If you’re starting to lose faith in dating, I get it. The scene can get exhausting. But it’s important to remember that love is out there and waiting for you to find it. These heartwarming success stories prove love can be found just about anywhere and at any point in life — you just have to be ready for it.
We Met Online
According to a Pew Research Center study, nearly half of respondents under 30 have tried online dating. It’s a common way to meet people, and while ghosting may have you feeling like the romance is gone, that couldn’t be further from the truth. These couples met online and then strengthened their relationship off of it.
1. Viraj & Aakriti
When Viraj swiped right on Aakriti’s Bumble profile, he was still adjusting to life under 2020’s lockdown. Aakriti was too: She was trying to salvage a COVID-era baking project that just wasn’t turning out how she wanted. When she saw her match with Viraj, she filled him in on her baking misadventures.
The two instantly hit it off during their first in-person date. They were attracted to each other’s openness and honesty, and both had their sights focused on a serious relationship. Viraj popped the question in 2021, and the couple was married a year later.
2. Willow & K
Willow reentered dating after healing from a messy breakup. She explored mainstream dating apps and found that many of them weren’t meeting her dating needs as a bisexual woman. Then she found HER, a dating app for lesbians and queer women, and felt right at home on the platform.
It didn’t take long for her to match with K on the app. Their first date lasted a legendary 48 hours and the two were absolutely smitten. Today, Willow and K are married and endlessly grateful to the dating app that brought them together.
We Met Through Friends
It’s a classic way to meet, and also the way I’ve met everyone I’ve seriously dated who I haven’t met at work. (Oops!) Meeting through friends gives you a shared interest– and conversation topic– from the get-go. Getting to know each other is even more fun when you get to have your mutual friend around for some of it.
3. Sarah & Josh
A friend introduced Sarah to Josh in 2008, but it would be five years before the two started dating. When they met, Sarah was in the midst of a messy on-again off-again relationship. She told Josh he seemed like a great guy, but she wasn’t interested. They stayed friends and hung out occasionally over the next few years.
Eventually, Sarah’s on-again off-again relationship ended for good. After the dust settled, Josh asked her out again. This time, she was ready. Their whirlwind romance had them engaged within a year, and 15 years later, the couple is still happily married.
4. Andrew & Jennifer
Mutual friends introduced Andrew and Jennifer while they were students at Texas A&M University. Andrew and Jennifer got close through volleyball, attending church together, and studying, and before they knew it, the two were thick as thieves.
Andrew brought their friendship to the next level with a perfectly timed kiss at a school event. They were engaged under Texas A&M’s iconic live oak, called the Century Tree. Over a decade later, the couple has been married for more than seven years and share two children together.
We Met Through a Matchmaker
Matchmakers offer some of my favorite success stories. From hesitant beginnings to beautiful weddings, matchmaking testimonials always provide special love stories. These couples met thanks to the expertise of a matchmaker, and their lives are for the better, forever, because of it.
5. Mike & Louise
When Louise sought the expertise of The Matchmaker UK, her expectations were measured. She met with her matchmaker and they began exploring what she was looking for in a relationship. Louise wanted something serious, and she really didn’t want to waste anymore of her time with unserious dating.
The matchmaker found a match for Louise’s first date. That match was Mike, and after the two met, Louise had no doubt he was her man. The pair got married and recently celebrated their one-year anniversary.
6. Chris & Adam
When the matchmakers at Beau Brummell met Adam and Chris individually, they knew they had to set them up on a date. It was clear from the start that the two had serious potential. When Adam got matched with Chris, he had been in the matchmaking process for months and was starting to become weary of his chances.
He just had to wait until the time was right, though. It was during those few months that Chris signed up for matchmaking. When they went on their first date, they proved their matchmakers right: Chris and Adam immediately hit it off and have been together since.
We Met by Chance
Pull up the rom-coms– it’s time to hear about some meet cutes! These couples met by chance, whether at a bar, cafe, or just on the street. Love is random, often confusing, and, yes, unexpected.
