Every love story has a series of little milestones. The first date, the first kiss, the first fight, the first time uttering those three special words. These stages create a deeper bond between you and your significant other and signal the start of a new chapter in your lives together — a solid relationship. It is an exciting and nerve-racking adventure in itself, and it takes even more hard work, courage, and faith to see if you can make it to the soulmate territory.

But there’s one more moment every romantic looks forward to, and it’s the clarity that your partner is really The One. When you know, you know, right? Well, we stumbled upon an old viral Reddit thread in which user omg1223 reached out to the married men of ‘Ask Reddit’. The Redditor invited husbands to share the exact moment with their (now) wives that made them go, “Yup, I’m asking this girl to marry me.”

The post is filled with adorable, heartfelt, and hilarious stories of how couples went from “head over heels” to “I do”. Our love-loving team at Bored Panda has scoured the thread and gathered some of the most wholesome responses to prove that finding your perfect match is worth all the hassle. Continue scrolling to read the replies for yourself, and be sure to share your own stories about the times you knew the person you wanted to marry was standing right in front of you.

Psst! More sweet relationship moments can be found in our earlier piece where people share how they realized their partner was The One.

#1

Getting married next month. She came over 2 weeks into us dating with a batman costume for my cat. She put my cat in the costume and then chased the cat around the apartment singing “DA-NUH-NUH-NUH BATCAT!”

There was never a doubt in my mind after that.

Image credits: BasicAlgebrah

#2

In my first week as licensed as a paramedic I had a two year old die on me. When I got off work, I drove to my girlfriend’s place and told her about my day. I was pretty numb at the time, trying to process this kids death despite all my efforts. I laid down on her couch, and she just wrapped her arms around me and laid with me for 3-4 hours as I tried to process. She didn’t push or ask lots of questions, just laid their quietly and held me. I slowly was able to talk my way through it, and then the tears started. She cried with me. I felt the whole world was so dark and ugly, but she was my island of light. Started saving up for a ring that week, and asked her to marry me 6 months later. In September we celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. I’m still a paramedic, and she’s still my island.

Image credits: Howler1122

#3

When I first told my father that I was dating someone new, he jokingly asked, “What’s her name? What does she do? What’s her bra size?”

I told her about it, hoping to prepare her for his sense of humor, and she thought it was hilarious. The first time they met she introduced herself by saying, “Hi I’m Stephanie! I’m in college and I’m a B-cup.”

My father was horrified, my mother was laughing hysterically, and I was in love.

Image credits: ihavemademistakes

#4

I was 18 and just gotten out of a dental appointment where 2 of my wisdom teeth were pulled out. I was drooling, stains of blood all over my shirt and it was the summertime. My gf at the time was 16, took what little money she had from her allowance, bought me a box of ice cream and biked 25 minutes just to deliver that box of ice cream and see how I was doing. With blood stains all over, she still gave me that look of love and planted a kiss on me. That was almost 20 years ago and I still can’t imagine having a happier life without her in it.

Image credits: anon

#5

When she was meeting my parents, she put together an outfit and asked “What do you think? Does this say ‘hey parents, look at me, I’m awesome,’ or ‘I slept with your son on the first date?'”

Image credits: neutronfish

#6

The day she took off work to help me go through a dumpster. I had accidentally thrown my keys in the trash while cleaning out my car.

Edit: We found them 2 hours later.

Image credits: Danger0clock

#7

It was our first date. It was the last day of classes before Thanksgiving break, she was supposed to drive home after class. It was just a coffee date that stretched out for several hours. It was just comfortable. Conversation flowed. I wasn’t worried about saying anything dumb or silly. We were completely ourselves. It culminated in a shy kiss in her car before she left to drive home.

Her Mom knew why she was late, just by her mood. I went back to my apartment and talked to my roommate. I told him there was something special about this girl. We’ll be celebrating our 10 year anniversary this summer.

Image credits: GavinSnowe

#8

My best friend and I took forever to realize that we each were infatuated with one another. Embarrassingly so.

Finally, we started dating and we moved in together. Everything was perfect. I’ve never been big on the idea of marriage, but laying in bed together one night I realized that the thought of not having her in my life was unbearable and I didn’t want to ever let her slip away. We had only been together for about 6 weeks at that point, but I knew I wanted her to be mine.

She died a couple weeks ago, and I never got to ask her to marry me.

Edit: Wow. I never expected nor really desired this much attention. I just wanted to vent a little while I was on break at work. Honestly I have some anxiety about all of this attention. I’ll try and get back to everyone.

To answer the most common question, she died in a car accident. I don’t want to post a lot of detail publicly, but if anyone really gives a s**t, PM and ask and I’ll share more.

It’s been really hard to deal with this. I cannot put into words how important she was to me. For someone like myself, if the username didn’t give it away, I don’t particularly enjoy most people. She was my absolute favorite. The best person in my life. The joy we had for each other was immeasurable and everyone who knew us together knew we were soul mates. That’s where all the feelings of pointlessness are stemming from.

Image credits: Intolerant_of_Humans

#9

I’ve posted this before but since you asked:

When I was a young lad I had bought a pair of swords. Now for some reason I still had them, but when my now-wife agreed to come over my place I decided to hide them in a storage closet because why would any grown man have these.
So, a while down the line she was looking for something in said closet when I heard “what the hell? You have swords? WHY ARE YOU HIDING THESE?!”
I was prepared to be mocked mercilessly, when instead she handed me one and then started swinging. It was about that time that I realized I was going to marry her.

Image credits: thiga

#10

This may be a bit unusual, but the way she could toss an insult around. I tend to tease playfully, and she could always toss banter right back. We ended up insulting each other so much that my friend had to assure his girlfriend that we were only kidding and didn’t hate each other. It was great.

Image credits: ManLeader

#11

On or about our second date my future spouse was on call for her medical job. Her beeper when off (dates the story) and we rushed to the hospital where I got to watch her handle a trauma case. I saw confidence, expertise, calmness under pressure, kindness and caring and a few other desired traits shine forth and with that added to her package I knew she was someone I could respect for the rest of my life. We celebrate our 24th anniversary this fall.

