AP PHOTOS: How do we find each other? Lots of ways

In this Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 photo, Ray Matteis, left, and his wife, Penny, walk along the beach at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, Calif. Penny was single, 52, and devoting crazy hours to a Silicon Valley startup when she decided to channel her workaholic ways toward finding a man. She launched her project on Easter 2006: Each week she would peruse Match.com and arrange a dinner date in San Francisco. The result? Lots of Friday night duds. By Thanksgiving she felt defeated. "I thought I'll give it one more go," she says. That Friday's date was Ray: divorced father of two and fellow tech worker, living near her in tiny Aptos. She liked "the little twinkle in his eyes." They moved in together, and last year Ray's mother persuaded him to make it official. The wedding was timed to a Santa Cruz County tradition: Valentine's Day courthouse ceremonies are streamed live online, meaning Ray's mother could watch from her nursing home in Tacoma, Washington. She died five months later. "I'm grateful that she gave him a little nudge," Penny says, "because she was the only other woman on this Earth he would listen to." Ray and Penny Matteis, both 60, are marking their first anniversary. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) In this Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 photo, Ray Matteis, left, and his wife, Penny, walk along the beach at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, Calif. Penny was single, 52, and devoting crazy hours to a Silicon Valley startup when she decided to channel her workaholic ways toward finding a man. She launched her project on Easter 2006: Each week she would peruse Match.com and arrange a dinner date in San Francisco. The result? Lots of Friday night duds. By Thanksgiving she felt defeated. "I thought I'll give it one more go," she says. That Friday's date was Ray: divorced father of two and fellow tech worker, living near her in tiny Aptos. She liked "the little twinkle in his eyes." They moved in together, and last year Ray's mother persuaded him to make it official. The wedding was timed to a Santa Cruz County tradition: Valentine's Day courthouse ceremonies are streamed live online, meaning Ray's mother could watch from her nursing home in Tacoma, Washington. She died five months later. "I'm grateful that she gave him a little nudge," Penny says, "because she was the only other woman on this Earth he would listen to." Ray and Penny Matteis, both 60, are marking their first anniversary. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Associated Press February 11, 2015 1 min read

No two Valentine’s stories are alike. Still, there’s inspiration to be found in the way couples meet and realize they’ll be weaving their lives together.

For example, if you feel like playing matchmaker for single friends, it might be an OK idea. A fourth of those who are married or in committed relationships say they met through friends – the most common way for U.S. couples to get together, an Associated Press-WE tv poll found. Looking for love at school or work also remains ever-popular. Less than 10 percent of serious couples say they met at a bar or party. About the same portion credit a dating website or app, although that is trending upward in more recent matches. Meetings at religious services are close behind, the survey shows.

Here’s a gallery of portraits and the how-we-met stories that couples will celebrate Saturday.

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