The Wedding Party: Finding Love On ASMALLWORLD

Today's Wedding Party features James Bremner and Lola Gusman-Bremner.  The two met and fell in love on ASMALLWORLD's "Le Café."  After Lola left numerous funny contributions, to a thread he had started, James knew that he was attracted to her.  After the first time they spoke on the phone, he was sold.  The couple is living in New York and Lola is set to give birth to their first child this March.

Read their full story below:

From ASMALLMAGAZINE:

There are few things that occupy the collective imagination more than love. In fact, it’s safe to say that love is one of the world’s universal preoccupations. With threads like, “Assassin of Love,” “I am so tired of dating. Who feels the same way?” and “I like you a lot, but...,” appearing in the Forums on daily basis, love (or the process of finding it and keeping it) is obviously a source of interest among of the members of ASW as well. And is that so bad? If love is a subject worthy of the world’s great writers, artists and philosophers (not to mention ASW forum posters), who are we to argue?

So with Valentine’s Day approaching, we decided to cast cynicism aside and embrace our softer side. In this harsh economic climate, what better to fill the void left by empty pockets than a little love? After all, "love don’t cost a thing." (Well, it shouldn’t.)

Here, James Bremner shares his own ASW love story with ASMALLMAGAZINE. Le Café’s lovelorn and disillusioned take heart! Once upon a time two like-minded individuals met in Le Café and fell in love…

How did you meet your wife?

Lola and I met through Le Café. It all started in a thread called "Abridged Stories/TV," which was a thread I started. Lola had made a number of funny contributions to it.

Lola Gusman-Bremner and James Bremner

What struck you most about her comments?

It was her writing style that I was first attracted to. This progressed through a number of other threads, many of which I was the author of.

Did you find yourself planning threads in advance hoping Lola might respond?

Initially yes, but we progressed to PMs very quickly and then speaking.

How long was it between “Abridged Stories/TV” and your wedding day?

The initial contact began on 9 Aug 2006. I was living in Manchester in the UK and Lola in New York. I met Lola three times that year; on the third occasion, I proposed to her in New York on Christmas Day. I moved to New York to live with her in April of 2007 and we were married in Moscow on 6 October 2007 (just under 14 months after that first thread).

How did you know Lola was the right person for you so quickly after meeting her?

Believe it or not, I knew the very first time we spoke on the phone!

What was the wedding like?

The wedding was incredible. We had about 100 guests from the UK and Western Europe and the rest were Russian, about 500 people total. It was attended by celebrities and politicians from Russia and Azerbaijan (Lola was born in Baku). I even sang with Lou Bega (of Mambo No.5 fame) on stage at one terrifying point! Lola’s father is a very well-known and respected celebrity in Russia, Yuly Gusman. He now runs and hosts the Nikas – the Russian Oscars – so the wedding had the glitz and glamour of an award ceremony! There were a number of ASW members who attended, including Suada Gassanova, who is prevalent on Le Café these days.

How are things now?

We’re still living in New York, while spending a little time in Miami, Spain and the UK. And Lola is due to give birth to our first child, Maximillian Soloman Stuart Bremner, around March 6th. I owe much to ASW and Le Café for connecting me not only to the perfect wife but also many, many good friends