Image credits: 1201alarm

#12

I’ve been married just over a week, so I’ve been telling this story a lot lately.

We were three days into a month-long backpacking trip in southeast Asia. We’re staying in a seedy hotel in Bangkok and she gets a bad case of food poisoning – it’s coming out of both ends for 24 hours.

I, of course, am now designated as her nurse. I’m refilling her water bottle, getting her soup from the restaurant outside, keeping her company and, most importantly, emptying the trash bin she keeps puking into.

After one trip to empty her vomit bucket, I come back into the room and she’s asleep. I looked at her and thought to myself “I’m not even bothered by this. I’d do anything for her. This is the woman I’m going to marry.”

She’s a disgusting barf fairy, but she’s my disgusting barf fairy. Zero regrets.

Edit: For all those asking, we had a Jewish wedding, so no vows. I did get to break the s**t out of a glass, though!

Image credits: Shittysuperintendent

#13

I left my favorite CD in her car (Dream Theater’s Scenes From a Memory). She wasn’t a huge fan, but put up with it whenever I listened.

One day I was on the phone with her while she was driving, and we said good-bye but she forgot to hang up.

I waited a few seconds and I heard her singing along.

Image credits: rab7

#14

Things were going really well, and I was saying to myself “If this keeps up, I think next summer I’ll pop the question.”

Then, my mother had a stroke. We were all sitting in the waiting area outside the ICU, because only 2 people were allowed in at a time. It was my now-wife’s birthday, and a Wednesday, and she didn’t hesitate to take the day off to sit with me and my family.

I went to visit my father at home, and she came with me. Her Italian instincts kicked it, and she brought a load of groceries and a lasagna with her.

My father was a mess at the hospital, and it fell on me and my siblings to speak with the doctors and make plans.

I would get home, and pour myself some bourbon. She made me dinner, and just sat with me while I silently sobbed.

It wasn’t about how great we were when things were good, it was about how perfect she was when things were bad.

I bought the ring 2 months later.

Edit: Forgot – this all happened just before Christmas. Since my mother was still in the hospital Christmas Eve, I got a last minute reservation to my father’s favorite restaurant. GF was with her family, but we got to the table to find a note that she had called ahead to buy us 2 bottles of wine.

Image credits: anon

#15

Just happened to me about 2 weeks ago.

No lie, I was washing my hands in the bathroom and it hit me out of left field. I knew right then and there I wanted to marry her.

Got the ring yesterday, wish me luck!

EDIT: SHE SAID YES!!!!

#16

We got really high, got in bed, and pretended we were pieces of chipotle chicken in a blanket quesadilla.

We’re getting married in January.

Image credits: MyGrandpaLikesGuns

#17

I got mad and yelled at her for some stupid s**t because I had been in a toxic relationship prior to meeting her and I thought that what couples did (scream & argue). I expected her to yell back at me, but she just stared at me for a moment and asked if I was done. I said I was and she proceeded to explain to me that people who love one another do not treat each other that way. We can disagree with one another, but there’s no reason to be mean. “If we’re going to be together, please don’t be mean to me again.” That was 26 years ago (we’ve been married 25 years).

Edit: thank you guys so much for the kind replies and messages, but I have to confess something; I’m still an a*****e, just not to her! ;P

Image credits: MacSteele13

#18

I stepped on a girls foot at a festival. I turned and apologized sincerely and the girl accepted my apology. Her drunk friend though decided to start screaming at me, and threatened to assault me saying “I’m a girl, you can’t hit back.” When she shoved me my future wife came out of nowhere and punched her so hard her shoe came off. I said “yup, I’m marrying this woman.

Edit: my wife isn’t the one who’s foot I stepped on. Should have worded it better. She and I had been casually dating 8 months and she was off looking for our friends when I stepped on the girls foot

Image credits: Probablyyourdadsacct

#19

have to post this for my dad.

my parents met 39 years ago last Friday, in a lineup for a movie. my moms friend knew my dad from another friend and introduced them. My dad was known as a ‘wild guy’, and my mom was seriously considering becoming a nun. naturally, they started dating.

couple months later, my mom found a lump in her breast. my dads aunt died of breast cancer very young, and it just freaked him out I guess. My mother had the lump removed and thank god it was benign, but my dad had already rushed out and bought an engagement ring.

He always claims he knew from the moment he saw her, but a couple of glasses of wine and he will tell you that he saw what life could be like without her, and it wasn’t worth living.
they never fight, they always work together, and my moms heart still skips a beat when he comes home from work.

Image credits: squidkiosk

#20

No one is going to see this… but oh well.

This isn’t flashy, it’s not going to make an amazing Hollywood movie.

The moment I KNEW I was going to ask her to marry me, was the moment I accepted that I could live without her. I just didn’t want to. It was that moment that I recognized being with her was a mutual choice, not a dependency. I had the self-awareness to know I could lead a happy life. But s**t, this woman made everything happier.

I am one of the most genuinely lucky people, I know. I am not the wealthiest, best looking, or most popular. But I deeply, deeply love my wife. She is, the center of my universe. It’s not because she’s given me this Hollywood fairy-tale of what marriage is ” supposed to be like”. It’s because she’s given me something real, something tangible, and something I can fight for. Through the ups and downs, the arguments and laughter, the sickness and health – I realize that I may not always like her, but I deeply love her. And that love is not based on ONE thing, but all things. And it’s amazing when you see the woman you love day after day, year after year, and you just keep seeing the same person you first met.

I s**t you not. Every single day, I have THIS revelation. No matter how amazing or frustrating of a day I have. Every day I would ask her to marry me and every day I would marry her again.

Wife – if you ever read this. Here is another confession I make before reddit. The internet is forever.

As is my love for you.

– Update just because – tonight I went home and hugged my wife. And I held on as long as she let me. She smiled, swatted my butt and said “good game!” Then she started humming while holding our kid. Humming is how my wife expresses a moment of bliss. To all the people that took the time to read my post. To those kind enough to comment. I humbly offer you my deepest thanks. You, people of Reddit, gave my wife some happiness today. You own that. You made my day. Thank you.

