In honor of National Boyfriend Day, let’s celebrate our loved ones and our stories of how they came to be in our lives.
Happy National Boyfriend Day!
As most of you probably know by now, I just got married! Yes, THIS October 1st! While that may seem like a super quick engagement to some, we both agreed that we didn’t want to drag out our engagement and said, “why wait?” So in six short weeks, my fiance and I got to work on planning our wedding, which was held in my family’s backyard.
I figured that since I have shared a decent amount about my engagement and plans for my marriage, I would talk about our story and how we met. I know that when I was single, I was curious as to how and where others met their significant other! Was it one of those Hollywood meet-cutes? Was it through a friend of a friend? Or was it in modern fashion, through a dating app?
Well, for those who are wondering, ours was indeed through the modern world of technology through Hinge. Or at least that’s the app we actually spoke to each other on and set up our date. Turns out, we matched almost nine months prior on Bumble and I decided not to engage in further convo because I had this dating rule (as high maintenance as I probably sound) that if a guy does NOT respond with a question then I will not continue with the convo. I still think it’s ironic and crazy that we actually spoke months prior to our very first date, but like everyone says if it’s meant to be, then it will happen. So for all of you single ladies out there, there’s a chance you’ve already come across your future boyfriend/husband! 😉
I remember it being right after Christmas in the days leading up to New Year 2022 and I was at home with my parents and brother in Tampa celebrating the holidays in a rather quiet fashion. Covid rates were still at their peak and quite honestly, I hit a point in my social life where going out and getting really drunk was just not of any interest to me. I decided to have a little self-care New Years’ celebration, which got me thinking about my life and my goals for 2022.
I knew I wanted my main focus to be on growing my blog and putting all the time into that, but I also knew how lonely it could be at times. No matter how much alone time you like, working alone is lonely. I knew that the single days of partying and getting drunk and hoping to meet quality guys at a bar were a thing of the past and I felt the need to actually get back out there and be proactive about meeting guys who were serious and on the same page- focused on their careers and being in a mature relationship.
I tended to go through periods of using dating apps and then getting off of them, and with long enough of a break, I felt recharged and ready to get out there. There was definitely a slightly more optimistic feeling than in the past, although still not overly optimistic because I thought of just how many non successful dates I had been on. But what made me more proactive was the mindset of – I only want a relationship that will add to my life and one that will be focused on growth, not drama, not partying, not having something casual.
As I swiped away, I came across my now husband to whom I felt drawn to. His responses weren’t overly serious but they also weren’t half-assed either. His pictures were with family which is a huge bonus for me and best of all none that implied overly too into the selfies and pics, which is a personal must for my own self. Basically, his profile did not make me second-guess messaging back.
But I also do have to say that seeing that he went to Notre Dame, a school that is near and dear to my heart being that my Dad played football there in the ’80s and my sister went there, I felt like the conversation would be easy to keep and so it was. The conversation was easy and quick to the point: setting a date. I couldn’t stand it when guys would linger on with millions of questions and avoid the whole point of these apps, to MEET in person and get to know each other. It doesn’t matter how many questions you ask, you can NOT get to know someone through messaging and the fact that he got that made it easy to say yes!
I remember mentioning to my mom as she drove me back to the airport to leave after New Years, that it was time for me to get back out there and that I had a date the next night I was back in Dallas. My mom loves when I share any romantic details of my life, so of course she had a trillion questions to which I quickly shut down with my less than optimistic mindset, telling her to not get hung up on one of what would likely be the first of many first dates. Afterall, I couldn’t even count how many first dates I had already been on in my twenties.
But back to the logistics, we set a date and he texted me the day before giving me a couple of suggestions of places to go that he was familiar with (since I told him I was still getting used to the area, but really I just hate making decisions lol). I said yes to the place that seemed best for a first date, a spot that later became our go-to place, and what I didn’t realize already was my husband’s go-to spot. The bartender that served us drinks ended up being the bartender to serve us drinks every time we visited which was also another cute little detail to our love story. The date lasted hours and grabbing drinks turned into grabbing multiple drinks and having a blast.
Over that week we went on a few more dates before my husband had to travel for a family vacation and then work. The dates leading up to his departure were all within such a short time that I did not look forward to going a week or so without seeing him, especially since I wasn’t quite certain if he was looking for something serious or not. I am the type that jumps to conclusions so when his texts were taking longer on his trip, I jumped to the conclusion that he probably wasn’t that serious.
So when he suggested a date upon his return, I took it with a grain of salt, and then when he didn’t follow back up until the morning before the date, I told him I had made plans when I didn’t hear from him. He quickly responded by asking if he could make it up to me, to which I said “Sure, but I am away for the rest of the week.” He responded by asking to go to dinner the night I got back. In the past, I would have been vague or not used proper communication to explain why I suddenly was canceling, but when he asked if something was up, I said “I don’t know if we are looking for the same things. I want something serious and don’t want to mislead either of us.” He quickly got it, which made me agree to give it another shot, responding, “I think we are looking for similar things, we just need to talk about it.” He then apologized for not being more clear before.
That week, I traveled to my cousin’s wedding in Austin. The wedding was beautiful and the couple could not have been any happier or more perfect for each other. The way their friends and family spoke about these two, left every guy and girl at the ceremony with tears in their eyes. This was a special celebration and it was the first time that I really felt the strong power of true love that would leave me feeling hopeful, not with pity wondering why I couldn’t find love yet, but hopeful and excited to think that one day a similar celebration would and could happen for myself.
I returned to Dallas in a much different mindset and went on that date with my now husband and we made it official. From then on, we were basically inseparable, and well you know the rest, we ended up engaged seven months later and are now married less than nine months later!
How did you and your boyfriend/fiance/husband/partner meet?!