Letting Love In

Sometimes you meet someone and just know—and sometimes you really, really don’t. Some couples experience love at first sight; others need a multi-year slow burn before they fall. But whether the road you walk to your one-and-only is long and winding or as straight as a stroll down the aisle, the person waiting at the end for you makes it all worth it. Here, four Monmouth couples share how they met the person they would spend the rest of their lives with. A very happy Valentine’s Day to all of them—and to you!

BRUNO DUARTE AND ALEXIS HARAKAL-DUARTE, MIDDLETOWN:

“Back in 2021, I was casually dating a man. At the same time, my best friend was getting married, and I was a bridesmaid. Two days before the wedding, I called it quits with my casual date and we decided to go our separate ways. I texted my best friend and told her I no longer needed a plus one. She was having some jitters and had a bridezilla moment—she demanded I find a date. The plate was already paid for and I couldn’t show up alone. I logged into Snapchat and was anxiously looking for someone to ask. I had 48 hours.

“I came across a guy I went on a few dates with years back. I reached out and asked if he would like to go to a wedding. Free open bar—who’d turn that down, right? But I didn’t expect him to show; I just sent him the details and put my phone away. On the wedding day, I had to go in early with the other bridesmaids for hair and makeup. Then it was ceremony time. As I was walking down the aisle, I looked over—and there he was. Sitting there alone with strangers, smiling. I was nervous up at the altar, in shock that he showed at all. After the ceremony, I approached him at cocktail hour and thanked him for coming. We had a few nervous giggles and laughs—his place card at the table had the name of the other guy I’d been seeing, for instance—and as the night went on, we shared drinks and dances. After the wedding, I unexpectedly got sick. When I got to my hotel room, I found him there with every over-the-counter medication and snack under the sun. I knew in that moment he was the one. We married two years later, in 2023, and the rest is history.”

DORIAN CATTANI AND BRIAN CALENDRILLO, ASBURY PARK:

“Brian and I were neighbors when we lived in Weehawken. Another neighbor told me to check him out, and I did. We soon became friends, then partners. Throughout the whole relationship, Brian would say, ‘This isn’t going anywhere long term.’ That was mostly because he had just left a 10-year marriage, but also because he was determined to move to the beach in his 40s. I figured that was going to be why we broke up—no way I was moving! I thought he was crazy to want to. But despite what I thought and what Brian said, we stayed in this relationship and, after two years, indeed moved to the beach. I still thought it was a crazy thing to do, but I had just lost Dad and I wanted to get away, and the beach seemed like a good place to grieve. We’ve been in Asbury Park for two years, and we bought a place of our own about a year ago. I opened up my own business. We have fostered 15 dogs (with only one “foster fail”!) and are happier than ever! We love Monmouth County.”

RALPH AND DIANA MIELE, MANALAPAN:

“My husband and I were part of the same friend group when we were young and living in Brooklyn. We always went out in our 20s, the guys and the girls together, having a blast. One winter, while on a ski trip, we shared our first kiss. We dated briefly, but parted ways. I ended up getting married to someone else and had a child; he got engaged, but never married. Ten years later, now both single, we bumped into each other while at a local bar watching our friend play in his band. We picked up right where we left off and talked the entire night. We couldn’t stand to be apart, and two years later we were married. We’ve lived in Manalapan for the last 16 years with our two children.”

JAIME AND RICHARD SANACORE, LINCROFT:

“Our story begins in 2005, at a place neither of us expected love to find us: work. We met as colleagues at shipping company DHL Express, where he drove a 53-foot tractor-trailer and I was a second shift warehouse supervisor. What began carefully soon revealed its certainty. We began dating.

“It didn’t take long for life to move forward. We shared a small apartment in Red Bank. Weekend evenings became rituals, often spent at Bistro, Ashes, Buona Sera or the Broadway Diner, filled with long conversations and shared laughter. In early 2006, we put down roots in Long Branch, settling into a home that would be ours for the next 15 years. In October of that year, we got married at Bamm Hollow Country Club in Lincroft. Over the years, we witnessed not only the transformation of Long Branch with the arrival of Pier Village, but the shaping of our family: In 2011, we welcomed two daughters, one in January and one in December, turning a single year into a defining chapter of our lives.

“After Hurricane Sandy, we were looking for higher ground and a sense of permanence. We noticed a new community taking shape in Lincroft, built on the site of that same country club where we had been married years earlier. Today, that decision feels foundational. Our community has become the backdrop for everyday moments and lasting memories. Quiet mornings, school-bus stops and the gentle cadence of neighborhood life give our days a comforting rhythm, while still leaving room for what lies ahead. We built something enduring together, shaped by where we’ve been and grounded in where we are. Monmouth County has shaped our story at every stage.”