from each other in San Diego before moving to NYC. They must have passed each other many times in San Diego and NYC, before finally meeting online.

They met in person for the first time at Café Mogador, a Moroccan restaurant in the East Village of NYC.

The first date lasted almost 12 hours. They met for a coffee at Café Mogador around 7:30 pm, but quickly outlasted their welcome in the busy restaurant. They moved on and walked down the block to the park in St. Tompkin’s Square. They picked a spot at the top of a small hill, and sat on the grass.

It was an easy-going, balmy night. There were fireflies. Everyone was out enjoying the weather. Dimitri talked about growing up in Mission Hills. Maggie shared her memories of family road trips to see her grandma in Point Loma. They learned about how their lives circled each other, never quite intersecting until they moved to NYC.

Over the length of the conversation, they moved closer and closer to each other, until they finally kissed. They stayed there until the park closed at 2am, and a Police car chased them out. Dimitri had just brought his motorbike out from CA, and had a spare helmet, so he asked Maggie if she wanted to go for a ride. They drove over the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, then back over the Brooklyn Bridge. They then found a bench near her apartment, and stayed there until Maggie had to go home to get ready for work. It was 7am.

They have been together ever since.

The proposal:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/153270745/reserve-dearest-maggie

The Wedding:
http://www.fongphotography.com/blog/

Name of the Photographer
Darin Fong

Photographer's website
www.fongphotography.com