www.carolandchriswedding42526.com

We met on Catholicmatch.com – can you believe it!

Carol’s side of the story: I give my sister, Anne Harrell credit for Chris and I meeting. For several months before meeting Chris, she wanted me to get on Catholicmatch.com dating site. Every telephone conversation she would ask me if I joined. I got tired of her asking so I finally joined. I had no intention of meeting a man, so I did not spend much time creating my profile. When Kenzie Clair heard I was on the website she looked at my profile and said it needed a few changes, so at least someone would read it. A big shout out to Kenzie for her help.

After about a week of being on the site I looked at some profiles, saw a guy that had a twinkle in his eye, a big smile and checked him out. I was drawn back to his profile and his picture several times and decided to send him a message.

Chris’ side of the story: I had never been on a dating website but gave it a try for 1 week to see if there were any legitimate contacts. It seemed that the best chance to meet a nice girl would be on the Catholic website – Lol! After 3 days I received a message from Carol. In the photo she posted on the website she was holding a beer mug while sitting on a bear statue in a Colorado brewery. BOOM! Love at first sight.

We finally met:

After 2 weeks of talking on the telephone, Carol finally agreed to meet. We met at Galuppi’s, a local restaurant, on Tuesday, October 13, 2020. Chris was a true gentleman, he ordered and bought me dinner, and we talked until the restaurant closed. On our third date, he came over to watch an FSU football game (Go Noles!). He was greeted at the door by the three shih tzus I had at that time. He didn’t know I had dogs because I wanted to see how he would react when meeting them. He won them over and me too!! (Chris’ note – I literally fell on the ground and started playing with the three dogs immediately and became an instant hero!).

We realized early on that we have common interests such our love for college football, college Gameday, music and more. Our families also had similar backgrounds which meant something special to us.

Our Engagement: Sunday, May 11, 2025, Mother’s Day

Chris wanted to make our engagement truly special. He asked Jim, Carol’s brother to join us for mass at our favorite church (St Thomas More in Boynton Beach). After mass, at the gorgeous grotto overlooking the lake Chris proposed. Jim brought champagne and glasses to celebrate the big moment. Jim and a few other family members were there to celebrate our engagement.

We are so excited about our future:

Over the years we have been through some difficult times which have made our wonderful relationship grow even stronger. We invested in our relationship by taking classes (Life Essentials) and attended a pre-wedding retreat. All of this has strengthened our understanding of each other and our foundation.

I am blessed that I will be a stepmother to Chris’s children Connor, Stephen, Katherine and Anthony. I look forward to being a part of their lives and sharing fun times with them. Chris has been overwhelmed with love and support from the Balistreri family – all the siblings, nieces, nephews, and everyone related. He feels blessed to be part of a family so much like his own and said his mother would have loved the Balisteri family!)

We thank all of you for your friendship, love and support. Each of you are special to me and Chris. We hope you will attend our wedding and celebrate with us as we begin our next chapter in our lives as husband and wife.