Image credits: ksozay

#21

She insisted on cooking me steak on one of our first few dates. It was the best steak I’d ever had. I ended up drunkenly confessing my love soon afterward. For the steaks, of course.

Image credits: FallenAngel_02

#22

When we were having a conversation and she kept making me laugh. Her sense of humor is incredible. It also helped when I was taking her out on an early date and she said, “You’re spending too much money on me.” She knew money was very tight for me (we were in college).

Our 34th anniversary is this Saturday.

Image credits: EnterpriseArchitectA

#23

My wife and I were good friends before we became romantically involved. She was “one of the guys,” and it wasn’t unusual to roughhouse a little (this sounds sexual in retrospect, but it really wasn’t at the time). You know that thing you used to do to your sister when you were like 12, where you’d pin her down and threaten to spit on her by letting the spit hang out of your mouth, then sucking it back up at the last minute? (Dear God, I hope I’m not the only one who did this.) Well, I did that to my friend-now-wife, except I waited too long and I accidentally spit directly in her eye. Instead of being furious like a normal person, she busted out laughing. We’ve been married 12 years.

Image credits: poopsocker

#24

Hot redhead on St. Patrick’s day drinking Guinness out of a pitcher. That’s the girl for me! Introduced myself, spent the rest of the day with her, stumbled to a buddy’s who lived close to the bar, told him I met the girl I was going to marry. Been 20+ years.

Image credits: jkaluski

#25

When she said “You know, if you asked me to marry you, I’d say yes.”

Image credits: dragginFly

#26

She opened her fridge and I saw she had organized her jelly by the visible light spectrum.

After we got married, she confessed that she did that on accident and had no idea what I had been talking about but just rolled with it because she could tell she scored points.

I kept her anyway.

Edit: to those saying “just say color”, the visible light spectrum is a specific order. If I had said “organized by color” that says nothing about the order, which is what impressed me. This is not me bragging about being smart, this is elementary school stuff, people. Crack a damn book.

Image credits: mad_max_rebo

#27

We had a long distance relationship. We lived 3 to 4 hours away from each other the entire time we dated. We had met at a concert and traded emails and MSN info (classic). We emailed and chatted everyday, sometimes for hours. We poured our hearts out about our fears and dreams. I’d go visit her every other weekend, and she’d come once and a while my way.

About 3 or 4 months into doing this, I’m at home chilling at home playing some game in my room. My dad calls up the stairs that I got a package in the mail. So I, confused, come walking down the stairs. And there she was. She came up to visit as a surprise. Without thinking, I instinctively ran to her and hugged her and lifted her and spun her a bit. And I felt in my heart a wholeness. Like holding her filled in something I was missing. I knew then that I never would let her go (metaphorically speaking). Been married over 9 years, and I still get that feeling when I hug and kiss her.

Image credits: ThrowAwayTheTeaBag

#28

I actually have a picture I took of her the moment I realized it. Nothing in particular happened. We had been dating for a while and went on vacation together. When we arrived at the resort, we were sitting on the veranda having a drink and it just hit me: “This is the girl I am going to marry.” So I immediately took her picture. The look on her face is sort of like, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

I realize this is buried and nobody will see it and it’s not a cool or funny story, but I wanted to put in my answer to be archived on the interwebs forever. I just love that girl so much.

EDIT: You people are awesome! I posted this in the morning, and I just checked my phone and saw all the upvotes and I had to go find the pic. It took some looking; it was on an old backup drive. The pic is from 2005. Here it is: [My beautiful girl](http://imgur.com/a/KV4oN)

This is on the veranda of the St. Regis Mardavall on Mallorca. (At the time it was just the Mardavall.) Looking at this reminds me she was wearing my sweatshirt because it was a little chilly in the late afternoon. (It wasn’t, but she gets cold when it isn’t at least 75F.) She is looking at the guidebook and map. Now that I look at the picture after all these years, the late-afternoon golden light, in retrospect, might have been conspiring to influence me. Something about her at that very moment made it clear that she was the girl I was going to spend the rest of my life with. It’s been 10 wonderful years.

Thank you, great people, for encouraging me to dig this out and re-live this moment.

Image credits: ohcleverusername

#29

My dad told me he knew he wanted to marry my mom when the McDonald’s opened in Moscow after the USSR crumbled and she ate 6 Big Macs in a row

Image credits: j_mp

#30

When I realized that I would rather stay home watching stupid t.v. shows or movies with her, than going out with my friends.

#31

For the most part, it was the fact that the very day we started dating she was staying at my house, not quite living there, just hanging out forever til that turned into living with me. Never thought to much about it til a year later and realize that we have never spent a day away from each other. Married Sept. 2006, and still going strong.

Image credits: ClumpyChunks

#32

Not married yet but the wedding is this August.

We met on Match.com and talked for three weeks before we met in person. I was too shy to ask her out so she asked me and we met up. The first restaurant was fully booked so we went down the street to a small cafe. Again, I was super shy so during dinner I didn’t talk a lot. I was so worried she didn’t like me but we both knew, from talking through messaging, that there was more to the other person. So we decided to take a walk around town after dinner. That’s where I really started feeling more comfortable and we talked and walked for hours. At the end of the date we didn’t hug or kiss but she said “I had fun, we should do this again.” That was the best first date I’d ever had. I new from there that she was special because I just felt so comfortable and relaxed when I was with her.

That weekend after the first date she went to Florida, where her younger brother lives, to go to Disney with him so I had to wait two weeks but it was worth it. We went out again and eventually started going out weekly. Then we started seeing each other twice per week. After dating for about 8 months we started to talk about where this was going long-term. We were both 29 and felt we’re both mature so we talked about marriage and life together, how we would raise our families and work together to pay off our student loans, we talked about kids and what type of parents we’d want to be. I remember after each date when I was driving home, I told myself that I knew she was the one, that I loved her and that I wanted to spend my life with her. It wasn’t just one thing that made me feel that way, it was getting to know her as a person. I saw how caring, loving and patient she could be. I learned about the charity work and giving that she did, how she put others before herself.

