These men explain the little life moments that they realized their partner was 'the one' and how they worked up the courage to ask for their hand in marriage.
(Content has been edited for clarity.)
They Could Be Their True Selves Around Each Other
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“It was nothing that she did. It was how everything tied up just right, how I felt around her, just being myself, comfortable telling her anything, not feeling anxious or self-conscious, not trying to prove anything or act up like you awkwardly do on first dates. There was none of that ‘red-flag hunting’ stuff that we used to do on previous dates, being self-aware of what you say and interpreting what others say. We just talked and said what we thought, without caring it was ‘too early’ or ‘too soon.’
Before that, we had just both got out of grey overcast relationships just accepting that life in a couple was just that, a compromise, a routine you have to accept the inconvenience of. But it all tied up together just naturally like we’ve known each other for decades, and everything felt simple and easy. I felt certain that being with this girl would always be happy, simple and easy, and she told me exactly the same.
It’s been the case every day for over three years now. Everyone warns me about the ‘honeymoon’ period, but we intend to have that life-long honeymoon, and none of the very rough times we’ve been through so far has ever changed that in any way, except making it stronger.”
She Makes His One And Only Favorite Soup!
“My fiancee and I are in a long distance relationship, but the moment came when one day my Mrs. was staying with me, and I asked her to make her chicken soup. I hate soup but hers is something special.
Well, I asked for the soup and she said she would make it, but needed the big pot from my family’s restaurant. I told her that my dad would be happy to let her borrow it. So she walks downstairs and my mom and sister are eating lunch there. She asks my dad for the big pot, and he says yes no problem, just go grab it.
As my fiancee is leaving with the pot, my mom and sister ask her what she is doing. She replies with, ‘Making soup for my man’ they both reply with, ‘He doesn’t eat soup.’ My dad answers out of nowhere, ‘HE WILL IF SHE MAKES IT!’ That’s when I knew I was going marry to marry her.”
Continuing To Love And Support Him Through The Hard Times
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“We had only been dating for three months, so still some awkwardness here and there.
I was working an outrageous amount, and I got a phone call that one of my good friends had just died in a car accident.
I don’t remember walking there, but instead of going to my apartment, I ended up at hers. She opened the door to her new boyfriend half-ugly-sobbing. Instead of being weirded out, she listened and cried with me for a couple hours.
The friend who died was the one who had encouraged me to ask my now-wife out. My friend never knew the impact she had.
My wife and I have been married for eight years.”
They Way She Treated His Family Made Him Seal The Deal
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“We were dating for just three weeks when I found out that my father was quickly dying of cancer. He was my mother’s primary caregiver. I knew that this meant that as the only child, I was going to have my life fully disrupted. I was probably going to have to upend my life, change jobs, and probably move from my swanky Minneapolis life to the farthest reaches of suburbia. I told my new girlfriend that there would be no hard feelings if she wanted to split, as I told her how my life was going to change from carefree to serious almost immediately. It was a lot to have to deal with in a new relationship. She decided to stick it out and support her brand new boyfriend.
It was when we were at my parent’s house getting my mother ready for my dad’s funeral two months later that I knew she was the one. She was going to be meeting my extended family for the first time under awful circumstances and kept herself together. But before all that took place, she won me over forever. My mother has serious mental issues and is also physically limited. That morning, with just my mother, my new-wife and I in the house, we were getting ready for the funeral. My mother couldn’t button her own blouse, and instead of asking me to help, she asked my now-wife. My now-wife jumped up and helped her out even though she had only met my mother three times before that day. Here she was buttoning my mother’s blouse, an intimate act for an almost stranger to do. My wife was amazing and understood how to handle herself and my mother in one simple moment. The act of an old lady getting ready to bury her husband is so more intimate and personal than anyone could really understand until you see it. And my wife handled her in that moment with a dignity and grace that I get to see every day.
The sheer concern and patience she showed through that whole ordeal were amazing. She was everything a partner should be. At the age of 36, I had finally found someone with equal parts strength, empathy, humor, and grace.
Anyone who could be so selfless in a fresh and brand new relationship is someone who has their priorities right. I couldn’t be happier to have this woman by my side – she is my equal partner in all things. And the humor sealed the deal, she’s the funniest person I have ever known.”
Something Went Terribly Wrong On Their Hike
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“I had gone on a 14-mile hike with her in the mountains to a waterfall with a bunch of friends in cold and dreary November. We made it there, and the water was flowing down. We had become best friends with feelings for each other at the time, and every time I was with her, everything just felt right.
Anyway, we climbed down the waterfall, and there was this swimming hole, some friends and I sat there procrastinating to jump in and everyone looked at each other saying they weren’t going to do it, then she looked at me, stuck her pinky out and said let’s do it, so I locked pinkies with her and brought it up and kissed my hand and she did hers, before I knew it she was jumping in, we had all our clothes on and I went after her. Even though that water was cold, I didn’t delay a second.
