Allison Berryhill and Dan Hoegh get married in Berryhill’s parent’s living room. They have been happily married for 40 years.

It’s obvious that dating in the world today differs from dating in the past. “47% of Americans say that dating now is harder than it was 10 years ago,” said the Pew Research Center. Most people now use dating apps and social media to communicate with each other, compared to earlier years when people had to talk face-to-face. There’s much variance in the way people not only communicate but how they meet, go on dates, and interact with one another.

Allison Berryhill and Dan Hoegh have lived a wonderful life together. They met at a party, although they didn’t have any interaction with one another. The past art teacher of Atlantic High School “set them up.” One Sunday afternoon in October, Hoegh called Berryhill and invited her to play racquetball with him. That was later known as their first date. Hoegh at 25 and Berryhill at 24 decided to get married the following April. “We started talking about getting married and said….. let’s do it!” said Berryhill. As of 2023 they have been together for 40 years and have 6 kids. 

Aliyah Williams and Cael Wishman have been in a relationship for just a month. They met at the Iowa State Fair and spent the day with each other. Williams said they “talked” for about three weeks before he asked her out. The process of him asking her out began with him taking her out to eat and then going back to his house where he surprised her with flowers. Although Wishman lives nearly two hours away, they keep their relationship going by being honest and open with each other and talking to each other as much as possible. “Every weekend it’s our goal to see each other,” Williams said. She tries her best to make it to all of his weekend sporting events to support and spend more time with him.

Dan and Taylor Vargason have been married since 2017. They met each other on Tinder and he swiped right because “We had mutual interest and she was attractive,” Vargason said. They first met at Buffalo Wild Wings in Council Bluffs but left and went to Applebees instead. After they ate, they took a trip to a local bridge in Omaha. He met her family about two weeks after they met each other. They dated for about a year, then he asked her to marry him on that same bridge they visited on their first date. In their free time, they like to occasionally go on walks, go fishing, and attend the Iowa Hawkeye games. They keep their relationship good and going by spending time with each other and having fun. 

Nicole Middents and Bennett Whetstone have been dating for a year and three months. They sat by each other in Biology class and got to know each other more. They were in the “talking stage” for about three or four months. They played lots of iMessage games and then he asked her out while they were just hanging out one day. Their first real date was at Rancho Grande in Atlantic Iowa, but they had gone disc golfing and had many movie nights before. They like to play Wii games, xbox games, or bake cookies in their free time. They enjoy hanging out and just goofing around together. They keep their relationship healthy because they never find reasons to fight and always enjoy being around each other.

While dating may be very different from how it was in the past, one can always count on the effort, communication, and respect needed to maintain a healthy relationship.