Margaret & Buddy in San Benito, TX

Margaret and Buddy spent a number of years crossing paths, but didn't meet until Buddy got a little help from a friend. After being sick all week, Margaret willed herself to go out and celebrate her friend's 21st birthday, pulling on a thick wooly sweater and putting her best face forward. That's where Buddy's friend approached her. The Bride Margaret McKinney, 29, physician The Groom Buddy Blanche, 30, director of trade reporting The Date April 5 She told Margaret that Buddy thought she seemed like a really interesting person and that she should join their table and meet him. At first, Margaret thought she had to be joking (after all, she was wearing an old, bulky sweater), but when she looked over at the table there was Buddy, clearly horrified that his friend had taken this initiative. Fortunately, the two overcame the awkwardness and went on their first date the very next night. Five and a half years later, Buddy proposed on the beach of Hanalei Bay in Hawaii.