Men have been revealing the moment they knew they wanted to marry their partner and it’s enough to make the least romantic among us feel warm inside.
Their stories, originally posted on Reddit, are a reminder that big gestures aren’t always necessary for stealing someone’s heart.
Sometimes, it’s the smallest words or actions that make all the difference.
Check out some of our favourite stories below.
“When I first told my father that I was dating someone new, he jokingly asked: ‘What’s her name? What does she do? What’s her bra size?’
“I told her about it, hoping to prepare her for his sense of humour and she thought it was hilarious. The first time they met she introduced herself by saying: ‘Hi I’m Stephanie. I’m in college and I’m a B-cup.’
“My father was horrified, my mother was laughing hysterically and I was in love.”
“I left my favourite CD in her car (Dream Theater’s ‘Scenes From a Memory’). She wasn’t a huge fan, but put up with it whenever I listened. One day I was on the phone with her while she was driving and we said good-bye but she forgot to hang up. I waited a few seconds and I heard her singing along.”
- rab7
“We were three days into a month-long backpacking trip in southeast Asia. We were staying in a seedy hotel in Bangkok and she got a bad case of food poisoning - it was coming out of both ends for 24 hours.
“I, of course, became designated as her nurse. I was refilling her water bottle, getting her soup from the restaurant outside, keeping her company and, most importantly, emptying the trash bin she kept puking into.
“After one trip to empty her vomit bucket, I came back into the room and she was asleep. I looked at her and thought to myself: ’I’m not even bothered by this. I’d do anything for her. This is the woman I’m going to marry.
“‘She’s a disgusting barf fairy, but she’s my disgusting barf fairy.’ Zero regrets.”
“When I was a young lad I had bought a pair of swords. Now for some reason I still had them, but when my now-wife agreed to come over my place I decided to hide them in a storage closet because why would any grown man have these?
“So, a while down the line, she was looking for something in said closet when I heard ‘what the hell? You have swords? Why are you hiding these?!’ I was prepared to be mocked mercilessly, when instead she handed me one and then started swinging. It was about that time that I realised I was going to marry her.”
- thiga
“Our first date lasted 12 hours because we just couldn’t stop talking. Our second date was supposed to be just dinner and it lasted almost two days. She drove away after the second date and I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it. I was ecstatic to find out she felt the same.”
“We had gone on two or three dates before I asked her to ‘be my girlfriend’ and I knew the instant she said yes that we would be married one day. Her eyes just lit up like nothing else when I told her I wanted to make things official. It has felt like I can read her mind since the day I met her. I know when she’s happy, sad, upset, tired, annoyed, etc.
“I knew a few days before she asked me to move in with her that she was going to ask. We have been in sync pretty constantly, and I’m incredibly lucky to be married to someone with whom I’m so in tune. We dated for three years, but I knew from day one that we were going to be married. I don’t really believe in ‘soulmates’ or anything too mystical. However, if there was anyone who could change my mind about that, it’s my wife.”
“We had a long distance relationship. We lived three-four hours away from each other the entire time we dated. We had met at a concert and traded emails and MSN info (classic). We emailed and chatted everyday, sometimes for hours. We poured our hearts out about our fears and dreams. I’d go visit her every other weekend, and she’d come once and a while my way.
“About three or four months into doing this, I was at home chilling at home playing some game in my room. My dad called up the stairs that I had gotten a package in the mail. So I, confused, came walking down the stairs. And there she was. She came up to visit as a surprise. Without thinking, I instinctively ran to her and hugged her and lifted her and spun her a bit. And I felt in my heart a wholeness. Like holding her filled in something I was missing. I knew then that I never would let her go (metaphorically speaking). Been married over nine years, and I still get that feeling when I hug and kiss her.”
“I got mad and yelled at her for some stupid shit because I had been in a toxic relationship prior to meeting her and I thought that what couples did (scream and argue). I expected her to yell back at me, but she just stared at me for a moment and asked if I was done. I said I was and she proceeded to explain to me that people who love one another do not treat each other that way. We can disagree with one another, but there’s no reason to be mean. ‘If we’re going to be together, please don’t be mean to me again.’ That was 26 years ago (we’ve been married 25 years).”