So one day in January I bought an engagement ring. It wasn’t a huge ring but I knew it was the right one when I first saw it. I went to her house, sat her down on the couch and in my introverted, dorkiness said (probably not these exact words), “I think you knew this was coming for a while. I’m super nervous and hope you like this ring, so will you marry me?” She said yes. After that we went down the street and got takeout gyros and went back to her place. She called a few family members and sent pictures of the ring to a few people. Then we ate our dinner and watched Spice World, because that’s totally us. We’re getting married this August.

#33

I was driving us home from a golf tournament for couples. We stopped to get some lunch and as I was driving she handed me a perfectly unwrapped burger that I could eat one handed while she sat cross legged next to me. Not sure why but I just felt so loved, nurtured and happy in that moment. Now that’s sort of our thing. We love to travel and no matter where we stop to eat she will always make sure I am able to eat in a convenient way. Something about watching the road while your now wife sets a napkin on your leg, puts the fries face up in the cup holder and gets the burger ready to go . Been together 10 years married for two.

#34

I lived in a half decent apartment in Hell’s Kitchen in NYC. The place had a tub that was massively stained when I moved in. Every chick I “dated” tried to get that stain out. This was in the 90s when I was young and single in NYC… so that means plenty of women took a shot at it.

My future wife came out of the bathroom one day and nonchalantly said, “cleaned the tub”… I ran into the bathroom and couldn’t believe my eyes. “That was my Sword in the Stone! How did you do it???”

“Meh. I don’t give up.”

Edit: I’ve now asked her how she did it. She claims it was nothing more than Ajax and bleach. It was orange, so we’re thinking an iron stain. Sorry there isn’t a more magickal answer. But I guess the truth is her resolve dissolves all else.

#35

I was divorced going on my third year, had dated several women. But this one girl I only had been dating 10 days when I blurted out asking her to marry me. She said yes. Its been 32 years now and were still very much in love.

#36

She told me on several occasions that she would murder me if I dumped her after she turned 40. So I proposed on her fortieth birthday.

Image credits: alejo699

#37

When my son called her “Mama”. My ex left us high and dry when my son was 4 months old.

Image credits: engraverwilliam01

#38

On our 4th date we got a cheap pizza and went to a park in October up north. We felk asleep and woke up freezing at 2 in the morning. Instead of getting up and leaving we just held eachother and went back asleep for another 2 hours.

I knew from that moment I was gonna marry this girl!

Image credits: percybspencer

#39

The very first time I laid eyes on her! We married after going steady for 15 months and remained married for 56 years, until her death 3 years ago. Blue eyed blonde and a ten in my book. Miss her terribly.

#40

My husband tells me he knew when he casually asked me this question on our second date:

“What time is it?”

Correct answer and the answer I gave? “It’s Howdy Doody time.”

Married 24 years in August.

Image credits: AMHousewife

#41

Short version: She literally saved my life.

Less-short version: I’m from Michigan. Back in December 2014, I was in Delaware for a business trip. I ended up getting food poisoning, which brought on DKA (for those non-diabeeds, basically your blood gets poisoned and your body tries to fight it off, which proves to be futile). I was vomiting constantly, and kept drifting in and out of consciousness. My wife (then-girlfriend) called me about 20 or 30 times before I finally answered. The only thing I could force myself to say was “hi baby. I’m really sick.” Then I blacked out again. What seemed like 5 minutes passed (which was actually about 12 – 13 hours) when I heard a banging on my hotel room door. I heard my girlfriend’s voice yelling “It’s me. Let me in.” I screamed as loud as I could “get in here! get in here!” then I blacked out. I woke up in the hospital a day later.

I found out that when I didn’t answer the door, she ran downstairs, got a key, came up, and called an ambulance. The ambulance said that they would be there in 30 minutes. She said “that’s not soon enough.” She put me into a rolling computer chair and pushed me to the elevator and out to her car, threw my near lifeless body in the backseat, and drove me to the hospital.

When all was said and done, my body had a blood sugar level of 1,400 (my normal range is 110 – 140) and my white blood cell count was around 3,000 (I’m not 100% about this number, but I know it was high). My wife sat with me for 6 days in the hospital. Sleeping in the chair next to me. Left to eat but came right back. She didn’t leave my side.

I should also mention that this was only 4 months after we started dating; however, we had been friends for a few years before this.

I found out later that if she would have waited for the ambulance, I would not have made it. She literally saved my life. She sacrificed her time, risked getting fired and failing classes to drive 13 hours from Michigan to Delaware to take care of me. Once it all hit me as to what she had done, I was completely speechless and realized that if this girl is willing to do something like this for me, I must be pretty f*****g special to her.

I made it a priority once I recovered to ask her mother and father for their blessing, which they both gave me. I married her in May 2016. One of the scariest things to ever happen to me ended up showing me my girlfriend’s devotion and love for me. We just hit our one year anniversary, and although we’re a young couple, we are still kicking a*s and going strong.

#42

We were young. I was moving across the country to be with her at the time. And she got our apartment all ready before I got there.

Our bathroom was really, really small. She had purchased this blue bathroom rug for the floor. And because the rug was too large she carefully cut out these notches for the sink stand and the front of the toilet bowl so the carpet would fit perfectly flat.

She cut the bathroom rug perfectly. I knew she had to be mine.

Image credits: StarbuckPirate

#43

I don’t even care how cliché it is; I knew the first moment I saw her.

It was this super weird feeling of intuition that I’d never felt before, and that never went away. It was like “yep, you’re going to marry her someday. In the meantime, you should figure yourself out because you’re kind of a giant tool right now.” We didn’t even date until ~5 years later–dated other people and had our own lives–and during that whole time she was just this little seed waiting patiently in the back of my subconsciousness.

Marriage has been at times euphoric and at times agonizing. Right now it’s better than ever. Our second baby will be born next week 🙂

Image credits: anon

#44

Like our 4th date, at her house the episode of the Simpsons is on where they’re hiding the town’s trash everywhere. Without any prompting or ever talking about the show Doug, we both simultaneously said “STASH OUR TRASH! BEAUTIFY BLUFFINGTON!”. an absolutely inconsequential line in a mediocre show neither of us had seen in over a decade. We boned.

