When Eric Davies' marriage broke up, he was the first to admit he was 'disillusioned' with the dating process.

However the Lower Hutt office manager joined FindSomeone after friends convinced him that internet dating was THE way 30-45 year olds met these days.

"Life's just too busy to be spending time in pubs and clubs - been there, done that, got the stamp on my hand and a hole in my cash-flow to prove it. With internet dating, you get to know the person before you meet, and you can weed out the weirdoes. I think it's actually a better way of meeting people."

And meet people, Eric did.

"I did meet and make a couple of very good friends whom I''m still in contact with today," he says.

"Everyone I was interested in wasn''t interested in me or they lived in a region outside of Wellington. I didn''t want to be one of those guys who bombard women with smiles/messages en masse, so I was quite selective about whom I smiled at."

But then along came Jacqueline Huntley.

"Jacqui actually smiled at me first and we started messaging shortly afterward," says Eric. "We chatted on line every day for about two weeks prior to meeting for a dinner date. We have very similar backgrounds, interests and life experiences and we really 'clicked' on-line - pardon the pun."

The couple had their first date on a Friday after work at the Empire Hotel in Petone for dinner.

"It was a very hot afternoon and the place was packed; I was worried about armpit stains. I bought flowers - which Jacqui loved - and the waitress could see that we were on a date, so reserved a special table for us away from the crowd. We were both very nervous, but the minute Jacqui walked in the door, I knew I'd found my "lobster"," says Eric.

"We talked and talked and talked, then went for a walk along Petone beach and tried (without success) to get some ice-cream. We both couldn't wait to see each other so made a date for the next day. We met again for lunch - a picnic at Wilton's Bush, and talked and walked the entire day away," says Eric.

"We'd had three dates by the end of the weekend and were constantly texting/calling/FSOing each other the whole time we were apart. By Monday, I knew that I would be spending the rest of my life with Jacqui and she felt the same."

Some of Jacqui's family and friends were a bit dubious about the fact she''d found love online, but after Eric was introduced and they realised that he "wasn?t some creepy guy who preyed on women via the internet", they came to adopt him as a future son-in-law.

Eric's biggest tip for those on Find Someone is to persevere.

"Make sure your profile is honest and you don't embellish things like how tall you are, how much you weigh etc. Don't come on too strong, I was always looking for someone I could be friends with first and if that turned into a romance then that would be great, but I didn't go looking for love - it's hard to love someone you aren't friends with. Jacqui is my best friend and we've built our relationship on that first," he says.

Other advice Eric passes on to others is not to bombard people with smiles or messages, be selective and always, always be polite. "Avoid txt language and re-read everything you write before you send it, it''s important to be very clear. Don't take rejection too hard, you may have just dodged a bullet."

The team here at FSO wish Eric and Jacqui all the best for their upcoming wedding this Christmas.