GTKY: Meeting Your SO/First Dates

DuchessOfCambridge

How'd you meet the love of your life? Who initiated? Where did you go on your first date? Who planned it? Tell us all about meeting the other parent of your child.

SweetMelissa4

We were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend.  We met for drinks at Rock Bottom.  Very original.    I didn't think he was into me,  but lo and behold, we are still here almost 8 years later.

What's your story @DuchessOfCambridge?

MaximumEffort

I met my DH 18 years ago, when I was just a teenager playing hockey. He was dating my friend who was on my team, so no feelings then. I was just super jealous of her having a bf.  Lol. 17 years later, he's been all over the world deployed and I've been across the US a couple times though it seems we've been in our state the same times over the past several years. Anyways.  Saw him on tinder while messing around at work, wanted to see if he remembered who I was and after a double take he did. We went out to lunch which was horrible. Lol. After talking for several days I told him I never saw us dating...didnt talk to him for 4 days and then the rest is history. Those were my infamous last words to my single life.

I should add: he proposed at a fancy restaurant in Cape Cod on July 4th weekend. We were married this past October while my brothers family was in town on their time off from the coast guard in AK. We bought a house a week before the wedding. We only do hectic I guess

katiegeminimoon

We met on Plenty Of Fish and talked for a month before finally meeting up. I was a jerk who assumed it wouldn't go well and made plans for after and told him I had to babysit later. Well clearly things went well, I cancelled my plans and we went to dinner and a movie after bowling! Our one year wedding anniversary is next month!

DuchessOfCambridge

A mutual friend in college tried to introduce us but when he showed me a picture of DH I said no because he had a really terrible haircut (or lack thereof) and I wasn't interested in someone who looked like a mess all the time. Same friend ended up inviting me to a Halloween party that DH was throwing. We met, DH was super cute and his hair didn't look gross like in the picture, we talked all night, he was very sweet and didn't hit on me. He awkwardly asked me out (told me if I liked chocolate I should try this one place. My response was...by myself?). Our first date was Belgian waffles and frites. It was great.

BayCamp

We met at work 7 years ago and became friends. We were both casually dating other people at the time. A few months later we were both single and had planned a river tubing trip down this awesome spring fed river just north of where we live. The day of, no one showed up. It ended up just being the 2 of us for 6 hours floating down this beautiful river. We've been together ever since! 

hedgepig

We first met in 6th grade and each had a crush on one another. Fast forward to sophomore year of high school when we got to be really close friends. He declared his love for me on the front steps of the school and we've been together ever since! He proposed to me on our 10th anniversary, and we will have been married for 4 years this September.

av2323

I am a big gamer and so is my husband.  We were actually "friends" on Xbox live prior to meeting in real life.  His good friend and my good friend are brothers.  I agreed to go to DH's good friends 30th birthday with my good friend.  My good friend backed out of the party when I was already in the bar parking lot.  I decided to go in anyway to make an appearance.  DH was totally drunk when I got there.  We realized we were Xbox friends and he started drunkenly mumbling about his Call of Duty stats.  He then licked my face. Soon after he started vomiting and had to be taken home.  The next morning I sent him a message over Xbox live that said "Achievement Unlocked--You puked at the Pink Gallion".  He laughed, asked if he could have a do-over and we agreed to play a game later that night.  

Our first date was dinner and a movie.  

hedgepig

@DuchessOfCambridge I love your gif, btw

CubsFan7

We went to high school together and reconnected on fb many years later. I contacted him and talked him into going to see Tangled on Christmas (he didn't know what it was lol).

cmessamore

We started working (and still work) together 8 years ago. We became best friends. He was married. I was engaged. We both stayed with our significant others for a while and honestly had no interest in each other. He got divorced and dated a couple people (even got engaged to one of them for a brief time). I stayed engaged for quite a while, then called the wedding off. I ended up dating someone else for a bit. And somehow, we both ended up single at the same time and thought, "hey, want to give this a try??" Our first "date" was out to sushi for lunch, by the time our spicy tuna rolls were served we knew this was it. He proposed 5 months later and we got married 8 weeks after that with a surprise wedding for our friends and family. He is still my best friend! ❤

Daniep08

High school sweethearts here. We knew each other for many years but started "dating" when I was 14 and he was 16. We both played for the guys and girls varsity basketball teams. I don't think we ever had an official first date. 14yrs, almost 9yrs of marriage, and soon to be 4babies later we are still just as in love now as we were then! ❤️

krrpe99

DH and I met on Catholic Match. He told me he loved me after dating 1 month. It took me 9 months to get to that point! He is a patient man. 

