Captivating Couples 2015
Phoenix, AZ
Gwen, 43, dental hygienist
Ronda, 47, corporate travel agent
"Seriously, our biggest challenge has been our timing," say Gwen and Ronda. "We have always known that we were meant for each other, but circumstances seemed to always keep us from having a relationship." They first met 17 years ago in Alaska, but were both with other people. Then they had a period when they were free, but didn´t want to mess up their friendship. "As the years went by, one of us was ready to commit and the other wasn´t, and it went back and forth like that for years… Thankfully, fate stepped in–we were reunited three years ago, and haven´t spent a moment (besides work) apart ever since," says Gwen. The thing that once kept them apart, their friendship, is now the thing that binds them together. And fate seems to be in their corner this time. Not only was same-sex marriage recently made legal in Arizona, but they also just won a contest to get a free dream wedding, courtesy of the Hotel Palomar in Phoenix! "I used to have a lot of regret about [the years spent apart]," says Gwen, "wishing we would have just been together from day one, but now, as I look back, it was so important for us to have our own life experiences first, so we could be ready to totally commit to the one."
All you need is love!
CASSI & HEIDI
New York, NY
Cassi, 31, special education teacher/graduate school instructor
Heidi, 33, associate director of adult services at The Center and adjunct professor at NYU´s Silver School of Social Work
Online dating was the ticket for Cassi and Heidi. They met on OKCupid in 2013—and early on, Heidi sensed Cassi was someone special. "We were just casually dating and three months later, Cassi made me a queen-size quilt for my birthday. I´ve been nailed down ever since," she says. "She´s so funny and smart and sexy." Cassi knows she´s found someone unique in Heidi as well, and appreciates her strength and kindness. (She also thinks her butt is pretty sexy, too!) "We laugh together all the time," they say. "We´re super sex-positive, and share a lot of the same values and goals." Another thing they have in common is their work and multitasking lifestyle: Cassi is a special education teacher and a graduate school instructor, while Heidi is also an instructor, in addition to her job as the associate director of adult services at The Center. (When do these ladies sleep?) They´ll be getting married in August and currently live together in a studio apartment with a cat, a pug and a lizard. "Oddly enough," they say, "the apartment seemed to magically get bigger once we were all in." Life will be sure to get crowded, however, if they faithfully stick to their five-year plan. They´re thinking about babies and more animals, too. "We´re hoping to start a family, then a softball team."
