Two Weddings are Better than One

She soon found a profile for Robert Davidson. "He seemed outdoorsy and also intelligent," she said, "and I knew that if he lived on 109th Street, we'd probably already be dating."

Dr. Davidson's profile indicated that he lived in New Hampshire, 223 miles to the north. As a woman who appreciated math and symmetry, the fact that his distance matched her birthday seemed a plus. She sent a message that said only, "Isn't it a coincidence that we live 223 miles apart?"

Photo On Jan. 2, the groom and groomsmen began the day with a polar plunge before the nonbinding ceremony at the church. Credit Laura Sharpless

At the time, Dr. Davidson couldn't fathom the significance, numerical or otherwise.

"I messaged her back and our conversation was definitely interesting," said Dr. Davidson, 42, who holds a Ph.D. in genetics from Duke and works as a principal scientist at Avitide, a firm in Lebanon, N.H., that purifies pharmaceuticals. "She seemed kindhearted with absurd humor, but the distance just seemed too far," he said. "And she didn't have a car. I eventually decided it just wasn't worth my time replying."

Things changed a year later when OkCupid's location algorithm let him know that Ms. Sanderson had moved to Providence, 150 miles away. He sent a note asking how she was doing in medical school. And a lthough she didn't remember him, after perusing his profile again, she agreed to take a train and meet him for a January dinner in Boston.

On the appointed night, they looked across a chilly Boston Harbor as lightning darted across the sky and a stream of planes took off from Logan Airport. Ms. Sanderson, who has an abiding interest in aeronautic design, surprised him with her ability to identify the model of every plane.

After dinner, he offered to drive her back to Providence so she wouldn't have to rush to the last train. "She was so striking, but a total nerd," he said. "She knew all about cytokines and seemed obsessed with airplane mechanics and engineering. I'd never been to Providence and thought it was as good a time as any to get to know Rhode Island's capital."

Before the date, Sean Love, a medical school colleague of Ms. Sanderson's and a devotee of "The Millionaire Matchmaker," offered advice about finding Mr. Right. "I insisted she stick to one of my cardinal rules on their first date, no more than two drinks and no getting physical," he said. "Faithful Linnea adhered to this."

More than once, Dr. Davidson took a chance and drove three hours to Providence just to see if she could squeeze in brunch with him. "At first I wasn't sure if it was creepy or not," she said.

Eventually, Ms. Sanderson spent a weekend at Dr. Davidson's house on the shore of Mascoma Lake, in western New Hampshire. And soon, the couple began spending every week end together, sometimes at the lake, where they fished and cooked together.

While cooking, Dr. Davidson revealed his meticulous nature. Ms. Sanderson said, "The first time my mother met him, she was struck by the uniformity of his vegetable cutting, saying she thought the squash and carrots looked machine-chopped."

Everywhere they went, including regular visits to Rhode Island and New York, they doted on Ms. Sanderson's rescued terrier, Penny. "Penny is the center of her universe," said Patricia Lomando, Ms. Sanderson's friend since seventh grade. "I knew Rob was the one for Linnea when she sent me a photo of Rob napping on the bed with Penny tucked under his arm."

David Watts, Dr. Davidson's friend from graduate school, said: "He started making decisions and sacrifices I'd never seen before. He became generous with his time, thoughtful about his career and more careful as a listener. He felt strongly enough about Linnea to buy a condominium in Providence so she would have a safe place to live."

It was on the basketball court that Ms. Sanderson most surprised Dr. Davidson's friends. She could "execute an up-and-under move that could result in a college-level basketball player looking quite foolish," Dr. Davidson said with pride.

"I'm not someone who loses well or easily," he said. "But Linnea is naturally good at a lot of things I pride myself at being good at, so I have to learn the lesson of humility. She can play competitively at just about any sport you want to try to pick up: Ping-Pong, croquet, darts, pool. However, she really takes tremendous pride in none of it. She's much more proud of her artistic abilities and of attaining knowledge and mostly of the relationships she's built."

A year after they began dating, Dr. Davidson surprised her with a marriage proposal at exactly 2:23 p.m. — just as she was stepping off the Boston train to meet him.

The couple had wanted to wed before their friends and family at the Annisquam Village Church in Gloucester, Mass., on Leap Day, Feb. 29, "because it's magical, with physics, astronomy, time and history melting together to give the world a bonus day," Ms. Sanderson said.

But because it fell on a Monday, "it didn't work with my school schedule, or anyone else's work schedules," she said.

Instead, on Jan. 2, the groom and groomsmen beg an the day with a polar plunge before the nonbinding ceremony at the church. A reception for 135 followed at Cruiseport, a large event space in Gloucester.

"We wanted to celebrate with friends and family during the holidays when I had a break from school and our guests could spend a long weekend," she said.

Nevertheless, he said, they remained committed to "legally solemnize on Leap Day." Besides the wedding couple, in attendance were the Rev. Deirdre White, the Presbyterian minister who had led the earlier ceremony; the bride's mother and younger brother Jeff; and Penny, the bride's dog, who, like her owner, walked down the aisle for the second time.

After they exchanged their vows, the doubly married cou ple rang the church's old brass bell to announce their wedding. Ms. Sanderson, wearing her silk bias-cut wedding gown for the second time, announced, "We're going to get married again on April Fool's Day, because as long as the dress fits, I want to get married monthly."

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Source: Two Weddings are Better than One