Alison & David in Lancaster, PA

Mutual friends thought Alison and David would hit it off on their first date. They were wrong. “Alison thought I was pompous and self-centered, and I thought she was emotionally stonewalling,” says Dave. Several months and accidental run-ins later, the two chatted at a friend’s house party, which led to a second date and, eventually, a relationship. The Bride Alison Fairbairn, 28, outpatient therapist The Groom David Pidgeon, 30, freelance journalist The Date April 4 After a year together, the subject of marriage had come up, but Dave didn’t seem especially into it. That’s why Alison was shocked when Dave proposed at the Pinnacle, a rock outcrop overlooking the Susquehanna River. Once she said yes, the couple met Alison’s parents who were waiting in the parking lot.