Every couple's love story features a series of moments: the first date, the first kiss, the first fight, and of course those first feelings of love. But how exactly do couples go from "in love" to "I do"?
A Reddit thread popped up on Monday asking married men to tell the story of the exact moment they knew their wife was The One. Read on for 23 super sweet anecdotes and tell us yours in the comments.
1. They were a perfect match -- literally.
"When we first moved in together and we were unpacking our books. I stepped back when we were done and I noticed we had doubles of all of our favorite novels. I remember thinking to myself, 'yup, she's the one'."
2. When she became his rock.
"My Dad had just died, and I went to his funeral a state over around five hours away. So I'm sitting there alone in my hotel room and my girlfriend calls me to see how I'm doing and I say I'm fine when I'm really torn up inside. I was unable to sleep and at around 4 am I get a knock on the hotel door ... I looked through the window and instantly started crying. My girlfriend had driven five hours in the middle of the night because she knew I was having a hard time."
3. When he realized she supported him unconditionally.
"The first night we met, I was unemployed and she was far too attractive for me. When I reluctantly told her about my employment situation, she calmly responded 'Well it looks like I'm buying your drinks for the night then!'. I knew she was something special, a year later I asked her to marry me. We've been together 10 years and have two kids. She stays at home and now I buy her drinks."
4. They laughed at all the same jokes, even when no one else was.
"Out to the movies with a big group. Stupid movie, but there was only one other person who laughed [when] I laughed. I figured out who she was. We went out. We continued to laugh at all the wrong spots in life. We have been married almost 25 years. Still laughing when no one else does."
5. When he knew he had found his other half.
"The moment I realized I stopped thinking 'I' and was always thinking 'we'."
6. When he could be his silly self, and she was right there with him.
"We had been dating for about 3-4 months. We were holding hands after walking out of a store and reached the curb. Without skipping a beat, we both jumped off the curb, the same as I have done since I was a little kid. My daughter and I now do it regularly. If you are still a kid at heart, find someone with a similar heart."
7. When she knew him better than anyone in the world.
"One was on my 18th birthday. Worked hard at a very physically demanding job 8-4 every day. Would come back home and shower then take a nap every day. My mom had other plans ... she had dozens of my friends and family surprise me with a birthday party. Anyone who knew me knew I wouldn't want this. Yet out of all my friends and close family, my now wife was the only one who told me in advance what was coming. I bought the ring that summer."
8. Suddenly, his S.O. was the best friend he could ever ask for.
"When she woke me up at 5 am to go to a pub to watch a soccer game."
9. When he knew his S.O. loved what he loved.
"I was in the bedroom getting ready to go somewhere and I heard my wife (girlfriend at the time) in the living room say 'That's what you get for fucking with Indiana Jones, douche bag!'. I asked her to marry me shortly after. I think she was watching Last Crusade."
10. When he no longer had to put on airs, because she wasn't.
"Any previous girl I dated, when driving in the car with me would tell me to calm down when someone did something stupid. I'm no maniac, just Italian. I just yell at them and move on. Well the first time we were in a car together, she was driving and someone cut her off. Before I even said a word I heard 'Are you fucking kidding me?!' That was the moment."
11. When his S.O. shared his dreams.
"I have a crazy obsession with Australia, and dream of visiting one day. My birthday rolled around soon after we began dating, and somehow she found a $20 Australian bill and gave it to me as a gift, along with a slew of other presents.
I'm saving that bill for when we eventually make it to the other side of the globe and I am spending it on her."
12. The moment "forever" sounded like a good idea.
After our first date, I remember thinking 'I want to spend as much time with this woman as I can.' We were married four months later. Still married ten years later."
13. When she stuck by him in sickness and in health.
"I was hospitalized with a broken hip and she refused to leave my side through four days in the hospital. This was after my mother had passed away earlier in the year. That was the moment I realized that she was the one and have been together ever since."
14. He discovered she was even nerdier than he was, in the best possible way.
"She corrected me when I mispronounced the name of Gandalf's sword. God I love this woman."
15. When his S.O. was willing to conquer her fears, just for him.
"My now wife sang and played 'Hey Jude' for me on my sister-in-law's couch three days into our relationship. She has horrible stage fright but at that moment I knew she was the one. Six years later we have a beautiful son named Jude and its her and I versus the world."
16. The moment he realized he was truly loved.
"When her car was damaged in a parking lot while under my care (not at fault) and her first words to me upon seeing the damage were 'Are you ok?' That moment when you discover the woman you're dating cares more for you than an expensive inanimate object is the moment you know."
17. When he knew his whole life could be an adventure if they spent it together.
"We booked a trip to Italy pretty early in our relationship and [while at the airport] our flight was canceled due to the volcano in Iceland. We met with a lady who asked us 'Well, where do you wanna go?' My girlfriend (now wife) turned to me and said 'Oh my God, we could see Machu Picchu. You wanna?!?' We had only been dating a few months at that point, but I told her I loved her in the fountain park in Lima ... We just celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary last month!"
18. When his S.O. was willing to sacrifice anything to help him.
"We were on our way to a dinner thing. I had to stop and get air for the tires, and it started to rain -- hard. She spent three hours in the bathroom getting ready, and she got out of the car and put a hoodie on, and held the flashlight for me."
19. He couldn't remember not being in love.
"I honestly can't remember a time I didn't want to marry her."
20. When his S.O. became his source of strength.
"We hadn't slept in over 36 hours and we were driving down back roads from Six Flags Great America toward home. We got lost, and when I usually would get upset or flustered, I was oddly calm with her helping navigate. It seemed so significant to me that she had, just by being there, calmed me down that I knew our relationship was special."
21. There were no reasons not to love her.
"My very good friend at the time asked me, 'Then why don't you marry her?' I couldn't come up with a single reason not to. We just celebrated our seven year anniversary today."
22. When even so-called "bad" moments became memories.
"We were waiting for the rain to stop after we had finished buying groceries. It was pouring rain, and I thought it would be great to run in the rain. I turned to my GF and was about to ask her when she asked me if I wanted to run in the rain. We walked to the car getting soaked together laughing."
23. When all the little moments added up to something extraordinary.
"It was not really a single moment but a long line of little things that built up to it. She is my best friend in the world and the most beautiful woman in the world to me. One day I decided I wanted to get married and have her in my life till the end. Of course I had a feeling that I would ask her on day one but I was in love and thought that after a year or two I would feel different. Nope. Still love her like the day I met her."
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