We were so cold on the way back, everyone else was shocked that we had done it. She rode with one of our friends and so, on the way out, I was leading the group. I was driving a 2006 Mustang (brand new at the time) when I went off a six-foot drop, flipping my car a couple times into a field. I landed on the top coming off the drop so my car looked destroyed! They thought I was dead inside my metal death cage. They ran over with her being the first one to get to me, so much dust that she couldn’t see me at first but I kicked that door open Mad Max style and dust flew out, along with me stepping out and collapsing to the ground. I scooted to my car and she knelt down to me face to face and said the words I’ll never forget: ‘I’m so glad you’re alive! I don’t like many people I know, but you’re my best friend and deserve so much better than what just happened. I am so glad you’re okay! I don’t know what I would do without you,’ and she hugged me so tight and I could feel the tears, and it’s just a moment from the movies we all watch.
Even with the wreck, it was the best day of my life. Later on, we finally kissed at the park near my home, and from there my love for her has flourished. Honestly, that was the moment that I knew I needed her, we’ve had our ups and downs but we’ve also gone through so much together with family deaths and other stuff.”
They Eventually Had Their Happy Ending!
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“When my then-girlfriend had a second miscarriage and we were in our garden getting wasted a few weeks later, she got upset and told me she wasn’t fit to be a wife because she couldn’t provide a child.
I told her that she was perfect and all I wanted, but if a child was to come along in future, or not, then she would still be perfect, and we’d be perfect.
Clearly, as we’d been trying for a baby, a wedding was on the cards, and we’d even planned most of it. But talk is cheap, so I went out and got a ring the next day and proposed the next time I felt was right. We got married a year later.
We now have a lovely 3-year-old son.”
His Birthday Dinner That Brought Him Great Joy!
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“I can’t pinpoint a ‘moment’ when I knew that she was the one. It’s kind of like going on a long train ride that goes through a tunnel. You might be awake that moment when day breaks on the other side, or you might be asleep and when you wake up, you just know that it’s daytime and all is right with the world.
That is how it was with us. One of my ‘waking up’ moments, was watching her gush about a fantastic dinner.
She had bought a dinner at Frank Underground for my birthday. I was coming back from a trip, missed a layover and wound up getting stuck in Atlanta overnight.
I finally got back, and after no sleep in 48 hours, and with only 75 minutes until our reservation that could not be changed, moved, or canceled, we headed over to the dinner. She had a change of clothes ready for me, and I showered at her office.
At dinner, all of my exhaustion melted away as we enjoyed a spectacular meal. I watched her excitement grow with every course, and I remember thinking that I want to see such excitement every day of my life.”
That Moment In The Charcoal Aisle That He’ll Never Forget
“We started dating in January. As soon as spring came and my Weber grill emerged from its icy tomb, I suggested we grill dinner.
At the grocery store, we were standing in the charcoal aisle and she explained how she grew up using a propane grill. I was starting to explain why I buy Kingsford and she snatched a smaller bag of the generic brand, hoisted it over her head, shook it and shouted how we should buy the cheap stuff.
I finished explaining that the packaging is why I buy a name brand and, at the same time, she realized charcoal dust was drifting down into her hair and all over her white T-shirt. I think the other people in the grocery store thought we were crazy since we couldn’t stop laughing.
We’ve been together 11 years and married for eight. Her commitment to absurd humor and our ability to laugh at ourselves has never diminished.”
They Were Happy With Each Others Company!
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“I met this girl online. She was beautiful and I didn’t think I had a chance; figured she wouldn’t even reply. Well, she did.
I fell hard for her on the first date. We went to a local pizza place, and I was a nervous wreck and could barely manage to form small sentences, and she talked the whole time. It was great.
Fast forward a few months and we are dating. She went home to see her parents, and she was bored and asked if we could Skype. I told her I was hanging out with a friend that I hadn’t seen in a while, playing video games, and I didn’t want to be rude to him. She said she didn’t care if I kept playing games and we could all just talk together. It was then sitting in my living room, with the three of us talking, when I realized I wanted to marry her.
We haven’t gotten married yet. We are focusing on getting her into grad school. But we are engaged and have been together for three years. This is the happiest I’ve ever been, and I don’t regret one second that I’ve been with her.”
True Love From A Gifted Hot Wheels Track?
“I just recently asked my fiancee to marry me.
When I was a kid, I moved across the country leaving the majority of my toys behind, including my favorite toy, a hot wheels electric race track where you can race other people besides you holding the little remote. I never got it back and my parents never got me a new one.
We have been on and off a couple of times. We just had things that we needed to take care of and time to grow up. But the first time we dated, like four months in, we talked about that hot wheels set.