Image credits: SteveOSS1987

#45

She invited me to her apartment to cook me dinner. On my way, I picked up a prescription and promptly took the first pill. Five minutes before dinner was ready, I had an adverse effect and passed out on her couch. Woke up and she was gone. Figured she went to the bar across the street we go to. Nope. As I was getting ready to leave, she returned with a fresh set of clothes and toiletries for me for work the next morning. She walked 9 blocks up the hill to my apartment, got me everything I needed for the next day, and came back. This was our second date.

#46

It actually happened without much fanfare. We were in bed one night before going to sleep, talking about our relationship and our future. We had already bought a house together and had a dog, and we had talked about marriage in the past, but it wasn’t a huge priority for either of us.

Talking about how cool it would be to have our wedding be like a reunion with a lot of old friends made it seem really appealing, and we knew that we both would be staying together for pretty much the rest of our lives. She ended up just saying it in the end “So, do you want to?” and I said “Yeah, I guess I do! It makes sense!” and everything happened from there.

Completely and wholly unromantic! Yay for us! We’re now coming up on 8 years of marriage with 2 kids.

Image credits: Fruitboots

#47

Engaged.

Our first date lasted 12 hours because we just couldn’t stop talking.

Our second date was supposed to be just dinner and it lasted almost 2 days.

She drove away after the second date and I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it. I was ecstatic to find out she felt the same.

Image credits: anon

#48

We had gone on two or three dates before I asked her to “be my girlfriend” and I knew the instant she said yes that we would be married one day. Her eyes just lit up like nothing else when I told her I wanted to make things official. It has felt like I can read her mind since the day I met her. I know when she’s happy, sad, upset, tired, annoyed, etc. I knew a few days before she asked me to move in with her that she was going to ask. We have been in sync pretty constantly, and I’m incredibly lucky to be married to someone with whom I’m so in tune. We dated for three years, but I knew from day one that we were going to be married.

I don’t really believe in ‘soulmates’ or anything too mystical. However, if there was anyone who could change my mind about that, it’s my wife.

Image credits: chalks777

#49

It wasn’t like a “thunderbolt” thing, but right after we first banged. She got up and walked naked across the room to the bathroom, and I’ll always remember how good it felt laying there and how this was definitely the hottest women who had ever walked naked across my room. I thought then “I could marry this girl.”

‘Course, it wasn’t just the hotness, doesn’t hurt that she’s a financial genius, has two degrees, a great-paying job, and is the most patient person I know.

What the f**k she’s doing wasting her life with me I’ll never know, lol, but I’m grateful.

Image credits: TheGoodJudgeHolden

#50

The moment she came in to interview for a job. I worked retail and was talking to my GM. This beautiful brunette walked in. I looked at my GM and told him, “I got this one.” He stopped me to tell me she was my 12:00 interview. I turned around and said,”that’s my future wife.” We just celebrated our 5 year anniversary. I am thankful everyday that she walked in for that interview.

#51

I was at a party I didn’t want to be at when I met her. She ended up getting really drunk, got touchy feely with me and I took her home. After a fun night so to speak, we woke up and she was getting ready to leave. I said “hey, let me get your number” and she says “oh… I don’t think so…” very seriously. She watched my face drop, gave it a beat and then said “just kidding!”

It was early on but I knew she was going to be a good time. 10 years later she’s still busting my balls and making me laugh.

#52

A few months into dating, she had a breakdown (at the time, she had been diagnosed as bipolar) where she spent a week in the psych ward of a local hospital.

The day she went in, I came to visit her, and she pleaded with me to just leave and be done with her. It wasn’t an absurd thing to suggest. After all, we were young (me 20, her 22), had only been dating for 3 months, and dealing with legit mental illness in a partner is a big thing to sign up for.

But not only did I not even for a second consider her suggestion, I knew in that moment of decision that this was the real f*****g deal.

I proposed two months later. We were married just a little over a year after we started dating, and tomorrow is our 14th anniversary. She hasn’t had an episode since, which we both count as a blessing. But even if it does come again, I’ll be there.

#53

We had a fight and she was so chill about it.

I was in the wrong and was just in a jerk mood.

Right away she talked to me in a mellow voice and explained why I made her feel shittty and that i should take two days of “radio silence” to think about it.

None of this “You should know what is wrong… Even though I told you nothing is wrong” and none of that yelling and or talking my ear off for hours.
And awesomely giving me the time I need to figure my s**t out.

I was like “Yes, I can live with this”

TL;DR: “Rough waters are truer tests of leadership. In calm water every ship has a good captain.”

#54

At one point I looked at her, cracked a smile and thought, “wow I could really see living the rest of my life with her”. When I smiled she said “what… What are you thinking?” “Oh, nothing”, I responded. A few moments of silence passed and then she said “hey… ” “yeah?” I asked. “Me too.” she finished. Then back to silence. That was it… That’s when I knew. We had been dating maybe three months at this point. We have now been married for 8 years and have 2 amazing kids.

#55

We were on a short road trip; I was driving and listening to Metallica pretty loud and she asked “Would you mind if I turned this up?”

#56

This will get buried, but, in case she goes looking for my comment: Put the shredded cheddar back in the fridge or you’ll regret it later when you’ve got gnarly dairy farts, babe.

Ok, down to business.

In the beginning, I thought the “yup” moment was how well we got on. How our conversations just naturally flowed, our similar senses of humour jived with one another, and we were always on the same wavelength.

Now, I think that it goes much deeper than that. Yeah, it’s unbelievably nice to be married to someone that you have the full-blown best-friend vibe with, but, in retrospect, what really made me realise I was going to marry her was this:

She met my conflict-avoiding, sarcasm-heavy, wall-building, emotionally defensive relationship tendencies with a non-judging, patient, supportive, and emotionally vulnerable behaviour. She showed me that I could disclose my thoughts and feelings without fear of ramifications. She helped me build a trust that I had never known in any relationship before.

