He says: "I had a lot of fun in college and ran out of spending money. Towards the end of my senior year, I had to get a job at Biltmore to gain some extra cash. The first day at work, I met Meg. Not to be cliché or anything, but it was like love at first sight. A week or so later, I got the courage to ask her out, and we've been together ever since."
She says: "I worked at the Biltmore Grill the whole time I was in college and made it a personal policy to not date any of my coworkers. But when Cason started working there, I was immediately like, 'Who's the new guy?' He asked me to hang out, and I knew after the first date that this was the man I was going to marry. But it was the end of Cason's senior year and only the end of my junior year. Cason was moving out to California, so logistically the relationship didn't seem like it was going to last. But we withstood the test of time, and we're still together to this day."
The story only gets more romantic.
Cason Moore and Meghan Serkes met while at the University -- Cason in his fourth year, and Meghan in her third. Moore and Serkes, both avid fans of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," TiVo the show and watch it together all the time. When Serkes saw the commercial for "Play to Pay for Your Wedding" last year, she thought she and Moore would be the perfect candidates.
"Play to Pay for Your Wedding" was the product of cooperation between "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and The Knot, "the nation's top source for all-things-wedding." Engaged couples teamed up in an attempt to win $1 million in order to cover the costs of their dream wedding. After discussing the questions with each other, the couple would present their final answer to "Millionaire" host Meredith Vieira.
At the same time, viewers at home had the opportunity to participate in The Knot's "Escape to Paradise Sweepstakes" and win the grand prize: a seven-day, six-night trip for two to Hawaii.
The special edition series aired from Nov. 7 to Nov. 11, with Moore and Serkes appearing on the last two days. Before arriving at that point, however, the couple had to get through auditions.
Serkes felt that the written test was the hardest part of the audition process.
"It was a series of random trivia questions," she said. "Afterwards, I just looked at Cason and said 'I'm so sorry. I don't think I passed that.'"
Moore said he wasn't too nervous during auditions.
"I didn't have time to think about it," he said. "Meg sort of found this thing and just told me about it. I just kind of showed up [at ABC studios]. It wasn't really that big of a deal because I was surprised to even be going there. And then they called our number. We weren't sure if that meant we got it or we had to go home."
As Moore and Serkes soon found out, it meant they had gotten one step closer to the hot seat.
At first, Serkes said, she and Moore tried to prepare a little.
"We brushed up on basic history," she said. "We went through state capitals and presidents and just basic, basic stuff so we didn't look like complete idiots if we got a basic third-grade history question. And then we realized how futile it was to actually study stuff."
Upon arriving at the studio prior to taping, Moore and Serkes were taken backstage along with two other couples.
"The most stressful part was just the waiting," Serkes said. "And once we got out there and were actually in the hot seat, it was nerve-wracking. I was second-guessing stuff I knew."
On the episode that aired Nov. 10, Moore and Serkes made it past the $16,000 question, which they answered correctly with the help of their "Ask the Audience" lifeline.
"Every level we hit was exciting," Serkes said.
The couple began Nov. 11's episode with the $25,000 question: With United Flight 869, U.S. commercial flights resumed to what country in 2004 after a break of 29 years? A) Iran, B) Libya, C) Cuba, D) Vietnam.
Moore and Serkes first used their "Phone-A-Friend" lifeline, but were left still unable to come up with a definite answer. They then used the "50-50" lifeline, which narrowed their answer choices down to C) and D). Moore and Serkes decided to go with D).
"On that $25,000 question, we weren't really sure about it," Moore said. "Meredith started to hand us the check for a thousand dollars. She was just messing with us. That was the scariest part -- and the most fun, too. That was the key number we wanted to hit to be able to afford the wedding we wanted."
At this point, Moore and Serkes received an additional lifeline, "Switch the Question," which they used on the next question, worth $50,000. After answering this question correctly, the couple saw the $100,000 question, but was unsure of the answer. With no lifelines left, Moore and Serkes decided to walk away with $50,000 rather than risk returning to $25,000.
The best part was "the anticipation leading up to the show and the taping," Serkes said. "And when it actually happened and we won money, we were really, really excited."
The money will go far in helping Moore and Serkes cover the costs of their wedding, which, according to Serkes, will probably take place in December of either 2006 or 2007.
"The money will enable us to have our dream wedding," Serkes said. "We'll probably do a weekend of festivities and be able to potentially invite everyone that really meant a lot to us at some point in our life, but have lost touch with. It'll be a reunion and celebration. Other than that, we want to keep it simple -- nothing garish."
Moore agreed, saying that the money brings them much closer to having the wedding of their dreams.
The money will "enable us to pay for most of the wedding ourselves," he said. "We both felt that our parents had done a lot for us growing up, and now, we'll be able to plan the wedding we want without having to worry about the costs."
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