Awww (*always cries at weddings*)

Virtual couple ready for real-life wedding

Jul 29 2007

by Catherine Evans, Wales On Sunday


A COMPUTER geek who wed in a virtual world has proposed just 24 hours after meeting his ‘bride’ in real life.

Welshman Paul Hawkins popped the question to his Californian internet ‘wife’ Rhonda Lillie as they enjoyed an intimate dinner on their first weekend together.

The couple met and fell in love on cult website Second Life, a computer-generated land where people can create their own alter egos – called avatars – and live out their dreams. More than eight million ‘residents’ currently live in the virtual world.

Mum-of-three Rhonda, 37, and Paul, 41 – who call each other by their avatar names Heart and Joe – dumped their real-life partners and exchanged vows in an idyllic ceremony next to a computerised waterfall in 2005.

But now they are planning to wed in person after meeting in the flesh for the first time on July 20.

Describing the moment she stepped off the plane and into Paul’s arms, Rhonda said: “When I was first walking through the arrival gate, I was just looking for him. Then I recognised his smile. As I walked towards him I felt overwhelmed, it was just a flood of emotions. I put my hands to my lips, I felt faint, like I wasn’t breathing.

“I didn’t think I’d make it to him. It’s like I’ve been in a dream for the last two years and now I’m waking up and it’s real.”

The couple spent time in London before heading to Paul’s Newtown home in Mid Wales, where Rhonda was introduced to her future mother-in-law and Paul’s autistic 15-year-old son, Judge.

It was while they were in London – only a day after meeting – that Paul, a full-time carer, asked Rhonda to be his wife.

“He proposed to me in a restaurant in London. We were having a really deep conversation and I thought things were going really well. Then he looked like something else was on his mind and he just got up and left the table. I was a bit worried I’d said something wrong! Then he came back with the ring and just proposed to me there and then,” she said. “I said yes straight away, took his hand and said, ‘I will never leave your side’.”

Paul added: “I wanted the ring to be really special. I bought a £400 Welsh gold ring, with the word ‘cariad’ inscribed on it, which is Welsh for ‘darling’.

“It was so nerve-wracking when I proposed! I carried the ring everywhere because I didn’t know where or when I was going to do it.”

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For entire story see:
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0600uk/tm_method=full%26objectid=19535482%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

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Sweet Story -

Until this part.

I have to agree with you. Maybe if they where always single nerds, then it would be a nicer story.

Yeah, that 'dumped' part was a bit harsh. But still-- very sweet story! Best of luck to both of them.

Ahh heart and joe kudos to both of you

These two from what i saw where so happy together it seemed like a perfect match (hell at first i thought they WERE married to eachother in first life hehe Not to mention they did awesome work in SL! *taps his boots from heart and giggles*)

Anywho to heart and joe; may you both live happy and hopefully without many problems along the road

I thought that was sad.

Especially when you throw in the man's son is autistic. I just pictured a wife who struggled raising him only to find out her sacrifice not appreciated and now is either the single mom of a special needs child, or else seperated from him.

Hopefully the situation isnt as bad as that.

We don't know the specifics. It happens a lot in real life, also. The writer chose to use an extremely emotionally intensive verb suggesting Second Life was to blame, but only Heart & Joe know the real story there.

In any case, so much for my plan of "lightening the mood" a little on the forums, heh.

*Goes off in search of something to do while SL is unplayable.*

I guess I could go ... Sweat! (My Entropia avatar is up to 812 units of the stuff, woot!)

I met Heart way back in '05 when I first stumbled upon their (Heart & Joe's) shop. They were selling the cutest shoes called "Romper Stompers" and using the money from those sales to save for their IRL meeting.

There's a lot to the story that the article doesn't reveal and perhaps the reporter clearly did not know or chose to dance around the truth in that article. I'm quite sure if you asked Heart, she'd tell you. *shrugs*

They're both very wonderful people.

I wish you two all the best. I'm happy to see that all your waiting and hard work has paid off.

<3
Ame

I didnt mean to derail your thread - not really

Just the "Sweet" is tarnished if their relationship ended their earlier ones.

Im sure there were a lot more mitigating factors , and the couple is probably great people and theres a lot of reasons for what happend.

Just when divorce and a split household of a special needs child enters in - it loses the "Sweet" label to me.

I still think its good the two found each other and are happy - I dont mean to imply that I dont.


Perhaps "Bittersweet" .. like much of life.

Cult Website?

Did we forget to reprogram you?

Thanks to both - I was getting bogged down on the whole sweet vs "cult" thing - thanks for the perspective - lol


For them - the media will always give their own twisted outlook - maybe there is a reason these people did not work out as families in their prior attempt - just the special needs child must have been a huge requirement in the one family - and in the story, we do not really find out 1) what member (the mom or dad) gets the child or 2 ( what lengths they went thru to make everything work)

Yes it is possible that the people were hugely uncaring types that all they wanted was to make for their own happiness ---- but it can also be that they took care of all the primary social and familial needs - and then pursued their own happiness - myself, I am going to hope they were responsible and all that was left was to care for each other.

There has got to be hope.

You can watch the whole love story here: http://preview.itv.com/Soaps/WebLives/SecondLifers/default.html

i wish there was a 'real' rolling eyes smiley. *rolls eyes*

my fave part... he's a full time carer. which means, Rhonda honey, you will now be supporting him and his kid. and mom, no doubt.

i'm not skeptical. really.

And if they didn't both have kids whose families were taken apart and reassembled by this.