Tell us what it was like to meet in person.
Ghrelsognn: WOW!! By the time we first met in August 2008, we knew everything about each other. We had been talking everyday for three to four months. We had exchanged pictures, so we knew there was the physical attraction. We had talked about what we wanted out of life, short term and long term. She had decided to fly to where I am for our first meeting. We had total trust with each other. I wasn't scared – nervous, but I was anxious, excited and very happy that we finally were going to get to spend some time together.

Aleiriella: It was amazing!! I could not wait to meet Ghrel in person. I could not wait to hold him and tell him how much I loved him! We had been waiting a long time. Finally the day was here. As I look back now, I was not nervous at all. I was more anxious than anything. He went to pick me up at the airport. He was standing there waiting for me with flowers with a bit of a trembling smile. I ran into his arms and we kissed a long, passionate kiss. We held each other for the longest time, not wanting to let go! It was a feeling that's hard to describe. That whole day and night we just held hands and could not stay away from each other. LOL

When you met, what was different about the other person than you had expected from your long-distance relationship? What things did you recognize that you already "knew and loved"?
Ghrelsognn: When we first met, I was on cloud nine. I still remember her walking through the gate at the airport with a big smile on her face. I will never, ever forget that moment.

There was nothing about her that I didn't like or didn't expect. We had been talking for so long now and knew we were going to meet, so we were always honest with each other. The things I recognized about her right away were her smile, her laugh, her eyes and the way she talked. I still remember holding her and having our first kiss; it was sweet, gentle and very very very very very very long!

Aleiriella: He seemed a bit thinner than on camera, and he was much taller than I had expected. I recognized his smile and his blue eyes. He was as loving and tender as I expected him to be. I remember him telling me before we met, "Let's just be ourselves, and we will be fine." He was right; it was like we had been together always.

Were any of your friends or family dubious about the safety or compatibility of someone you'd met in a video game?
Ghrelsognn: Well, my brother and parents both said be careful, you don't know who she is or what you are getting into. I didn't listen to them. LOL I have always been the type that's done things my own way.

Aleiriella: Yes, my family and friends were concern and wanted me to be careful. They were afraid that he was a mass murderer or something because I had met him online ... LOL I had to assured them over and over that he was a great guy and that we had been talking for a long time.

Getting married and choosing for Aleiriella to move to Canada -- that's a huge decision! How many meetings and how long did it take before you were ready for that commitment?
Ghrelsognn: Yeah, it was a big decision for both of us on what to do. We talked about a lot, and we were both willing to move. In the end, we thought it would be best if she came here. I was bit more settled, and she wanted a change, a place with spring, summer, fall and winter. I think it was December 2008; we had already gone back and forth to each others' places four or five times and she was spending two weeks here for the Christmas holidays. It was during this time we talked more seriously about getting married, what we wanted to do, where we think we should live.

Aleiriella: Yes, it was a huge decision to have to make. But, I also knew that my feelings for Ghrel were very strong. I never had a doubt about wanting to be with him. I was leaving all I knew, moving to a third-world country, as I kept putting it to him! LOL We met a few times and knew that we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives. Spending the Christmas holiday with Ghrel and his family was amazing. He made me feel like I belonged and that his house was my house. I felt so happy being there and did not want to leave.

Aleiriella, do you plan to become a Canadian citizen?
Aleiriella: Yes, I do. I would actually like to have dual citizenship.

Did you include any WoW themes in your wedding or honeymoon?
Ghrelsognn: We really didn't have enough time to plan a big wedding. We tried to get everyone together, but there were so many scheduling conflicts that in the end, we decided to elope. So on June 19, we went to Niagara on the Lake and the next day, June 20, we said our vows and I-do's and became husband and wife. I think if we would have had six months to plan our wedding, we might have done some WoW-inspired things with it.

Aleiriella : I thought about having a WoW theme in our wedding, but we ended up eloping. It would have been kewl if we could have done that. We are planning a longer honeymoon sometime in October, so maybe we will do something then. I know we will be wearing our WoW T-shirts that I got for us.

What kind of playstyle do you all enjoy now? What type of raiding do you do?
Ghrelsognn: Well, we have become very serious raiders. We did start out in a social guild, which was good for meeting people and leveling up. However, there was a time we wanted more from the game. We never got a chance to see the end game in BC, 'cause we were just hitting 70 when everyone was finishing up Kara. The initial guild was great 'cause it gave us friendships that still endure to this day.

Aleiriella: We raid about three to four nights a week. We have cleared Naxx and we are on the last boss in Ulduar. We enjoy the raiding and getting all the best loot that the game has to offer. I guess we are considered pretty heavy raiders. I have also made a few friends playing this game, and that was a plus. I love playing my Mage; she is fun and very powerful. I like being able to make food for my fellow guildies and being able to port us around. I have tried other characters, but Aleir will always be my favorite.

How has your gaming setup changed? Do you game in the same room?
Ghrelsognn: Now, I have her right beside me. I enjoy this a lot, 'cause we can help each other out quicker. When we are in a raid, we are always watching out for each other. We will let each other know if we are in trouble or need something. It does help us quite a bit.

Aleiriella: I enjoy watching him play and seeing how into his character he is. Playing next to each other is perfect, and it's what I had wanted to do for the longest time.

May those long times be lasting, indeed!

---

"I never thought of playing WoW like that!" - neither did we, until we talked with these players. From an Oscar-winning 3-D effects director to a custom action figure artist and even a bunch of guys who get together for dinner and group raiding in person every week, catch it on 15 Minutes of Fame.

---

Tags: love, marriage, meeting-in-WoW, wedding, world-of-warcraft-interviews, world-of-warcraft-people, wow-community, wow-interviews, wow-people

Filed under: Features, Interviews, 15 Minutes of Fame