ArtificialRed

DH and I had mutual friends. The first time I met him was at his own apartment when some friends invited me along to watch a movie. Neither of us were single at first. Then he was showing interest in me but I thought it would never work because he was so different from my previous boyfriends. Turns out that kind of different was exactly what we needed to make it in the long run! We had our first kiss nine years ago on his birthday (yesterday!) and we've been married for almost seven years. 

ElizabethSchuyler

We had some mutual friends we both met through a message board. We never really crossed paths but knew of each other. He reached out and asked me to go to a bar and, he says, I never left. That was 8 years ago this month! 

hezzer78

H and I met on yahoo personals - back when that was a thing, 8 years ago.  Our first date was at some trashy dive bar. I didn't expect it to take off, so I didn't want to go somewhere super nice. He ended up being a pretty great guy and now here we are

jess0211

We meet when I was in high school and he was in college, we were both working at a fast food joint and our romance bloomed between flipping burgers and locking me in the walkin freezer! Interestingly we actually met when we were kids because his mom worked at a diner my grandpa took me too as a kid. 

kaitlinliz

Our families have known each other since our parents were in HS. Our siblings went to school together. We didn't officially meet til 7th grade. We were each others first kiss (on his 13th birthday) and then we were best friends the rest of school. We didn't start dating til my senior year of college, he was across the country in the military. When I finished school, I got a job in his town and moved there. We got married 2 years later. 

fiddleRN79

We met at church when I was twenty and he was 23. I thought he was like 16 though because he had his cousin call me and ask if I wanted to get a soda at Sonic lol. We dated for two years then broke up. I moved 10 hours away, he married and then divorced. He still visited my parents, so my Mom told me he was pretty depressed. I called to check on him (after being apart 8 years). That was in February. We were engaged by May and married that August. We had our first baby a little over a year later. We've been married 8.5 years.  

Mack2342

I was in Cincinnati visiting my college friend for a Halloween pub crawl.  We went to the first bar and DH was with a big group of friends as was I and his group started talking to us.   DH made his way over to talk to me.  They followed us on our pub crawl and turns out we went to college together but didn't know each then even though we graduated a year apart.  Our first date was back at college as it was a half way point. I actually lived in MI when we met in Cincinnati.  He planned the date and we have been together since. Married about 18 months after we met.  

Karrotelle

Set up on a blind date by his friend. I met his friend online and we started chatting. Realized we would be better off friends. One night I was complaining that there aren't any decent single guys left and he said "I know someone". I said for him to give the guy my email address. Hubs emailed me that night to arrange a date. We met at a local coffee shop, drank milkshakes and lost track of time. That will be 11 years ago on April 9th!

Every year on our anniversary we go back for milkshakes. Now we take the kids with us and we both get all mushy and teary eyed watching the kids sit in "our booth" and have a milkshake with us.

He took me there one night, after we had been dating for about a year and 9 months, he got down on one knee in the middle of the busy coffee shop, and proposed. This is a man who is a serious introvert and antisocial country boy. I was shocked. Totally blown away. I didn't think he had that in him haha We've been married for 7.5 years now. 

TallMomma29

We met on Eharmony almost 6 years ago.  Both of us recently came out of long term relationships (marriage for him, 3.5 year law school boyfriend for me) and our friends encouraged us to join.  I went on several unfruitful first dates.  Then, DH and I were matched and we hit it off so amazingly via email and then phone that we decided to go big or go home for our first date.  He lived in San Diego and I lived in Los Angeles, so we met roughly halfway in Long Beach and took a ferry out to Catalina for the day. Who does that on a first date?  Crazy people.   

We totally hit off and the 14 hours together (!!) felt way too short.  We were engaged about 8 months later and then married 8 months after that.  We will have been married 5 years this September!  

hopeful87-2

I met him in South America studying Spanish after college. He is from the Midwest and I'm from the northeast. We were great friends and kept in touch once we got back to the U.S. We dated long distance for 1.5 years and then I left NYC to live near him. 7 years later and here we are!

cottingham3

Another set of High School loves over here! I was actually in 8th grade when we went on our first group "date" -Jan 25, 1997. We have not been apart since! 5 years dating, almost 15 years of marraige (May), almost 4 kids, one kid who is a cancer survivor, one who is a thriving micro-preemie and we could not be happier! We've had our ups and our downs but we've had it all together!! So grateful!

