A romance begun on Boston.com winds up at the altar

Boston.com bumped into David Shepherd, 39, and Rena Gyftopoulos, 35, at the Santa Speedo Run this past December and was excited to hear that the couple, who met through the Boston.com Personals, is engaged! David and Rena currently live together in South Boston and are getting married on July 17, 2004.

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Getting started

Rena: I had moved to Boston from New York at the end of May 2002 and I had to get something going. I had lived in New York for nine years, and established a creative community. I'm an architect and from Lincoln, Mass., originally. But the last time I lived here, I was a teenager and a really different person. I wanted to meet people not in my circle and explore a different community in Boston that I didn't know before.

I have four friends from New York who all met their significant others online. Two are married, one is getting married in April, and one is living with her boyfriend. I tried online dating for the first time in June of 2002.

David: I started doing online dating in June 2002. I have Boston.com as my homepage and always noticed the Personals on the side of the page with the little quote of the day. So I just decided to check out what people's profiles were like, and it seemed really interesting and wasn't your typical laundry list.

The profile questions allow you to use your wit and intelligence. Written communication for me is a better indication of who I am.

I only went on a date with one other person before I met Rena, but I had enjoyed the whole e-mailing back and forth thing. Even if I wasn't going to go on a date, it was just an enjoyable experience for me.

First impressions

Rena: I didn't put my picture on my profile because the city is small. But I knew that without my picture, I would probably have to make the first move.

By the time we had met, we had very comfortable conversation. We went for a fancy dinner, too, at Rowes Wharf.

David: When Rena responded to my profile, I thought she was adventurous and not afraid to be herself. Women in Boston often aren't as open as Rena. She was really smart and adventurous. She skis, surfs, and she's not afraid to try new things or to put herself out there.

We started to e-mail each other, then went on a date. When I first met her, I had no idea we'd be getting married a year and a half later. But I thought she's someone that I would really want to hang out with. Right off I felt so comfortable. I think the way she acted helped me be myself.   Continued...