7. Nilay & her Omegle Boy
If you’ve ever been on Omegle, you know it’s a strange place to find love. The platform randomly matches you with other users for video calls and isn’t necessarily a place known for romance. One night, Nilay met a man on Omegle, and despite not expecting anything serious, the two talked for hours.
The two lived in different countries on opposite sides of the world, but they exchanged numbers and ignited a long-distance romance. They spent hours chatting and Skyping, and soon they were planning a trip to meet each other in person. Nilay says she’s never met someone she feels so connected to– on Omegle, of all places!
8. Caitlin & Sam
It was dollar game night at the bowling alley when Caitlin met Sam. She noticed the tall teenager from across the alley, and, being 5’8” herself, decided to shoot her shot. Caitlin introduced herself to Sam and because it was 2005, she got his AIM instead of his phone number. They started chatting, but it became clear Sam’s shyness was keeping him from asking her out.
So Caitlin took the matter into her own hands. She messaged him: “You gonna ask me out or what?” Sam did, and the couple was married in 2014. In her vows, Caitlin told the man she randomly met at the bowling alley all those years ago: “I don’t know who I am without you because you’re truly my other half.”
We Met at Work or in School
This is my preferred way of meeting people. I’m not sure what this says about me, but I appreciate when my dating experience can be combined with something I’m already doing, like work or school. It takes a lot of the pressure out of interactions and makes it easy to get to know a person.
I might not have personal success stories, but I have plenty of friends, family, and coworkers who do.
9. Paige & Jamie
Paige was a server at one of my first restaurant jobs, and I admired her front-of-house expertise and patient willingness to help me, a 17-year old service noob. She was dating a line cook, a goofy guy by the name of Jamie who was also training to be a pilot. They met while working at a different restaurant, and they liked working together so much they kept it going.
I stayed in touch with Paige, and today, she and Jamie are still together. He ended up becoming a pilot, and she had a career change, too. She’s a flight attendant for the same airline, and they’ve even worked a few flights together.
10. Beckie & Aaron
In 1992, Beckie was in a sociology class for her Master’s program, and she kept telling her friend in class that a fellow classmate was “super cute.” Weeks later, that classmate, Aaron, asked her on a date. Beckie was nervous, so she asked her friend from class to come along, and the three of them went to dinner.
Beckie and Aaron would be married two years later and celebrated their 30th anniversary in September 2024. But if you were to ask either of them, they would both say, unequivocally, that the proudest moment of their lives was when they had me, their wonderful daughter (and the best out of my three siblings).
We Met in Our Youth
Nothing’s cuter than a couple of childhood or high-school sweethearts. I’ve always thought this was one of the cutest ways to meet, especially when I met an older couple who had survived and thrived through the trials of time.
These couples met when they were younger and were either together from the start or reconnected later.
11. Olivia & Tam
On the first day of high school, Tam approached Olivia and asked her out. She was hesitant at first, but after getting to know Tam as a friend, she fell in love with him. The two dated throughout high school until college when their schools took them to different cities. Long-distance was too challenging, so they broke up.
Ten years and a move across the country later, Olivia found a serendipitous friend request on Facebook. It was Tam, and, like Olivia, he was also living in California. The two reconnected and fell back in love all over again. After 15 years apart, the two got married and now have a young son together.
12. Jason & Amy
Jason and Amy may have gone to different high schools, but that didn’t stop them from finding each other. The couple started dating at 16 and 15, respectively, and the early stages of their relationship were marked by quintessential high school drama and late-night landline phone calls.
The couple married young, when they were only 19 years old, and faced the ups and downs of early adulthood together. Over two decades later, Amy and Jason now have three children and cherish the family they’ve created together.
We Met in Our Golden Years
Falling in love in your golden years is seriously underrated. You have a clear grasp of who you are and what you want, and nobody’s gonna waste your time with dating games. These two couples met and fell in love later in life, and they think it was the perfect time for them.
