It can be easy to lose faith trying to find love as time passes. We're tricked into thinking you're required to meet someone then marry young, that they're the only happy stories worth telling. In reality, the older you are the bigger the lead you possess over your younger counterparts because you've had experience. Wisdom. Growth. You know what you want and what your time is worth.
Romance is only meant for the young? Please.
Reddit user, u/arcedup, wanted to hear the amazing tales when they asked:
Happens When You Least Expect It
I came from a domestic violence background. Divorced my husband of nearly 20 years back in 2003. I was in my mid 40s at the time. The state we lived in revoked his parent rights because of DV and I ended up with full custody of my 2 daughters with permission to relocate out of the state. Left in early summer 2005 without saying goodbye for obvious reasons & moved 1600 miles away to New England and he never knew where we went. I rebuilt our lives over again from scratch, as we couldn't bring anything with us - just what few belongings we could pack in our car to make the trip to NE.
I was a single parent & alone for the first 14 years I lived up here in New England, but didn't mind it at all. New England Rocks! Totally love this place - it's home - like REALLY home. Super nice people, very kind - though mostly quiet - unless you're visiting Boston, LOL!
In Nov. 2018, when I was 57, I went to a local small live music venue - not looking to meet anyone in going. Just went by myself to enjoy the music - great live jam band on stage. When I walked into the venue, this guy at the bar looked at me and it was like he did a double-take. I remember thinking it was odd at the time, but thought: "Hey, probably just my imagination." Walked up to the bar to get a drink and he strikes up a conversation with me. We chatted & danced the entire evening. When the band finally packed it in around midnight, he gave me his business card with his cell phone on it, but didn't ask me for my contact information - just totally left it up to me to decide whether to contact him or not. Plus his business card with his name on it gave me the ability to check if this guy really was who he said he was. (He was!)
The next morning I decided I'd enjoyed myself and felt comfortable texting him back, thanking him for the fun I'd had the previous evening. He responded in kind and asked me out to dinner for that following evening. I said yes.
We've been together since. Having a blast with this guy! We both just really clicked. Sometimes, it happens when you least expect it.
Ha! True "Digital Love."
After six years as a non-dating single mom, I went on Match.com. I emailed a few guys and went out on one date with four of them. Met the last guy at a coffee shop. He compared kids to hidden co-processes running on a computer that will eventually crash your system unless you restore your RAM in the form of coffee.
I kinda fell in love right there.
"How old is he?"
I had been married for 27 years when my husband unexpectedly passed away. Took a while to get back on my feet and get adjusted and content with my new normal. Had lots of good friends, a good job, great dog, and a beautiful home.
And then I went to the Holiday Party at my fathers nursing home. My dad and I sat with one of his fellows residents and her son who was so funny, attentive and charming, he was married, but I thought I'd like to meet someone like that.
During the entertainment, a residents daughter came up to me and said that there was a guy who wanted to meet me, So I agreed to meet him. First thing he did was introduce me to his mom and show me a picture of his daughter and new granddaughter.
Gave him my number and he actually called a couple of days later. That was 8 years ago. He's funny attentive and charming, Still together.
When I called my kids, or any friends to tell them I met someone I liked at the nursing home Holiday Party, with out fail, there would be a pause and then everyone asked the same question, "how old is he?"
You Already Know What You Want
I met my current wife when I was 36.
I'd been divorced since I was 33.. single dad with a daughter. Moved back in with my parents to kind of get back on my feet. About a year later, my dad passed away.. so I stayed there a bit longer than I probably would have otherwise so my mom and I could be there to support each other.
It was hard to find someone to date seriously. I had no interest in having any more kids, but many of the women I met either had kids and wanted more, or hadn't started a family and wanted to start their own family at 35+. I also met my fair share who didn't want to date someone who already had kids or who lived with their parents.. or both.
I decided to try online dating and met my now-wife on OkCupid. According to their metrics, we were actually the most compatible people for each other in the whole country.. and we only lived about a 20-minute drive from each other!
She was totally opposed to the idea of online dating and, really, the only reason she had a dating profile was because her coworker had created one for her to "get back into the dating scene". I met her after her deciding to finally take the site seriously for a few days. I guess the timing was perfect for that!
Well, we chatted online and on the phone for about a month, we had a lot in common but also a lot of different interests. She had kids too. Neither of us wanted more. Perfect!
I work evening shift so our first date was actually a lunch date. We met at Panera during her lunch break, but really hit it off.. so I took off Friday night from work and we went on a "proper" date. To this day, both of us still say it was the best date that either of us had ever been on in our lives.
