For many couples, the rise of social media and constant engagement online or iPhones can be a point of contention and arguments. For one tech-savvy duo, the World Wide Web led to… “I Thee Wed!” Laurie Davis and Thomas Edwards met through Twitter  – yes, Twitter! – four years ago and will marry this May in Boston.

How did you meet?

Laurie: We met on Twitter! One day while I was searching #dating, I came across Thomas. His avatar attracted me right away, but once I clicked on him, his Twitter stream struck me as so insightful. I retweeted him and we had a short chat back and forth. A few weeks later when I was heading back to Boston from NYC, I direct messaged him and asked if he wanted to grab a drink.

Thomas: Truthfully, I don’t remember the RT exchange so I had no idea who she was, but I thought she was cute! I didn’t realize until later on that it was our first date!

When Thomas relocated to New York from Boston, you moved in together after a long distance relationship. Words of advice about going from long distance to near-distance quickly?

Laurie and Thomas: Long-distance relationships need a transition period when you move near-distance. We lived apart in the same city before moving into the same 500sq ft. Thomas got a sublet for three months and then we apartment hunted. And that was important to us. It’s easy to feel so excited that you want to just move in together right away, but that transition was so helpful to adjusting to life together.

You decided to live together once Thomas moved to New York. Would you do that again? What advice would you give couples looking to make the leap?

Laurie & Thomas: No matter how well you know someone, living together gives you a totally different perspective on your partner and his or her habits, personality, quirks, etc. Without fully understanding your other half, it could be a challenge to create a life together. When you move in together, you blend your worlds in a way that you simply can’t until you share a space together. Yes, we would absolutely do it again!

How did you know you wanted to propose to Laurie?

Thomas: There wasn’t a particular time for me that I decided to get engaged. In a weird way, it was more a “body of work” thing. Her continuous show of support for me and our mutual ease of being ourselves around each other were easy choices but really, I enjoyed growing and maturing with her. And watching her grow and come into her own has been an amazing experience so it was natural that I wanted to keep watching and being a part of that shared growth with her. She’s the best I have ever had and ever will have.

What’s been the hardest part of your relationship and how have you overcame it together?

Thomas: I personally went through a rough patch in my life around the time I tore my Achilles. I was bedridden for weeks and then in a walking boot for months. Being so incapacitated socially led me to feel unsure about the future of my business and career and a lot of self-doubt, which naturally crept its way into our relationship. I had a hard time voicing my concerns (which is so unlike me), but after I finally talked to her, I remembered something which change our relationship forever: relationships are worked on together and without judgment.

Laurie: That was honestly one of the most challenging times because I felt helpless. So much of it was personal for Thomas but it caused him to re-evaluate our relationship which made me feel emotionally insecure. And that was tough because we were only recently engaged! While we were visiting venues for our ‘I dos,’ Thomas was distancing himself and questioning everything. I felt it before he talked to me about it. We actually decided to prolong our engagement partly because of it. We will have been engaged for two and a half years by the time we walk down the aisle, but it was truthfully the best decision we’ve ever made for our relationship. I’d recommend a long engagement to anyone. Having some breathing room in our timeline allowed us to focus on each other and ensure that we were on the same page for all the aspects that come along with building a life together.

If your vows could only be tweets, what would they be? (140 characters or less!)

Thomas: I promise to do my best, to be my best, for the greatest future I’m about to have, sharing it with my best friend who I will love eternally @eflirtexpert

Laurie: I promise to hold your hand, your heart & your soul wherever life takes us: Boston or NY, calm or storm, bliss or tragedy, sickness or health @urwingman

Have you picked a wedding theme?

Thomas and Laurie: Our wedding in May will reflect our personalities: a dynamic venue with Thomas’ Jamacian heritage reflected in the menu and a techie décor to fit our relationship, everything will be centered around our love – and our love for social media! (Spoiler: table numbers will be hashtags!)

Laurie is the author of Love at First Click and founder and CEO of eFlirt Expert, a service that helps men and women best optimize their online dating profile to find the love they want. Thomas is the founder of The Professional Wingman, a different type of service that teaches men how to meet and start relationships with women. It was their common goal: find people love – that brought them together and has kept them together over the years.

By Aurora Brown