Love Beyond Fantasy

Peter and Ariel were both members of a Disney Dating page on Facebook, searching for love with fellow fans of the brand’s films and theme parks. After four years of just perusing, Peter decided to take the plunge and write a post telling the other members of the group about himself. Ariel, who tells Meet Cutes NYC that she had once “sworn I would never join a Facebook dating page,” had only been a member for two short months before she came across his post.

The pair quickly realized that like Mickey and Minnie, Troy and Gabriella, and any number of Disney princesses and their charming princes, it was a match made in heaven.

How did you two meet?

Peter: We met on the internet, which is something that I never thought I would do in my life. I posted an introduction of myself on a Disney Facebook page, just answering a few basic questions about who I am, what Disney things I like, what Disney things I don’t like.

I got a few comments on it, but the one that really stood out to me was Ariel’s, who just came across as a very straightforward, straight shooter kind of person. I really liked her picture as well. And I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to do this. I’m going to respond and see if she wants to chat.’ And we pretty much never stopped talking after that.

Ariel, what about Peter’s post piqued your interest?

Ariel: In general, that it was very apparent that he was a Disney lover. That’s definitely what we first connected over. But at the end of his little “about me” section he had put that he was a proud, childless Millennial. And that honestly caught my attention because so am I, and I commented back “oh, hey, me too.”

What did you have in common with your love of Disney? 

Ariel: There are things that we mutually like that are Disney, but there's also things that he likes and that I like that are kind of different. And we're able to share that with each other and almost kind of teach each other in a way. There’s Disney history that he knows that I never knew. And there's things that I know that he never knew.

Peter: I like all forms of it, but the old school stuff from when Walt Disney was alive is what I’m really passionate about. And Ariel has exposed me quite a bit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the newer Star Wars universe.

What was your first date?

Ariel: We were talking all day, every day. We’d stay up sometimes until 2, 3, 4 in the morning. We agreed to meet up one day about a month after we first started talking. We’re long distance, but he was coming to town, so we met up at Downtown Disney.

What did you do?

Peter: We went to the now-defunct UVA bar, and then pretty much toured the whole area. And then when I had to go catch my flight she told me she wanted to drive me to the airport so that we could maximize our time together. It was a very special day.

I was nervous while I was anticipating her showing up, but once she got there and we started talking my nerves were shattered right away and I felt very at ease with her.

Ariel: A couple months later we ended up going to Dapper Day, which is an unofficial Disney Day where people show up to Disneyland dressed up like people used to dress in the 50s.

I was a bit nervous because that day I was in my wheelchair and he had to push me around. I was nervous about my disability and if he was going to be accepting of having to push me around all day and having to deal with that. But he did it like it was nothing and had no problems with it at all, and that made me fall for him even more.

We went to the castle at the end of the street and embraced and that's when he told me that he loved me. To me that's when we became official.

What are the perks of dating someone who you share strong interests with?

Peter: We can always come back to that mutual appreciation. I feel like we always will have something to enjoy together and to talk about together. We both live relatively far away from the parks now, but we’ve made multiple excursions back to them. We’re actually planning on going there for New Year’s.

Ariel: Peter has been to all of the parks around the world. I haven’t. I’ve been on a Disney cruise, but he’s never been on a cruise. It’s kind of our hope and our dream to do all of that together.

Peter, do you have any advice for someone looking to craft the perfect dating profile description?

Peter: What was really helpful is that it was a Disney dating site, so I could be really honest and upfront about that aspect of who I am. There are so many pages and sites out there that are really catered to specific interests. I mean, maybe there's a wrestling dating site. If you're really into wrestling, just do it.

You don't have to put on a mask. Just just tell people who you are. You'll be surprised at the kind of people you attract.

🤔 Poll of The Day:

📊 Last Week We Asked…

“Do you believe that love can find you when you least expect it?”

• 96% said “Yes! Love is unpredictable”

• 4% said “No! You have to actively seek it”

Do you or someone you know have a meet-cute story for the Love Letter? Get in touch here!

Interviewed and transcribed by Nicolas Vega. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.