The Moment People Knew Their Partner Was The One

Solo Trips... Plus One

"I always enjoyed taking a trip by myself while in a relationship. On the last trip alone, I found myself thinking, 'This would be more fun if she was here,' for the first time. I knew then that she was the one."

- Wisebutt98

A Missed Birthday

"She had a brain injury days before my birthday. She woke up from a coma, and the first thing she did was ask nurses/doctors about me and my birthday even though they had no idea who I was."

"I’ve never had someone care so much about me to be the first thing they think of when waking up after brain surgery."

- SurprisedTissue

Traveling Together

"We'd been dating less than a year when my job transferred me across the country. I went to talk to her, figuring it was going to be a breakup, but instead, she nonchalantly asked, 'When do we leave?'"

- pm_me_ur_cutie_bototy

"When I graduated college, I took a job that would be six hours drive time away from my then-new girlfriend. Shortly thereafter, she just up and moved to my new town without even telling me in advance. (Well, she called me on Thursday and said, 'Can you be here Saturday to help me drive the truck?')."

"Anyhow, we're still together almost 50 years later."

- drebinf

Finally Home

"We were cooking in the kitchen. It just happened. There are no words I know to describe the clarity and joy and peace and comfort that I felt, maybe just, home. It was a moment I won't forget."

- positive_express

The Workplace Romance

"She admitted the reason we were having so many problems with our scanner at work, despite the fact we rarely even used it, is because she was working up the courage to ask me out and thought that bending over in front of my desk on a regular basis would encourage me to do it instead."

"Which it would have done, had I not been deliberately averting my eyes every time she did so she couldn't catch me staring and think I was a pervert."

- strangeismid

Sharing a Coat

"The first moment was our second date."

"I was financially in a deficit when we met. I work in an industry that relies on your passion before you make any kind of decent money."

"It was January, and it's cold where we live. It was -28c on our first date, a few days before (with windchill). It wasn't much better on the second date. I did not have a proper winter coat. I would layer, and usually, with a little Canadian gumption, it was enough to get through the winters."

"He showed up with an older coat of his, really warm, lined, suitable up to -40... and was like, 'I hate to see you so cold.'"

"Now, there have been countless moments when I knew he was the one, but the care for my person so early on really hit a note in my soul."

"We moved in together after six months, have been together 10 years, and married for six. We have two little girls."

- roadfries

No Criticism

"We weren't having sex yet, but we were sleeping in the same bed. I was cuddled up with my head on his shirtless chest. I woke up in a huge pool of my own drool. Mortified, I grabbed a towel that was thankfully right by the bed and started to try to sneakily dab it up. He'll never know."

"I finally look up at his face, to check that he hasn't stirred, and he is very awake, and watching me clean up my drool with an amused look on his face. He wasn't grossed out. He didn't mock me. He slept with me again the next night... didn't judge me. I knew he was a keeper."

- thesamemae

Unconditional Love

"Two answers, really."

"Either the time we had our worst fight ever and my every instinct was to walk away forever, but I realized I just couldn't do it because it would be the stupidest thing I'd ever done in my life, so god d**mit apparently I was going to stay and we were going to talk this s**t out if it took all night. (It didn't... Quite.)"

"Or, if you want the sweeter version: the first time she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe and instinctively curled into me."

"There are a thousand moments, really. Making her smile is my win condition for life."

- Otherwise_Window

The Kid Connection

"We were long distancing at the time, visiting each other whenever we could. When we knew we were going to be long-term, we met each other's kids."

"One time, the kids and I were playing Phase 10, and my husband video-called me. My oldest said, 'Oh, is that <partner's name>?!?!'"

"My child snatched my phone away and had a 40-minute conversation with my now-husband, showing husband cards, asking opinions on which card he should play, etc. Finally, my kid says, 'Ok, here's mom again. Bye!'"

"When I got the phone back, my husband was a little teary-eyed. The fact that he engaged with my child like that, and that it meant that much to him. I know there were other times, but I think this was where I really just KNEW."