bcashaw

I was working at a really dodgy bar and my life was a disaster. I was drinking like crazy, was in an abusive relationship and was into drugs big time. My friends were all disasters as well and it was just a bad situation. 
His uncle owned that bar, one night I pissed off his uncle so I was stuck on day shifts for a full week (no tips, less customers, no drinking allowed). That's when I met him.  Apparently he came in everyday for a coffee and to hang out with his uncle but I never knew because I was strictly a night shift girl. 
We became really good friends for about a year and I honestly had no interest in him until he asked me to help him with his kids one day at an amusement park. He is such a good dad and I just fell for him. Around the same time he asked my friend if I was interested because turns out he had been since day 1. 
After I met his kids I made the first move (completely hammered, as was my way at the time ) we both assumed it would be a one night stand (which was also my way) but instead we fell in love.nobody thought we would last.  2 weeks later I flew to Australia for the trip of my life and ended up flying home for a visit 3 months later because I missed him. Left again 2 weeks later , this time for 7 months , then home for 5 months straight to his place. Left again for another month. I love travelling but my trips gradually got shorter and shorter because j can't bear to be away from him or my step kids too long. Here we are , 5 years later, we own a home, we have a foster child, and we finally have one on the way!  I haven't touched drugs in 5 years, and I haven't touched alcohol in over a year. 
Sorry that was so long! 

ugoglencoco

We were actually set up on a blind date by my best friend who was dating a friend of his. We went to a bar and got to talking and realized that his mom dated my dad back when we were kids. It definitely weirded me out a bit, and I wasn't really looking for anything serious at the time because I had just gotten out of a long term relationship, but he was persistent and when we finally went out again a few weeks later I knew that was it. We got engaged 6 months later, got pregnant a month after that and just celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary yesterday.

Furmommy

I was a senior in high school and he was a freshman in college. We met fishing on the Minnesota river.. His friend knew my friends boyfriend and we were catching a bunch of fish, so they came by us.  He's a really shy guy and doesn't talk much, but we fished for several hours and he even played country music for me haha.  When we were leaving he asked if he could have my number and gave me a hug.  He texted me that night, but 2 days later he got strep throat.  He did't have anything at his apartment so I brought over medication and some Gatorade.  Funny thing is, we both didn't want a significant other.  A month in he said "Do you wanna say we're dating now?"  We just celebrated our first wedding anniversary in January!   

kwaldy

We met at a bar 5 years ago. He was too shy to talk to me but a waitresss overheard him talking about me to his friends and told me. I was going to go talk to him, but my friends wanted to leave so I just made sure my exit path went right by him and I smiled at him. He came out into the parking lot after me, told me his name and said "maybe I'll see you around." No phone number, nothing. 
We both left and ended up going the same direction and stopping at all the same stoplights. Finally, we rolled down our windows and exchanged phone numbers. It turned out, he lived 2 blocks from me. We were honestly inseparable ever since. 

5 years later, we've been married 3 years with our 2nd baby on the way. 


Ps, this is such a cute thread.

DuchessOfCambridge

The hopeless romantic in me loves all these stories

bcashaw

@DuchessOfCambridge SAME 

ShePersisted

DH and I met when he was living in NYC and I in Minneapolis. We were both in Kansas out of all the places for work and were invited to a very very boring party. We met at the flavored milk pot kept at the side. (Yes they had flavored milk at this party as a drink option!) We both made fun of the party and exchanged contacts. We were just friends with some harmless flirting over email and chat for a few months until one day I had to go to NY for a training. DH still thinks I made that training up. Anyways we went out while I was there and hit it off right away. We dated long distance for about 6 months until one day I literally quit my job, put the entire contents of my apartment including my dog in my car and drove 21 hours non stop to NY and showed up
at his door. He was amazing about it. Helped me get back on my feet, find a job and settle on the east coast and 6 months later we eloped to get married. We will be married 9 years this August. 

pawcall

I met him years ago through a mutual friend but never really spent time with him 1:1. He was apparently interested but our mutual friend told him I was married and he never said a word. 

When he heard I was going through a divorce, he finagled his way into a dinner with me, the mutual friend, and my little boy. I friended him on FB that night and the rest is history. 

He proposed in November during a family photo shoot. Since we were already working on selling our separate homes and buying a new one, and we were TTC, we decided to plan for a 2018 wedding, which is still the plan. 