13. Jeanne & Harold
You’re never too old to find love. Harold and Jeanne met and fell in love three years ago, when Harold was 97 and Jeanne 93. When the couple first met, they were hesitant about dating again. Jeanne was widowed twice, and her partner of 25 years had died shortly before she met Harold. Harold was also grieving the death of his wife, Thelma.
Jeanne and Harold’s first date was nothing remarkable. But on the second date, sparks flew. They knew they had found the right person at the right time. In June 2024, the couple got hitched– the same year Harold celebrated his 100th birthday. And their families agree they’ve never seen them happier.
14. Jeri & Cleon
Jeri tells the first moment she saw Cleon best: “This guy came into my life in his ‘37 Chevy coupe and we fell in love.” The couple was set to marry, but Jeri got cold feet, panicked, and called off the wedding. Jeri and Cleon went their separate ways, marrying and starting families with other people.
But their love story wasn’t over. Seventy years later, both Jeri and Cleon had lost their spouses and were living alone. A friend helped Cleon reconnect with Jeri, and the two rekindled their connection. After a year of dating, Jeri and Cleon tied the knot in 2024.
We Blended Our Families
Single parents face too much discrimination and stigma in the dating scene. So when they find partners who not only embrace them but also their children and families, it’s something to be celebrated. It’s even better when two parents get to blend their families together.
These couples found each other after having children and created blended families of their own.
15. Josie & Melissa
When Josie met Melissa, they knew they had met someone special. Josie was the parent to two young children, recently divorced, and newly out as queer. They were navigating single parenthood and their newly embraced identity, all while juggling the duties of parenthood, work, friends, and family. Melissa, a few years their junior, was finding their own way through the dating scene.
Melissa and Josie met on Bumble, and soon things became more serious. Melissa became a part of Josie’s family, and now the two co-parent their children (and dogs) as a blended queer family. While the learning curve was significant, both Josie and Melissa celebrate their family and all the moving parts that make it special.
16. Harriet & Joe
In 1998, Harriet and Joe started dating. When they married a year later, they brought their six children from previous relationships together under one roof. Their children ranged in age from 5 to 10 when the couple married and moved in together. Harriet and Joe handled big adjustments as they blended their families, with their main focus on making sure each kid felt welcomed, loved, and safe.
Harriet and Joe agree the most rewarding part of their blended family is the fun they have together. Single parents may feel discouraged in the dating scene, but Harriet and Joe’s story is a testament to the possibilities out there.
We Met During Covid
Covid sucked. But the equal parts unique and dire time drove many of us to form relationships where we otherwise wouldn’t have. These two couples found love at a difficult time and came out the other side to enjoy a post-lockdown world together.
17. Margot & Collin
When my friend Margot and I decided to apply to work at Yellowstone for the 2020 season, we didn’t predict delaying our plans by months. We also didn’t expect her to meet Collin, a fellow employee at our work location. They started out as friends, but soon after the season ended, in early 2021, they made things official and started dating.
Margot and Collin live together in Montana and are a quintessential granola couple. They enjoy hiking and rock climbing when weather permits, and when it doesn’t, they’re snowshoeing and disobeying nature’s orders to stay inside. Margot is my high school best friend, so not any man could please me as her boyfriend. Collin definitely does.
18. Becca & Austin
In 2020, Austin moved from Florida to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four weeks later, everybody was on lockdown due to COVID-19. Wanting to make connections in his new city, Austin made a dating app profile. It didn’t take long before he matched with Becca, a Minnesota native and travel insurance manager.
Both Becca and Austin were searching for serious relationships. Becca had been trying her hand at online dating for a while, without a lot of success. When she saw Austin’s profile, she was attracted by his big smile and adventurous travel selfies. They went on a classic 2020 “let’s go for a walk outside” date, and the rest is history.
Finding Love Can Take Time, But It’s Worth It
Old adages are old adages for a reason: They keep on reasoning with people. Good things do take time, and love happens when you’re not really expecting it. While we should all be balanced in our approaches to love and relationships, I think a little romantic flair never hurt anybody.
You deserve a love story just as magical as those in this article.
