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!
LESHA & VANESSA
Queens, NY
Lesha, 53, transportation officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Vanessa, 46, media professional
Lesha and Vanessa first met on Fire Island in August 2013 while both were there with mutual friends. "As the day progressed," says Vanessa, "Lesha gravitated over to where I was sitting with the hope of finding a way to strike up a conversation with me. The rest is history." They say the key to their success is that they challenge and stretch one another, and try not to let issues get in the way. Of course, money is often a point of contention between couples, and Lesha and Vanessa have faced problems in this area. "Lesha is a spender and I´m a saver," says Vanessa. "We cannot tell you how many disagreements we´ve had over money and saving. There came a point when we almost broke up over it. We stepped back and asked ourselves, ´Are we really going to break up over money? Are we going to continue to argue over this at this point in our lives?´" Lesha says they decided their commitment was the most important thing. "[We] started having raw discussions about how we could fix it. The outcome was Vanessa manages our finances and developed a budget and savings plan that works for both of us." This August they will be married, exactly two years after they entered each other´s lives. Beyond that? "We want to have a deeper love, commitment and respect for one another. And do a lot of traveling!"