#57

We went to see Iron Man 2 together for my birthday. We had been broken up for months, and were just hanging out as friends; it was my birthday so she treated me to the movie.

When we sat down in the theater, she pulled a package of Peanut Butter M&Ms out of her purse. My absolute favorite candy of all time.

She remembered what my favorite candy was after months of not being together.

I knew in that moment that a girl that thoughtful, caring, kind, and sweet is someone really, really special. That was when I decided to marry her.

We were married 6 months later; 2 children later and I still feel the same way. Usually.

EDIT: Considering everyone wants to know why we broke up, it was pretty simple: I was ready at that time for marriage and she didn’t know if she was yet. She wanted to date some other people to know if our relationship was really what she wanted for the rest of her life or if she wanted to go to school or date around for a long time, etc. I totally understood and supported her decision to figure herself out, and when we started seeing each other again, it all fell right into place and we were both ready to take the plunge. It was the right decision for both of us to break up and get back together after some time apart, and we valued the relationship so much more because of it.

#58

We’d been together for years, and were on vacation. People asked us if we were newlyweds and we said no and they said ah, so you’ve been married for a long time then?

It did not occur to anyone that we were not married.

We figured at that point we might as well throw a party and make it official.

#59

When she picked me up from jail after making a drunken a*s of myself in front of her family, getting in a fight, and then resisting arrest. I thought “I’ll quit drinking for her if she will give me another chance. She did and it will be 12 years next month.

#60

Engaged but here we go. I knew she was a keeper when I got into some professional difficulties and was worried about loosing my job. She approached it with a “well how are we gonna handle this?” Attitude rather than “how are you gonna deal with it”. That’s when I decided to fully commit to seeing where this relationship goes. I don’t think there was one exact moment when I knew I wanted to marry her, more of a gradual progression of realizing how much better my life had become since being with her. We both came around and realized it was heading towards marriage simultaneously so we’re doing that this fall.

#61

She lets me play video games in the basement alone without complaining.

#62

When she sent me the grossest Snapchat she could make of her face possible.

We do it to each other all the time now. It makes the office much more tolerable

#63

I knew that I was going to marry my wife the moment I laid eyes on her.

I was on a sexual rampage at the time: smashing women during my travels from Romania, England, Brazil, Russia, Germany, France, etc. It got to the point of absurdity.

When I sat next to my wife by chance, I looked at her and thought, “This is probably where my shenanigans end.”

Then I found out later throughout that first night that she liked Hemingway and Fitzgerald, old school New Orleans jazz, no-planning travel, enjoyed cleaning and cooking, and wants lots of tri- or quad-lingual babies. AND she has a cute foreign accent, huge tits, long legs, killer smile, and adorable voice/laugh. I felt like I knew everything about her already – as if we had been together in a past life. And when I realized at the end of the night that it would take me a good 5-7 dates to get her undressed, I knew, “This is definitely where my shenanigans end.”

I live my dream life with her. She moved into my apartment after a month, we got a dog a month later, were engaged 6 months after that, and married 9 months after that. We spent the first two years shacked up in a 420 sq foot studio, traveling everywhere from Morocco to Japan, living a simple, modest, and fulfilling life.

Would not change anything. And if I met her 100 more times, either again and again in the future or reliving the past, I would marry her 100 times again. And I just knew it the second she turned to me and smiled.

#64

He personalty was as strong as mine. I’m very intense, very driven, and it’s hard for people to want to flat out call me on b******t I do. First time I met her, that’s exactly what she did. I found it immensely attractive. It’s a sign of confidence and self esteem. As stupid as it sounds, I wanted to marry her after that first interaction.

Societally we like to pretend that love is accepting all behaviors with open arms but that’s destructive and unhealthy. My wife speaks the truth, man. She helps me be better. Married one year as of last Sunday!

#65

We danced together at her High School graduation party. We had been out a few times previous but were not dating at the time. I was invited by another girls mother (she was hosting the party). That was 38 years ago. We’ve been married 30 years. we dated for eight years.

#66

I was sitting in a sand volleyball court at 3am with a close friend (best man at my wedding actually) having a deep conversation when I realized it wasn’t that I could imagine spending the rest of my life with my SO, but that I couldn’t imagine NOT spending the rest of my life with her. Also, we had each dropped two hits of LSD hours before this epiphany.

#67

She made me chick pea curry and spinach and potato curry. I decided I could get used to that.

#68

While making rice crispy treats, my future wife snuck a spoonful of the melted marshmallow and made me a fresh peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich without me noticing. When I took the first bite, I knew I’d never find anyone better.

#69

I can’t tell you the exact moment, but very soon, like…4 weeks after we started dating (we were already really good friends before) I realized “Yup, I’ll never let her go”. This was 7 years ago.

I’m not married yet, since we are both finishing our apprenticeships, but it is 100% clear for us that the marriage is coming, and I already have the engagement planned.

Edit: I love all you guys. 😀

^^^^And ^^^^yeah, ^^^^it ^^^^will ^^^^be ^^^^romantic ^^^^AF

#70

Now wife was dj-ing a fundraiser for her work at a bowling alley. I’m her sidekick, setting things up and taking requests from folks. So we were snacking on some fries and she starts choking/coughing.. next thing I know, she starts to puke and I instantly throw out my hands and catch the majority of her vomit. She looked me in the eyes with the most sincere look of shock. She was stunned that I loved her enough to catch her vomit to keep her from making a scene at her work party.

Been together 9 years, married for 1.5- thanks to the Supreme Court.

#71

I have never been in a fight in my life. Always trying to disperse hostility via conversation or humor. I have been ready to fight (not necessarily wanting to fight but 100% ready for one) two times in my entire life. Both were when I thought my fiancee (now wife) was in danger.

May seem stupid but that’s because I can’t emphasize how little I want to fight. All I cared for was her safety. This was a big deal and a big realization for me that this one was the one.

#72

Both my wife and I have a dark sense of humor. One day I heard her say, with a totally blank expression, “That person’s face makes me wish we still had public executions.” That joke was what really sold me on her. Plus, on the day I first asked her out I said “I asked this time, so if we get married, you have to propose.” A weird thing to say, I know, but it fits our personalities. Sure enough, five years of dating later she got down on one knee, took out a ring, and proposed to me. It helps to be with someone who is your best friend in the world.

