A mother is set to marry her Prince Charming after being set up with him by her teen daughter, who secretly made a dating profile on Plenty of Fish for her and screened hundreds of candidates.
Dental assistant Natalie Johnston, 42, was anxious about meeting new men after a string of bad relationships, so her daughter Megan Johnston, 14, decided to play Cupid.
The mischievous youngster visited the matchmaking site Plenty Of Fish from her phone and set up a profile using her mom’s details as well as a photo and a fake name, Zoey.
Love: Natalie Johnston left) is set to marry Ray Sexton (right) after being set up with him by her schoolgirl daughter, who secretly made a dating profile for her on Plenty of Fish
Within hours, the mother of three’s inbox was flooded with dozens of messages from men, and hundreds of potential suitors had viewed her profile.
Megan whittled down candidates using their age, location and hobbies, and sifted through dozens of unsuitable options, including some who sent lurid messages asking for naked photos.
She eventually settled on tall, dark and handsome Ray Sexton, 46, a six-foot-four construction foreman who said he was a family man living just down the road from Natalie in Tacoma, Washington.
Clueless Ray, a divorced father of two, exchanged messages with ‘Zoey’ (who was really Megan) for almost a month until he asked to meet in February 2015 and Megan was forced to come clean about her true identity.
The teenager then broke the news to her stunned mom, who decided to give Ray a chance.
Cupid: Natalie, 42, was anxious about meeting new men after a string of bad relationships, so her daughter Megan Johnston, 14, made her a Plenty Of Fish profile (pictured)
Natalie, a former corrections officer, spoke to Ray on the phone and even did a background check, which came back clean, before agreeing to meet.
She admits that when she saw him it was ‘love at first sight’ and in August 2017, after falling head over heels in love, a smitten Ray asked Natalie to marry him.
The bride-to-be, who is set to tie the knot with Ray this July, said: ‘He is hilarious and we are so happy. It is perfect. I couldn’t have picked anyone better if I had tried.
‘It was hard to explain how we met to our friends and family but they all love him. We are very much in love.’
Sneaky: After Megan (right) set up a profile on the matchmaking site for her mom (left), her inbox was flooded with dozens of messages
Prince Charming: Megan (left) eventually settled on Ray Sexton, 46, (right), a construction foreman who said he was a family man living down the road in Tacoma, Washington
Matchmaker Megan, now 17, added: ‘I was really nervous when I first set up the profile and I had to think, “Oh, what would my mom say?”
‘I honestly didn’t think it would work out because of the bad relationships my mom has had in the past, but I’m really, really happy that it did.
‘I could tell Ray was a good guy and as soon as I met him I knew he was the one for my mom.’
Natalie split up with Megan’s dad before she was born and had boyfriends, but none of the relationships worked out.
She says her last partner was controlling and she was left suffering from trust issues with men. Despite wanting to meet someone new, she was anxious about dating.
Clueless: Ray, a divorced dad of two, exchanged messages with ‘Zoey’ for almost a month until he asked to meet in February 2015 and Megan was forced to come clean about her identity
Shock: After Megan (right) broke the news to her stunned mom, (left), Natalie decided to give Ray a chance, admitting that when she saw him it was ‘love at first sight’
‘I wasn’t upset with Megan when I found out what she had done, I was just shocked,’ Natalie said.
‘There were pros and cons because she could have talked to the wrong person and that would have been scary.
‘There were people who were asking her to show her breasts but she just blocked them straight away.
‘She got a lot of responses and said there were about three definite candidates but they all lived far away and she didn’t want to have to move school district.
‘When she showed me Ray’s profile and I read through the messages she gave me, I was scared and wanted to dig a bit deeper.
Family: Ray said: ‘When I first saw Natalie’s profile I was caught by her smile and I thought she was beautiful’. He is pictured with his daughter Jaden, Natalie and Megan
Wedding: In August 2017, after falling head over heels in love with each other, a smitten Ray asked Natalie to marry him. The happy couple is set to tie the knot this July
‘We spoke on the phone that evening. I said, “Hello, I’m Megan’s mom,” and he started laughing. We laughed about it and I was blown away.
‘He said, “So, do you want to meet?” and it went from there.’
On February 24 2015, Natalie and Ray met in the public parking lot of a grocery store, a safe place so Natalie could be sure he was who he said he was.
‘He parked next to me and walked out and when I saw him I felt like I had known him my whole life,’ Natalie said.
‘He went to shake my hand and I just jumped into his arms. It was love at first sight.
‘I went home and said, “Meg, he is perfect.”‘
Kids: Natalie met Ray’s daughters Jaden, 16, (right) and Jorian, 10, (center) and he met Megan (second from left) and Natalie’s other daughters, Elle Ray, 19 and Brittany, 22
Family: Ray also has a grandson, Luke, the son of his eldest daughter Brittany
Soon afterwards, Natalie met Ray’s daughters Jaden, 16, and Jorian, 10, and he met Megan as well as Natalie’s other daughters, Elle Ray, 19 and Brittany, 22, who has a one-year-old son, Luke.
‘When I first saw Natalie’s profile I was caught by her smile. I thought she was beautiful,’ Ray said.
‘We started messaging each other but sometimes I wouldn’t hear back and I was beginning to feel like I was wasting my time.
‘When I found out it was actually her daughter I was relieved because it made a little more sense, but it was like starting all over again from the beginning.
‘I was nervous but it was amazing getting to know the real her.
‘When I first met Megan I thanked her and gave her a hug. I consider her my daughter and her mom will soon be my wife.
‘What she did for us is incredible.’