We've spent most days together since then.
She had always maintained that she had no interest in ever getting married and never did.. but apparently I was special. :) We've been together for 8 years and married 4. Still going strong!
Bonded Through The Land Of Westeros
I'm 51 now and I was married for 13 years to a wonderful woman and we had a 10 year old daughter together. We live two houses down from her mother and step-father (we bought them a giant wooden spoon and fork for the wall even ala "Everybody Loves Raymond") and they were a huge part of our lives and the life of my daughter.
My wife struggled with acute pancreatitis since before we met but the attacks slowly became more frequent and more intense. We went to specialists, we went to the Mayo Clinic out of state, and every test came back negative. She gradually got sicker. Our lives slowed down and became a daily question of, "Can we do anything tonight or is she in too much pain?" On Mother's Day weekend in 2017 she had her last attack and she passed away from complications from the pancreatitis on the morning of Mother's Day. (Hereafter referred to as "Megan's Day")
Slowly we put our lives back together. My in-laws helped out immensely and we worked together to support each other and my daughter. I tried dating a couple of times but I wasn't in a good place for it mentally. I decided to just focus on myself and my daughter and moved on. I wasn't going to "settle" for someone who wasn't right for both of us and just kind of went about my life for a bit.
Last year I started noticing this woman in a Facebook group. My late wife had been my "Game of Thrones" co-pilot and with the final season coming out, I was bummed to not have anyone to share it with. I noticed that this woman also watched GoT and was going to re-watch the series before the final season came out and I asked if she'd want to watch it "together". She lived 1,000 miles away but we agreed to try. We'd get it set up and then count down together (I'd say 3, she'd say 2, I'd say one, then we'd both say "GO" and hit play) and send snarky comments back and forth. When the season started we graduated from messenger to phone calls and kept watching together and we'd keep talking in text afterwards.
Soon we were talking every night, until after midnight and all during the day. About everything. She's gorgeous and nerdy and she was also in a place where she was never going to "settle" for someone again. We fell in love over the phone before we'd ever met and it's been the most amazing relationship of my life. We got married last September and she moved here with her youngest son in October and we're making a new family together.
Something New Slowly Turning Into Something Grand
Having been suddenly widowed in my early 40s, dating again was not something I had envisioned in my life. My late husband and I had been together for 20 years and wow is dating now different than [it] was then! I spent a few years thinking it wasn't going to happen - who would want a 40+ year old woman with 2 kids and a dead husband? That's a lot of baggage, but to anyone else out there solo parenting, let me tell you it's possible. I met my boyfriend on the apps and we've been together for close to 18 months now.
I realize this may not (yet) be the long term relationship asked about in the post, but I just wanted to give hope to others like me. I am with one of the kindest, most thoughtful men I've ever met. He loves me and my kids and we're doing well! He is not threatened by my late husband's memory or the fact that I will grieve him for the rest of my life. He understands that is part of what makes me, me. We don't live together, so we haven't been able to actually be together (except a few distanced drop offs) in over 7w due to Covid and that really sucks bc I miss him.
Never Say Never...
Not quite 35, but around then.
I'd just gone through a truly hellish breakup. I did not think I would be able to trust another human behind again and was genuinely comfortable with the idea of never being in another romantic relationship.
Then there was this woman in my building who just seemed to materialize out of nowhere. One day she moved in and became a constant presence. I started noticing her all the time, in the building, local stores, it was like when she was in a room her presence alone drowned out all the other people. She was totally impossible to ignore. I know this sounds cliche, but there really was just something about her.
So I decided just because I wouldn't ever have another romantic relationship didn't mean I couldn't have female friends, so I got to know her. I waited for an opportunity to introduce myself, when she was moving something heavy up to her place.
We became fast friends. There was obvious attraction on both sides but I fought it at every turn because I was so determined to never hurt like I had been hurt in my previous relationship. We talked about it on and off but I always hid behind "relationships end, friendships are forever, and I want you in my life forever." She was definitely frustrated, but eventually she stopped pushing it and started dating other guys.
Then after a long while of being very, very close friends, I got sick. Not cold or flu sick, very seriously hospital sick. She completely stepped up to the plate without my even asking her to. She helped me coordinate my leave of absence from work. She helped me find specialist doctors. She took over the cooking of meals and made sure my apartment didn't fall into total disarray. She listened to me when I was scared, and she gave me space when I needed to be alone.
