HAMPDEN – Call it “bride and prejudice.”

People here are a little biased when it comes to the would-be newlyweds on “Today Throws a Hometown Wedding” – and with good reason. On Monday’s “Today” show, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer announced that Nicholas Raymond and Kimberly Stowell of Hampden are one of four couples vying to tie the knot on live TV.

“They’re just the nicest young couple,” said Ruey Yehle, principal at Hampden Academy, where Raymond has taught math for the last three years. “They really know each other well.”

Raymond, 24, met Stowell, 23, on a blind date nearly four years ago. Both were students at the University of Maine at the time. He was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma; she was a Black Bear cheerleader. He needed a date for a Halloween party, and a friend set him up with Kimberly.

“I knew there was something about him,” Stowell said by phone Monday night, after returning from a whirlwind trip to New York. “We got along really well, but I wasn’t thinking long term when we met.” But after the couple spent more time together, going to movies and hanging out, she “realized I liked him more than I originally thought.”

Since that fateful Halloween, they were inseparable, and friends and family soon started predicting a proposal. It came on Valentine’s Day 2005. Kimberly, a graduate student who plans to become a guidance counselor, arrived home late from class to find a romantic dinner prepared by Nicholas. She gave him a card, but he didn’t seem interested in reading it.

Instead, he put “My Girl” on the stereo and recited a poem:

“Roses are red

Violets are blue

Valentine’s Day would mean nothing to me if it were not for you

I hope this Valentine’s will be the most memorable for you thus far

No, I did not get you flowers or even a car

You kept saying over and over

That you did not want that heart-shaped box of candy

So I was trying to figure out what I could get you that would be nice and handy

I thought long and hard for that special thing

And the only thing I could think of was this ring

Kimberly Ann Stowell, will you marry me?”

Her answer, of course, was “yes.” After that, it was only a matter of time before they entered the “Today” contest. A friend who wishes to remain anonymous said the couple loves reality shows, and they always talked about wanting to compete on “The Amazing Race,” so it was no surprise when Nick arrived at work Monday morning tired from filming their “Today” show application video.

“I really hope that they make it,” she said. “It’s really kind of exciting.”

The couple’s friends and co-workers say Nicholas and Kimberly deserve the “Today” wedding. He’s a full-time teacher and a part-time student; she’s a full-time student and a part-time waitress. Both are working toward masters degrees, Kimberly in guidance counseling, Nicholas in education.

In his spare time, Nicholas referees basketball and works as a baseball umpire. This winter, he got a job at the Sea Dog in Bangor, where Kimberly works, “so they could spend more time together,” a friend said. They also attend many athletic, social and faculty events at Hampden Academy.

“We’re so involved in so many things, and it’s hard for us financially to have the wedding of our dreams,” Stowell said.

If they’re chosen, the dream wedding could take place anywhere in Maine. Nicholas is a Bucksport native, Kimberly hails from Oxford Hills and they now live in Hampden, but “Today” viewers will ultimately decide.

Whether or not they’ll marry in front of a million or so viewers remains to be seen. On Monday’s segment, they made the crowd roar during the “Nearly Wed” game, in which the bride-to-be was asked what one thing she’d change about her mate. He had to predict her answer. Nicholas and Kimberly agreed, it would be his “gas problem.”

On a much more romantic note, when NBC asked how he knew Kimberly was “the one,” Nicholas replied, “When I realized I couldn’t fall asleep each night until I’ve heard her voice.”

Kimberly said, “He’s caring, generous and a lot like me. Most importantly, I can trust him completely.”

If that isn’t reason enough to vote for the couple, what is?

To vote or to read more, visit www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8544668. Nicholas and Kimberly’s story is on the top left. Kristen Andresen can be reached at 990-8287 and kandresen@bangordailynews.net.