#73

Probably too late, but whatever.

I had just left a job I hated because I was leaving for grad school in my desired field, I only had a couple of months left chilling at home and doing some volunteer work before leaving. I told myself, “Self! There is no reason to get involved with any women. There will be smart girls aplenty in grad school, and you do NOT want to get into some kind of long distance relationship.”

So of course we met in late may, first date in June. Things were going well enough that I asked if she’d be willing to road trip 22 hours with me to school, and she offered to pay for her own one way ticket back home.

We were locked in a car together for 2 days, and when I dropped her off at the airport in Florida, I still wanted to hang out with her. That’s when I knew. Two years of long distance dating, many flights on budget airlines, but we celebrated our first wedding anniversary this past spring.

I got into a doctorate program last fall, she made that road trip with me for that too, but no need to buy the return ticket that time 😀

#74

Once I got flu, she stood by me day and night until I recovered. I got to see her nurturing side for the first time. I was already in love with her, this sealed the deal.

#75

When we had a pregnancy scare and my response was:

“Yeah, sure, I’d be okay with that.”

Four years and an unaccompanied rotation to Korea later, still going strong.

#76

Asked Hubby this. He said it was when I asked to hold his pet rats instead of freaking out about them.

#77

When after 8 years of dating she turned to me and said “I’m ready to get married now”.

Backstory: We started dating in high school back in 1996. We talked about getting married after graduation, but her parents insisted that she finish college before thinking about getting married. I wound up in the Marines, about two years we talked about getting married so she could come live with me. We decided against it because, again, she had to finish college before she’d get married. We stayed together long distance through my four years in the Marines. We discussed getting married again when I got out. We didn’t because she was getting ready to transfer to a 4 year school out in Colorado. She hated college, but she kept at it to keep her family happy. We moved to Colorado and she decided after a couple years that college just wasn’t going to work and she dropped out. She broke down entirely and fell in to a deep depression because she had this pressure put on her and she felt like somehow she had let her family down. I stuck with her through all of it. She started to get herself together, and realized that we had been through more c**p together than most married couples go through in a lifetime and now that college was a non factor, she didn’t have to wait anymore. We were just sitting out on the back patio of our apartment smoking one day and she turned to me and said “I think I’m ready to get married now”, and that was that. 13 years and 3 kids later, she’s still the love of my life.

#78

Went on a five day road trip with her and didn’t get tired of her company. I get exhausted by spending more than two days in a row with almost anyone.

#79

My, then girlfriend, and I had gotten into a huge fight. We were doing long distance at the time as she was going to school 2.5 hours away from where I was going to school. We were planning on going to school in the same place after that semester, but we had only be dating for a few months. The fight was about a lot of things, but it was one of those fights that are so bad that both parties were constantly in tears and questioning everything about oneself. She decided she wanted to drive down to come see me so that we could talk as soon as possible. When I was driving to the Chili’s we decided to meet at to eat and talk. I was so angry and upset about some of the things she said to me and the things I said to her. I didn’t know how this would work out. We pulled into the parking lot around the same time and we both got of our cars. We just looked at each other and ran towards one another and gave each other the biggest hugs, both crying. In that moment I knew I wanted to marry her. I knew no matter how bad it would get I would always just want to be with her. We worked out the fight within minutes. I proposed a month later. Now we have been married for a year and it’s been the happiest year of my life.

EDIT: Chili’s*

#80

It was a blind date. I was 21 and she was 18. I took her to play miniature golf. At one point as I bent over to pick up my golf ball, she put her club between her legs and pantomimed that it was a d**k and started thrusting it against my a*****e while yelling “I’M HORNY”. Totally broke the ice. We’ve been married for 16 years now and she’s just as crazy, loud, and hilarious. Our kids don’t even know how to handle her. She’s also gotten more beautiful with age.

#81

I will be marrying my fiance in August. It was around the end of the first month we had been dating, I told her about this recipe I use to use all theo time for making cookie dough without eggs so it was safe to eat. The way her face lit up, that was the second i knew that I wanted her to be apart of my life forever. It took about a year and a few months before i popped the question, but as of right now everything is going according to plan for our wedding.

Edit: Yes I now know about the flour that’s been making people sick. I’m very happy to inform you that’s not going to stop me from making and eating raw cookie dough. The e coli thing with Chipotle didn’t stop me from eating there, it actually caused me to go there more often.

#82

Not married yet but will be getting engaged sometime later this year. I’ve probably known I was going to marry her since I was in high school, but I think the moment that solidified it to me was in college.

We have been dating each other for over ten years (if you can count middle school dating as official, which we do) and we have only really been apart for about a year when we were both freshman in college. We took a break to see what the single life was all about and grow as people when we were both away from home. I can’t completely speak for her but it wasn’t the best time either of us had. Did a little dating in that time but never really stopped thinking about each other. After the year ended, we decided to get back together after a pretty emotional get together.

Our sophomore year we had some speed bumps, but it was one of the first times I specifically remember knowing for a fact that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. We were laying on my bed in my apartment just watching some netflix and we both fell asleep. I woke up first and remember looking down at her and just getting this feeling that I couldn’t let her go again.

Now it is 4 years later, we have been living together for almost 6 months now and I am going to be buying a ring sometime in the next few weeks!

#83

Honestly it wasn’t one moment at all. My wife and I started dating in college and at a few points I thought, do I really want a girlfriend right now.

I lived with my two best friends and there were often times where I wished I could just hang out with them and play more video games.

Lucky for me we stayed together and it got to the point where doing stuff was just not the same without her. Going to a movie with family or friends just seemed less enjoyable without her. Even vacations with family seemed way less enjoyable without her.

It was during this time that I realized I needed her in my life because everything is less enjoyable without her. Now we have been together for about 12 years and married about 5. We have beautiful twin girls and I could not be a happier guy with how lucky I am that things worked out the way they did.

