Match: This couple got married only after debating the idea on CBC Radio

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Who: Tim Gray, 31, comedian. Dana Smith, 29, comedian.

Relationship status: Married since last month.

Location: Winnipeg.

Laughter leads to love

Dana: We started dating nine years ago – we were both in plays at the Fringe Festival, which tends to bring a lot of couples together.

Tim: What I remember from that early courtship period is how much she made me laugh and also how much she laughed at my terrible jokes.

Dana: They weren’t that bad. Back in theatre school I had always thought of Tim as a big dope, but I still had this feeling that we would date eventually. Back then I had no idea that I didn’t want to get married.

Tim: And I had no idea that I did. Or at least how much I did.

Engagement interruptus

Dana: Tim proposed for the first time four years ago. I was travelling in Europe with friends and he showed up to surprise me in Paris.

Tim: Her family had warned me that she might not say yes, but I just ignored that. I had my great-grandmother’s ring and we were on this romantic walk by the Eiffel Tower –

Dana: It wasn’t that romantic. The Eiffel Tower is like a theme park – they’re always trying to sell you stuff and the Seine smells like pee. Also Tim got pretty drunk.

Tim: I wasn’t drunk.

Dana: Well, you drank an entire bottle of wine and your teeth were red. He did propose with his great-grandmother’s ring. What he doesn’t mention is that the centre stone was missing, which is pretty much the whole ring.

Tim: When I pulled it out, she said, “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Be it resolved that we should get married

Tim: A lot of people were surprised that we stayed together after Dana said no, but for us, it’s never been about whether we are both committed to the relationship.

Dana: I knew I wanted to be with him forever, I just didn’t want the whole wedding thing. But Tim really wanted to do it, and eventually I thought, okay, I’ll throw him a bone.

Tim: I have always loved the CBC show The Debaters, so we decided we would go on and debate marriage. If I won, we would get married. I did. And we did.

Dana: I knew I was beat from the moment I came out in my street clothes and Tim came out in a tuxedo and got a huge round of applause. The wedding was quick and easy, and it made me happy to make him happy. Being married feels pretty much exactly the same as always – but that’s not a bad thing.