I feel really fortunate that we found each other. We both had very unhappy first marriages and knew what we wanted/needed a second time around. I feel like I got a second chance to be happy. 

DuchessOfCambridge

BRB, crying. These could all be movies.

Noellee2005

Wife and I met during my junior year in college - she was a senior and my resident advisor.  We became fast friends, but I knew I felt something more than that, and I sensed she did, too.  The problem was that she was dating someone else at the time.  Also, I had only ever dated guys and was not ready to face that part of myself yet.  We remained friends throughout the school year, but I was heartbroken when she graduated, because I had fallen for her.  I couldn't even talk to friends/family about my feelings, because they were secret.

Fast-forward to two years later and a mutual friend put us in touch with each other via email. We wrote back and forth for a week and decided to meet up as old friends.  When we met up, the feelings were still very much there! Fortunately, Wife was no longer with her college girlfriend, and I was finally ready to be my true self.

We have now known each other 16 years, been together for 12 and married for 6.  It was all about timing, and I still get butterflies! 

sarebear55

DH was my manager at my first job we absolutely, positively HATED each other. Like..  would switch shifts to avoid each other (and sometimes would end up both switching to the same shift). 
About 8 years ago he was working his current job and I stopped by and got to chatting and didn't hate him as much. He ended up asking me to be his FB friend and I told him okay. Then one day he messaged asking why my number wasnt on FB (obviously so creepers wouldn't have it) and then he asked me for mine. He initiated everything... Even planned our first date! We went to this restaurant called Mr. B's. And then went back to his apt to watch Avatar. 

He really is the most amazing guy and I'm glad that he stopped being such an ass so I could actually get to know him and become his wife

elsieisamoocow

DH and I met on Match. We talked for like 3 days on there and basically wrote novels to each other, so I knew I needed to meet him. We went on our first date at Rosa Mexicano right by Lincoln Center in NYC, just over 8 years ago. It was by far the best first date ever, and it was 100% love at first sight for both of us! We saw each other every day for that first week and said "I love you" after only 10 days. He got scared with us moving so quickly after some family drama on his side, so he broke it off on St Patrick's Day, and then we were on and off every couple of months until Labor Day that year, when he saw me and begged for me back. We've been together since then, and got engaged at the end of February after getting back together (just a little more than a year of knowing each other), and married the next June. We're coming up on our 6th wedding anniversary this year! 

NYTino24

We met in a coed softball league. I had just said to my one guy friend from college that I was finally ready to date again after 2.5 years of sporadic dating, but choosing to be being single. Anyway, DH literally showed up one day when I was working for them in the spring / summer to socialize. No one wore rings to a play and he always came with a woman with the same last name, so I thought he was married. Turns out it was his sister! Fast forward - he tells her he can't keep playing for a losing team and I told my guy friend to get him on our team. I hadn't been playing while battling Lyme and my spot was filled by girlfriends of the guys, so I actually played against them for a season! Anyway, we got to hang out for about 6 months every Sunday until one day he finally asked me to go to dinner. This baby is due 10 days before 5 years from that day! Our first pregnancy was conceived 2 days before 4 years from that day. There is something about November and Thanksgiving for us!

Chawk17

We met in college- both were in the elementary education progrm- Washington State University-- Go Cougs! I teach 1st he teaches 4th.
Dated for 2 years- will be married for 4 years in July!

zigzag8412

I was a freshman in college when my roommate *begged* me to be an extra in the play she was in as they were desperately short on people. She tried to bribe me be saying there was this guy she thought I'd like too. After listening to her describe him I told her I had no interest but would do the play. A couple months later he saw me walking across campus upset and remembered me from the play. He tried to be helpful and I told him everything I could possibly think of to scare him off and prove to him people are horrible and not to be trusted and never stick around (lil damaged at the time). Apparently he took my efforts as a challenge and said he'd prove me wrong. I told him I didn't plan on getting married. He laughed and promised he didn't like red heads. He was just going to be a friend. Fast forward two years, he apologizes for breaking his promise- he fell for me. I freak out and say no. For about 8 months. But he doesn't go away and I kept reaching out whenever life hits hard. Finally realized I loved him and agreed to date. I knew when I said yes to dating him that that was it. We were married 20 months later after I graduated with my BSW and he graduated with his MSW. He broke one promise but he kept the other- he never gave up on me. 

NYTino24

@zigzag8412 Great ending! 

bcashaw

@zigzag8412 THAT'S IT I'M DONE . 
That ending killed me.