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Like many couples today, Daniel Dick and Melissa Jones met over the phone. But instead of the dating app’s algorithm uniting the two, their love story traditionally began. very A modern twist: they met through a matchmaker’s Instagram story.
Speaking to TODAY.com, Dick, a 35-year-old public sector consultant, describes the fall of 2021 as his “rock bottom.” He lost his girlfriend and job over the course of a few months. With nothing more to tie him to Austin, Texas, Dick decided to move back to the Dallas area with his parents, where he began therapy…and spent time scrolling through social media. rice field.
In a now fatal twist, Dick stumbled upon Maria Avgitidis’ TikTok account. Dick says he was immediately intrigued by Avgitidis’ nuanced, no-nonsense perspective on life and dating.
“She does it in a very humorous and lighthearted way. I fell in love with her advice,” says Dick.
Speaking to TODAY.com, Avgitidis, founder of boutique matchmaking firm Agape Match, says she considers herself the “big sister” to her 46,000 Instagram followers (and even more on TikTok). In her weekly Instagram Story segment called “Ask a Matchmaker,” she answers questions from her followers with wry, memorable wisdom. Her die-hard fans also called her hotline, conducted it on Zoom, and converted it into a podcast episode.
One day in March 2022, Dick called Avgitidis for tips on meeting women in real life. Avgitidis’ “great advice” inspired me to meet more people.What Dick didn’t expect was that he had already Made a first impression on a woman: Avgitidis followers were listening to a Zoom call.
The next day, Avgitidis contacted Dick about a message from an interested woman. Apparently, more than a few listeners wanted to know more about the “progressive Army veteran who lived in Austin.”
Knowing he had quite a few followers in the Lone Star State, Avgitidis asked Dick to send him relevant information and his “best pics” so he could share his profile to his Instagram story. , she tells her TODAY.com, this way the woman could contact him directly if she was interested in a date.
Dick has said he was both “hopeful” and “skeptical” about Avgitidis’ offer. Because he feared that the same cosmetic factors that made dating apps difficult (his short stature and balding hair) would rule him out.
“A few days later, I received several messages from girls, but only one really piqued my interest,” recalls Dick. She’s Melissa Jones from Uvalde, Texas. “She told me that she was a Christian like me, that she had similar worldviews and interests, and that she had even studied at Texas A&M at the same time as me.”
Dick was struck by the resemblance, and so was Jones.
Speaking to TODAY.com, the 35-year-old civil servant knew he had to “act fast” when he saw Dick’s profile. She wanted to go back there.
“I started going through a list of all the details about him. All the information he listed was exactly the same as mine,” she says. “Aggy. Check. Age 34. Check. Protestant. Check.”
A virtual date was set less than an hour after she sent the message. “I kept the first date short, but it worked. There are no awkward pauses or red flags in the conversation,” she says.
However, the transition to face-to-face dating has had its challenges. Back in Austin, Dick found Uvalde Jones over three hours away from him. On their first date, they met in the middle: San Antonio.
Dick recalls the impression Jones made on him. “I was stunned when I saw Melissa stepping into Freetail Brewery in her lovely white dress. She was truly a beautiful person inside and out,” he says. .
What started as a lunch date turned into a marathon. First an arcade bar, then a movie and dinner at a Palestinian restaurant, all capping it off. At the end of the day, they decided the relationship was worth the long drive and took turns making the trip.
“We spent hours moving, and it didn’t deter us,” says Dick. “I enjoyed every moment we had together. Laughter, love, tears, kisses and warm hugs are what I’ve always wanted.”
Avgitidis says she found out about their relationship when Dick and Jones started tagging her in posts. Knowing it helped introduce another couple made her “very happy,” she says.
“The most rewarding part of my job is hearing that I helped someone, even if it wasn’t a paying client,” she says. “It means the world to me.”
A defining moment in Dick and Jones’ relationship came in May 2022 when Jones learned of an active shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. killed two people. A permanent polling place near Jones’ office was used as a reunion site for families affected by the tragedy.
“My heart sank,” Jones recalls seeing a line of ambulances outside his office.
Knowing he had to be by her side during that tragic time, Dick left work early. “It fell apart,” he says.
“Daniel was there and he held me while I cried. An ugly cry. The type who doesn’t know if he can breathe,” she says. “And he was there for me when I woke up in the middle of the night.
“That day and the weeks that followed, though terrifying, were the touchstones of our relationship,” Jones says. We (saw) that we are there for each other, and we will be stronger and closer than ever.
Knowing that Jones was the woman for him, Dick began making plans to propose in December. Because he knew they would dress up.
Jones saw through the guise, saying that Dick had surrendered himself by being “very persistent” in his nails. It didn’t take,” she says.
Not wanting to spoil the surprise, Jones played along. When she met him and Dick got down on one knee, Jones answered “yes” before even asking the question.
“When Daniel asked me to marry him, it was easy for me to say yes to him,” Jones says. What we have is much tougher: when I can’t, he fights for me, and I do the same for him.
The now-engaged couple have started planning their wedding, and Avgitidis wants to attend the event.
“I am thrilled to begin this journey of life with Melissa,” says Dick. “Through podcasts, Instagram and her audacity, I am grateful to have found a woman to build her family and grow old with. I can’t imagine life.”
All it took was a touch of daring and the magical touch of a matchmaker.
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