Fast forward two years. We stayed friends, but we both thought it could always be more. We would hang out but never cross that friend line because I wouldn’t want to ruin my friendship with her. I already knew I was in love with her but couldn’t tell her.
For my birthday, she surprised me with a gift of the hot wheels track. It’s the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. I knew right then and there that she had the same feelings as me and I was going to make sure she was always a part of my life.
She’s my best friend. I love her with all my heart and couldn’t ever consider anything else but her beside me.”
Time With Her Just Seemed To Fly By!
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“We’d been dating right about six months, and by then, every time we were together, it just seemed right. We haven’t argued, we’ve made little sacrifices for each other, we have the same religious background, we have the same moral standpoints, the same type of childhood background, the list goes on and on. It had been six amazing months of dating that didn’t feel like it’d been that short.
I had to go away on a work trip – the third since we’d been dating – and I remember that this time I was sad to be apart for a few days. As soon as I had left, I was counting down the days to see her again. So as soon as I’m back, we were going to go out to eat and hang out the rest of the night. I walk through the door to my apartment, and on my counter sat a plate of my favorite cookies and a note saying she couldn’t wait to see me tonight. She’d never even attempted to make them before (snickerdoodles are delicious) but remembered me saying how much I loved them. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so big in my life or ate a cookie that tasted better than that. Right then, I realized that she’s the one. It wasn’t the note or the cookies, but the effort and amount she cared about me.
We’re still dating (I’ve already got enough saved for a ring, and will be proposing soon), but I know without a doubt, this girl is going to be my wife.”
Even Though They’re Different, They Have The Same Values
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“This girl is perfect for me.
We were long distance for a while (I met her in person at first though), and were best friends for around a year before anything romantic happened. But we would talk for hours on the phone nightly. She’s intelligent, beautiful, funny, and fun to be with to the point where my friends ask me where she is when I hang out with them. As far as the moment where I knew that I’m going to marry her, it’s every time I get to see her, every time I look into her eyes, every time we cuddle. It’s just clear how perfect we are for each other and how she’s my soulmate. We are different people who share common interests such as literature and writing, among other things, and more importantly, we have the same goals in life when it comes to how we want to run our family, and the same values when it comes to how we want to live our life. Every moment is the moment when I think, ‘Wow, I’m going to marry this girl.’ The only reason that it hasn’t happened yet is that we will spend another two years after this one long distance, and we’re young.
I went with her to greet her mom at the airport (were spending a year studying abroad in Israel and her Mom came to visit), and she stayed the weekend with her Mom. Her mom gave her blessing for her to marry me without prompt. She just said wait until her older sister is married lol.”
They Both Realized They Completed One Another
“My wife was a semester ahead of me in school.
At the beginning of her last semester, I asked her out. I told her that I know we would probably break up at the end of the semester, but I wanted to enjoy being with her while I could. She agreed and it was Facebook-official. About two months later, it was time for finals and I was studying hard for finance. That class kicked my butt the whole semester and my roommate offered me some of his ADHD medication to study.
Now, I’d never taken uppers before nor have I taken it since. Shortly after I popped it, my girlfriend called me up and wanted to hang out for a little while. I figured, why not I’ve been studying all day. It would be a nice change of pace to get out and have a smoke with her.
So I met her at a place called the dock, which was a park with a small pond and a boardwalk across the middle of it. We would often go there, burn one down and hang out for a while, but this time was different. With the medication engaging hyperfocus, we sat down and talked for hours about who we were, what we want from life, and how we want our futures to be; it was magical. We learned in a few short hours that seemed like minutes that we completed one another.
I came back home after the sun had set, sat down next to my roommate and said, ‘I’m going to marry that girl.’
Long story short, I did. We’ve been married six years now and have a 1-year-old son. Our marriage has been amazing. I’m excited to spend the rest of my life with her.”
Sometimes It’s The Little Moments That Mean The Most
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“I dated this girl for a few months before we decided to move in together. She had a lot of mental issues with depression and anxiety. When she was depressed, I used my sense of humor, and when she had anxiety attacks, I’d lie in bed and comfort her talking about positive thoughts. This built such a strong bond between the two of us. She dealt with my shift changes every week from days to second shift to midnights every 10 days.
When I slept during the day, on her days off, she would clean the house and do laundry just for a cute surprise when I woke up. As well as buy these cute gifts for the house such as lights and cute sayings for the walls. This made me more and more in love with her. Some nights, I would have to adjust to midnight shift, so I would stay up late playing video games on my last day off, and she wouldn’t ever complain. I thought, ‘I need to marry her,’ when I gave her a kiss before work, telling her to sleep good, and she smiled half asleep then wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in for the biggest hug. It doesn’t seem like much. But to me, it was everything.
We’ve been together for almost two years, and I cannot wait to marry her. Her parents love me and my parents love her. She’s made the last two years of my life have a whole new meaning of care and love.”