- East, Meet West

We often hear that long distance relationships rarely work out. But the lesson we learned from Tilak and Veda is that long distance is not only a relative term, but the saving grace for their relationship.

Though they were both born in India, it was the move west that paved the way for their introduction. Veda came to the States early in her childhood where she settled with her parents in the Southeast. Years later Tilak came for a job and settled on the West Coast. After many years they were once again living in the same country, but still very far from each other.

The distance didn't initially cause problems for their meeting as they found each other on a dating website. After exchanging some messages online Tilak and Veda had their first phone conversation on Valentine's Day. They hit it off and decided to meet in person. They setup a meeting where Tilak traveled east again, but this time to Atlanta to meet Veda for the first time. He knew immediately that he had found his soul mate.

Tilak commented that it was their distance, and the need for ongoing conversations that helped deepen their relationship. Veda added that it was Tilak's understanding of their Western and Eastern cultures that really convinced her that Tilak was the one for her. After a few months Veda traveled west to California where Tilak arranged a beautiful proposal for her overlooking the ocean at Big Sur.

It was one last trip east for Tilak where he and Veda tied the knot in a beautiful setting in Atlanta.

Watch their story and you'll see how long distance not only helped bring these two together but established the foundation for their relationship to thrive.

- Roots of Grace

How does an American fall in love with a Colombian while living in Singapore? If you asked Zach and Clara, they would tell you the answer lies in the roots of grace.

When Zach was presented with a job opportunity to work in Asia, he jumped at the opportunity to live aboard. Likewise, Clara found herself longing to live outside of her native Colombia and took a job working in Singapore as well.

Zach and Clara had mutual friends and they first met while playing Frisbee with some kids at a local park. There was an instant attraction and Zach asked Clara for a date.

Zach admits that he didn't handle the first date very well. He told Clara that he wasn't mature enough to handle a relationship and thought he would never see her again. But after a few months, Clara extended some grace to Zach and called him up.

Following after their Creator's pattern of grace, the two started over, and this time they found the deeper lover that they were longing for. Along the way they found points of confirmation that they were meant to be together, and so Zach dropped to one knee on the corner of a busy transit station in Singapore and asked Clara to be his wife.

Watch their story and learn how the roots of grace can grow into a fruitful vine of love.

- Grow

Young love is often cute, playful, and temporary. But for some couples, young love grows into true love. JD and Amy would be a couple found in the latter in group.

When Amy moved to Atlanta from Macon, she found herself in the same neighborhood as JD, and so naturally they met while attending their middle school. Amy recalls that she was very boy crazy at the time, and thought JD was the cutest boy she had ever met.

Their relationship began to take root when JD and Amy danced together the entire night at their homecoming dance. An awkward situation developed between the two of them, as there was an obvious yet unspoken spark, and there was no clear direction on the future growth of their relationship.

Though he was still coping with the loss of his mother, JD mustered the courage around Christmas time to IM Amy and ask her for a date. Their relationship immediately began to blossom and the two have been inseparable ever since.

Which brings us to December of 2011, where we see Amy and JD getting married during the same season where the seeds of their relationship began to take root. Watch their story and learn how two young hearts can grow together into a lifetime of commitment.

- No Surprise

Arielle and Jeremy are not big fans of surprises. Ironically, if it had not been for this mutual distaste, the two might never have met.

They both lived in the same apartment complex, and they each had friends that were working hard to set them up on a blind date. But they both refused since they didn't like the awkwardness and lack of assurance that a blind date would bring.
Meanwhile, Arielle had become the proud new owner of a puppy, and her friend seized the opportunity to try a new tactic. She asked if she could bring a friend with her to meet the new dog, and Arielle agreed. Little did she know that this friend would eventually become her husband.
There wasn't an immediate connection between Jeremy and Arielle, but the two did begin talking before the evening was over, and after a few days they enjoyed their first date over breakfast.
Watch their story and learn how two people that dislike surprises can stumble upon a lifetime of unexpected love.

- Natural Geographic

When your first date happens at the Colosseum in Rome, you'd belive you're relationship is off to a pretty good start. For Clayton and Ashley, that experience would never have been shared if it wasn't for Canadian politics and a study abroad program.

Ashley, a ballet dancer, was given the opportunity to study abroad in Italy while in college. It was tough for her though, because she had accepted a job to dance professionally in Vancouver, and her time in Italy prior to her move to Canada would only compound her mounting stress. Ultimately she decided to go even after her friends backed out of the trip.

She met Clayton, the only male student on the trip, after her arrival in Florence. He was from Florida, and a different college, so they would have had no way of meeting until they found each other in Italy. There was another guy on the trip, who was there to document the school's journey, and he learned that Ashley was moving to Vancouver and quickly engaged her in a discussion about Canadian politics. When Clayton overheard something that wasn't right, he stepped into the conversation to offer some balance.

After that Ashley and Clayton shared an audio tour at the Uffizi gallery and their relationship quickly began to blossom. There was little pressure to impress the other, as neither one was looking for a relationship at the time. So their school mandated excursions and classes served as dates, and gave them an opportunity to get to know each other very quickly.

As their trip came to a close the irony of their geographical predicament came to bear. Though they grew up only a few hundred miles from each other, it took a 5,000 mile trip for them to meet, and they would soon be separated by 3,000 miles due to Ashley's job.

Ultimately through Clayton's persistence the two stayed in touch after Ashley's move. Their marriage was forged in love, with just a little bit of help from geography.