#84

The moment I knew that my wife was the one for me, we were having some post-coital-pizza, and she asked me if the next time we did this, we could get double bacon on the pizza.

Never letting her go.

#85

I was supposed to be allowed to sleep in after a long night of working/drinking. She was running late and needed a ride to work, so she asked me. While I was groggily pulling on my pants and says “I love you,” and I responded with “I don’t f*****g care.” I immediately regretted it, but she didn’t get offended. She walks up, gives me a kiss and just says “I know.” I took her to work and started pulling money aside for the engagement ring that day. If she understands me while I’m in my worst moods, then she is a far better and more understanding person than I’ll ever be. I’m lucky she ever even let me kiss her.

#86

My wife loves this story, even though it wasn’t necessarily the EXACT second I knew I was going to marry her, but I at least knew I was going to the date the F out of her.

Her and I were on our first date, which was November 1st. The night before I went to a Halloween party as Papa Smurf and I painted myself blue (yes, I blue myself) from the waist up with latex paint, which basically turns into a rubber glove. I warned her that I had literally no idea what it would do to me. I could be dyed blue for our first date, I could be broke out in hives or something, she said she didn’t care. So the costume was a huge hit, and the next day we met in the morning and took one of my dogs out for a walk at a local state park.

I was walking next to her, and out of nowhere she was like “WAIT…stop. Stop, hold on” and she reached up and started fiddling with my ear. I had no idea what she was doing, but then she just goes “Look, you still had blue in your ear” and she pulled a piece of the blue paint out of my ear.

We hadn’t even held hands at that point, but she was willing to dig latex paint out of my ear. She was the one. Married since 2010 and 2 kids.

EDIT: pics of my Papa Smurf costume…

http://i.imgur.com/g0HtiEs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I5jSbxV.jpg

#87

I asked my husband and he said it was about a year into our relationship.
He says, “Right after we moved to WA (from OR) and I woke up in the middle of the night with an arrhythmia. Even though you had to work the next day and it was 2am, you calmly suggested we go to the ER just to be sure. You talked to the doctors, asked questions, rubbed my feet (you hate feet!) and did everything to keep me calm. You were my advocate and made sure I got taken care of. I knew then that I wanted to be with you forever. I felt very loved and proud that you were mine.”

It turns out he had mild sleep apnea (he didn’t snore so I had no idea!) and when his brain would shoot adrenaline into his system after not breathing for a second, it would totally f**k up the electrical system in his heart, causing an atrial fibrillation. It hasn’t happened since he got a CPaP shortly after this episode. Glad we went to the doctor because he told me it had happened before. A-Fib can cause clots to form in the heart because the blood doesn’t always fully exit the ventricles, and can lead to stroke. Sleep apnea is no joke, people!

That was in September 2014. He proposed in April 2015, and we’ve been married since August 2016. Our first baby is due in 2 weeks. It’s a boy !?

#88

When I found her hidden folder of lesbian pron.

Pro tip: Marry a woman who has the same taste in pron as you.

#89

On our first date we went to a movie theater that served drinks to your chair (Alamo Drafthouse). When they asked what we would like to drink she ordered a pitcher of Sierra Nevada and I said good choice we can share. Before I could finish my sentence she said “oh well this one’s mine we can get you one too”. So we did, and since we’ve been sharing beers, collecting beers, and visiting breweries every since. I always tell people that ask me when “I knew she was the one” and my response is the first date. After she ordered a full pitcher of IPA for herself that’s when I found out I had met my soul mate.

#90

There wasn’t a specific moment that I wanted her to marry me. That was love that kept going; eventually it was just silly we weren’t getting hitched, so we spent a lot of our money on a Hawaii vacation and I proposed after dinner on the beach.

The moment I loved her was the more defining moment in our relationship (to me at least). In the early days it was boning, watching Netflix, boning some more, getting food… you get the gist. Eventually we started slowing our frequency and we’d play Skyrim together. As in I’d browse Reddit, which was new to me at the time, and shed play her cat-archer. I love watching Skyrim being played, not sure why but it’s more interesting than TV for me. Anyway she and I are talking about work (both grad students), politics, future wants and dreams. That conversation got me feeling all sorts of warm goodness. I wasn’t talking with a future ex, I was talking with someone I actually cared about and liked. So, I told her I loved her. It took about 3 weeks before she said it back. That was hard. But, I knew when it came it was true. We’ve been married just under a year now, together for almost 5.

Tl;Dr

Marriage was a more calculated decision. Love was found in a moment.

#91

There’s never been any one thing. She cooks, cleans, actually chooses to have sex with *ME*. The best thing I can think of is that I genuinely feel like a better person, like I have potential and can succeed, when I’m with her.

And so far, I have. She makes me better.

#92

I guess when I bought the ring?

All I mean is there wasn’t some AH-HA moment for me. Like I wasn’t on the fence AND THEN SHE ASKED FOR RAINBOW SPRINKLES ON HER SUNDAE AND I KNEW.

And that’s not to say I knew from the second I met her either. I’m not sure it really works that way?

I loved spending time with her in college. When we moved in together afterwards I…still loved spending time with her. She still cracked me up, helped me better myself. Always felt like we complemented each other well.

She’s my closest friend.

So yeah f**k it, why not?

#93

i have a son from a previous relationship and he adored her, he even pooped all over her and she just laughed

#94

Gay guy here. We were dirt poor, spending $20/week on ~18-19 food items from the dollar store, laying in a bed with no A/C in the middle of summer, sweating our asses off, and the house had roaches in the kitchen. He said he still loved me more than anything and would live with me in a cardboard box if it came to it. Fast forward years later and we’re happily married, live 3 blocks from the beach in SoCal, and have really great jobs that we both love.

#95

I think it was the time I was yelling at her for doing something dangerous (Taking a ride form a random bar patron stranger in NYC when I lived a block away and would have walked her home or got her a cab) and she asked me why I was so upset and I stomped my foot and kinda yelled “Because I love you, damn it!” That’s when I knew I cared more about someone else than myself. Now we are married and I couldn’t imagine spending my life without her messy, accident prone self in my life.
Source: boredpanda.com