"We also used to stay on the phone when I went to bed. One night, he thought I was asleep already, and he whispered. 'I AM going to marry you.'"

- It_Wasnt_Me79

A Modern-Day Medusa

"For my (now) wife, it was her smile. She looked at me on our first few dates and her smile was utterly hypnotic. Like, medusa-level hypnotic."

"I thought, this is the most beautiful thing I have ever set eyes on in my life, and like 4 days into going out together I said, 'I think I’m falling in love with you.+"

" She absolutely s**t herself. That was 1993, thirty years ago. Her smile is still as beautiful now as it was then."

- 69-is-my-number

Beatles Songs

"There were two moments. On our second date, he busted out his ukulele and played a couple of Beatles songs to impress the lady (me)."

"But instead of anything classic or romantic, he chose 'Honey Pie' and 'Rocky Raccoon.' Not only totally weird song choices, but also two of my absolute favorites. Really, I knew right then, but a second date is a precarious time to decide to marry someone."

"The super real 100% absolute moment was my 30th birthday, first we were together. He took me up to our favorite hiking trail, and less than ten minutes in, it started just pouring rain. I said I didn't mind pushing through some rain, but it would be okay if he'd rather go back."

"He said we should go the first mile to get to the waterfall. Partway up this trail, there's a wonderful waterfall spot with rocks that practically form a bench under/behind it. When we get to the waterfall, rain still pouring, but now we're protected under the waterfall, he magically produces a bottle of my favorite champagne, two plastic dollar store flutes, and a fancy cupcake with a candle."

"We took a bunch of silly absolutely drowned rat-soaked selfies together. Champagne under the waterfall in the rain. Most romantic thing ever, and the most thoughtful birthday I'd ever had."

"We used those silly plastic champagne flutes again on our wedding day."

- thing_m_bob_esquire

No Green Bell Peppers

"A week or so into dating, we were sitting on my living room floor, discussing our food likes and dislikes. At some point, one of us brought up green bell peppers and we both said, 'God, I hate green bell peppers!' at the same time."

"For the both us, we have pinpointed that stupid little moment as the exact second that both 'knew.' We have been married 25 years this past February."

- youngyeoman

Shared Passions

"We were fostering a stray cat who had had kittens. The kittens all had homes lined up with people we knew. The poor mother cat just had health problem after health problem pop up. We were at the vet with her so many times."

"She wasn't in pain, but with the vet bills and the behavior stuff that comes with health issues like these, I knew she was unadoptable and would need significant care."

"I told her (my then girlfriend) that I had to keep the mother cat, even though we both had special needs animals already, and adding more would delay us moving in together."

"She was like, 'Yeah, of course. I love her.' Like she'd never even considered any other options. She was so kind and loving to that cat, who randomly attacked us and peed on the floor throughout her first year and a half with us. She was as all in as I was every single day."

"Our passions and values are the same, and my partner is still the most compassionate person I know. We still have the kitty too, who we adore."

- Acceptable-CatProf

All That Glitters

"I had recently quit my job and moved to another city where my work prospects didn’t really line up properly."

"We’ve been living together a while and things were getting difficult financially. Mountain of debt, difficulty in paying rent etc."

"One night she says, 'I have this gold bangle that we can sell to get rent for the next five months.'"

"I knew. Right then and there that she is the one."

"We never sold the bangle and I was extra motivated to go out and make something of myself."

"We’re getting married in November."

- wouldnt-u-like-2know

In Sickness and In Health

"Not exactly a 'moment," but within a few weeks of us getting together, I found out my dad was terminally ill. He died about four months later. 32 days after my dad passed, my sister and her children died in a house fire."

"I was a broken, angry, wreck of a human, and I was not in any condition to return the love he gave me. But he stayed. I told him he could go, and I wouldn't blame him for leaving this clusterf**k behind."

"But he stood by me when so many other people would have run. The man gave me something to live for, and he held me close so I could heal. There's no one else like him in the world."

- SuzieQuest

All of these stories were not only heartwarming and sweet, but they are absolutely fodder for the perfect sorts of stories people hope to hear on other people's wedding days.