CRESTVIEW — Natalie Santiago didn't meet Chaca, her future husband, at her best friend's wedding around 2012.
But little did she know, her soulmate was in the same room. "He saw me; I didn't see him," she said.
Things were different at the same friend's birthday party the following year. Natalie and Chaca were formally introduced, and their relationship took off from there.
"He contacted me by phone and then we just started talking," Natalie, a customer service agent, said. "We decided to meet up about a month later and went out."
Their first date was at a Fayetteville, N.C., park. Chaca, a U.S. Army chief warrant officer, prepared a picnic with wine and cheese for the outing.
The chemistry was instant.
"We had great conversations," Natalie said. "When we talked, we felt the same way about certain things."
Chaca proposed marriage to her at a pond in Fort Bragg, Natalie said.
"My husband said, 'Do you trust me?' and I said, 'Yes!'" Natalie said. "He proceeded to blindfold me and led me to the water, where we got on a paddle boat.
"He paddled out a little ways and took my blindfold off. He had candles floating in the water all around us and from there he asked me to be his wife. I said yes with tears in my eyes!"
The couple have remained inseparable.
Natalie shared these words of love: "Chaca, I want you to know that you are my life! I had never thought someone could love me or treat me the way you do — thank you! I am forever grateful to God for you!
"Happy first anniversary! I can’t wait to spend many more years with you and enjoy the wonderful journey beside you. God bless you!"
Email Editorial Assistant Renee Bell, follow her on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview couple celebrates first year of wedded bliss