Her story

Named after a flower and born on Palm Sunday, Margarita Vasseva never considered a quick marriage. She never believed in love at first sight relationships because although she loved reading romantic stories she never thought that she could fall in love with anyone so easily.

"The first moment I saw Jason I thought he was too young for his job and I did not take him seriously," she said, adding that on the third day of their meeting she considered him special. "Jason impressed me with his open-hearted manner, maybe because I was sincere, too," she said. "What impressed me most was the fact that he was completing my thoughts - even my best friend is not good at this."

Smith and Vasseva have known each other since the war in Iraq started and have been together in Sarafovo where she spent the first two weeks of the war. "I told myself then that every woman next to him is a happy woman," she told The Echo , adding how happy she is to be this woman.

When she realised that a more personal relationship was developing between them she stopped exposing Smith to the bTV camera. "I did not want it to look as if I was taking advantage of our personal connection to receive extra information," she said.

They kept in touch via the internet when they were not together. "I needed to go back there again after I returned to Sofia and a week off work with him was my greatest Easter," Vasseva said.

She has never been an adventurous person and said that she is calm because she completely trusts Smith. "I confide in him completely and he is the one whom I can trust to take me to other parts of the world," she said.

Her motto in life has now changed a lot. "Family comes first and everything else comes after," she said, adding that her first priority until now has been hard work. "I never thought about getting married so adventurously, it sounds adventurous, but I am not that kind of person," she told The Echo.

A weeklong honeymoon followed for both, which they spent in Bulgaria. Smith came from Germany for the wedding and stayed in Bulgaria for seven days. "This is his job, he feels happy doing it and this makes me happy," she said. He has 10 more years in the army and I am going to be patient with that, Vasseva said.

"My heart is with Jason and I am ready to live with him even in the North Pole." She is very proud of her new family name and of the diamond ring that Jason brought her in a box held between two teddy bears.

Now she dreams of a nine to five job and a husband to go home to, and this has turned her whole life upside down completely. It's the second time that such a thing has happened. The first time she had a major change in her life was when she decided to become a journalist and had no free time. She always had her luggage packed, ready to leave for the next assignment, and had little time for friends.

"I never know when I will leave in the morning, how many people I will meet or who I will meet," she said. There are many things you learn about life from journalism. "I have met people of many faiths and the worst part is that if you try to feel constantly compassionate for them, it burdens you," she said. "If you are professional you have to look from outside and even be cynical. It is not human if you do not feel compassion for the destiny of others." As a social reporter Vasseva has made films about poor children and has devoted much time to socially disadvantaged groups.

If you had asked Vasseva five years ago what she wanted to do she would have told you that she wanted to become the best accountant in the world because she always thought she would be an economist.

She has worked for bTV for two and a half years and this has made her more sociable and definitely changed her life completely. Her first major change in life was a decision to move to Sofia from Blagoevgrad. She had to choose whether to stay with family and friends in Blagoevgrad or move to Sofia where she knew no one. She made the decision and became a confident fighter filled with constancy and hard work. "If you do not love doing what you are committed to then it is not possible to make something worthwhile," she said.

"Television journalism is like writing on water - every day you need to prove that you can make it - this keeps you going and I learnt never to give up."

His story

Jason Smith, media liaison officer of 409 Air Expeditionary Group, was temporarily based in Sarafovo in the business of refuelling operations in support of the US-led Operation Iraqi Freedom. Six KC-10 Extender aircraft, deployed there from their base in New Jersey helped keep coalition aircraft fuelled and flying on their air routes through Bulgaria and on to the theatre of war.

Any time Smith has deployed to a different area with the Air Force, some kind of life-changing event has taken place. This time it was the most memorable event - his marriage to Bulgarian journalist Margarita Vasseva.

"It can be as simple as making a new friend or learning about a new culture. Sarafovo, however, has changed me the most. My strongest memory is obviously Margarita," Smith told The Echo, adding that she will be with him for the rest of his life, so every minute of every day, he'll have a reminder of Sarafovo by his side. Smith also said that he would not forget the hospitality of the Bulgarian people. "On the plane ride to Bulgaria, I didn't know what to expect. Upon arrival, it didn't take long for me to realise that I was going to make a lot of friends," he said.

In the immediate future Smith is looking forward to getting home and spending time with his wife and family. Their first order of business when they both arrive in Charleston, S.C., will be to find an apartment or house they both like and get their stuff moved in. After that they will take things one day at a time. "There are a lot of things I still want to do in life and in my career. I think now that I'm with Margarita, the sun will shine a little brighter and the days will last a little longer. I couldn't be happier," Smith said.

Now Smith is trying to learn to speak and read Bulgarian. He hasn't got too far yet, but he has some textbooks and expects to make quick progress. "I will have my new found language as a reminder some day," he said. Also, when he drinks coffee, or goes out for dinner, or sees a Lada, he remembers the good time he had in Sarafovo. "I'm sure it's a trip I will always remember as my favorite," he said.

He said he thinks people often fall in love at first sight. "I can't say that it happened to me that way, but I think it's possible," he said. "I thought Margarita was very beautiful the first time we met, but I didn't fall in love until I got to know her. Looks fade with time, but personalities are usually forever."

"I think as a kid I was very adventurous," he said. My mom could tell you stories about all the cuts and bruises I came home with everyday. Even now, I like challenges in life. There are times when I do things just to prove to myself that I can. I think that counts as being adventurous. As far as marriage, the thought never crossed my mind when I found out I was going to Bulgaria. Since I didn't have a girlfriend, I expected to work the whole time and think about dating again when I got home. As you know, that isn't how it worked out."

"My parents and entire family are very happy for me. They are extremely excited to meet Margarita," he said. His mother has talked to her briefly on the phone a few times, but he is certain when they meet in person, they'll become instant friends.

"I think the decision was faster than I expected it to be, but I'm happy about it. I'm certain that I met the right person, and Margarita feels the same way," he said, adding that even if they waited 30 years, they would both still feel the same way. "While it was kind of quick, I'm also sure it was right."