It was around then that I realized I had a real life partner on my hands, and I could risk being hurt by entering into a relationship, or I could guarantee hurting myself by allowing fear to deprive me of sharing life with this woman.
We are now are over a decade happily married.
Experience Means Knowing What You Want
Was a single dad for upwards of 10 years, mostly raising the kids on my own. Didn't date much in the early years because I was focused on home life and work.
Dating in my 50s with teenage kids in the house was difficult because most of the women in my age demographic were already done with raising children and weren't keen to return to it.
I was facing the possibility that I may not find someone when I met a lady near my age with a [son] who was a few years younger than my youngest.
A good thing about dating when you're older is you have a lot of time to reflect on who you are and what you want in a SO. Sue checked all the boxes - intelligent, shared values, integrity, honesty. And beautiful to boot. We dated extensively, did weekend outings when schedules allowed. Made time to spend together to know this was the choice we wanted to make.
In 2018 we sold our respective houses and bought a new one together, where we live with our 3 kids (2 in Uni, one in high school). We were married on my 60th birthday.
A Complete Surprise
I met my wife at work. Falling in love with her was a complete surprise.
The prior year, I ended an engagement with a woman I dated for several years. That's another story. It's enough to say that at that point in my life I decided a bachelor life would be great. I was enjoying dating, no commitments, etc.
My wife and I didn't cross paths at work. But, one day, she stopped by my office. I can still see her standing in the doorway, chatting with me. After she left, I thought . . . "That was interesting. What's going on there?"
A few months later, we were at a company retreat and there was a band playing after dinner. I worked up the nerve to ask her to dance (up to that point everyone was dancing in a group). Funny thing, I waited so long that the song was "Last Dance" by Donna Summer and it was . . the last dance of the night. We always laugh when we hear the song.
She didn't match the description of who I was looking for in a partner and I was terrified of commitment. But, I am delighted that she stuck with me while I figured out "my stuff." It's still strange to me how much she complements my blind spots. I guess the relationship developed because we treat each other with respect and we talk about everything.
I love her more today than ever.
Thanks for asking.
The Beauty Of Online Connections
I was 39, he was 43. We met by chance online. We lived far from each other, in two very different parts of the world. Cut to 18 months later, after a few visits to each other's homeland, we decide to make a life together. A visa is granted and away I move, across the world, to be with him. We are now married. A modern romance :)
Meeting In The Most Obscure Places
I was 33, he was almost 34...We met at a renaissance Faire. I was dressed up, he was not. It was the first time I had ever been to a renaissance Faire, and he hadn't been since he was a kid. We got to chatting, and at some point I took a picture of him and his friend, he asked me to send it to him (very sly way off getting my number). He texted a few days later, we went on our first date a week later, and now we've been together for almost 8 years!
I will say that this relationship was different, in that he didn't play games. He answered texts and calls right away, but wasn't needy or clingy. It was refreshing after dating guys in their 20s that were always being shady, and making me feel like I was crazy. (Turns out those shady 20 year olds were cheaters, so I wasn't crazy)
Twitter Actually Did Something Good!
My husband and I were 33 and 40, respectively, when a cat introduced us on Twitter. My husband had a Twitter account for his cat, Stripe, that was cute and clever. From Stripe's tweets, I determined that his owner was male, and because he ordered takeout a lot, probably single. So one day I asked Stripe if his human was as cute as he was. My now husband introduced himself on his own account, and he was!
I was in Texas, and he was in Ohio. We were Twitter friends for awhile, but I was crushing hard. He never took my hints, so I just came out and told him how I felt. He said he had lots of vacation time and could visit if I was serious. We decided to talk on the phone that night, both agreeing that it would probably only last five minutes. We talked for five hours. I messaged a friend to start looking for bridesmaids dresses, because I was going to marry this man. A year and a half and three visits later, I did! We've been married for seven years now.
You Keep At It And Never Give Up
I was a single father for many years. Ex and I split when my kids were 4 and 2. Relationship was toxic and I left it after years of emotional abuse.
It seemed that almost every woman either wouldn't date me because I had kids already (and couldn't have more) or wanted to date me because they thought they could 'save' me and help me with my kids. It was very frustrating and honestly stopped trying.
Then went to a wedding. A woman asked if I wanted to dance. I was drunk so I did. Thanked her for the dance and enjoyed the rest of the evening. Wedding shut down and getting ready to leave and I see her sitting alone at a table. Not sure why, but something drove me to go talk to her. We chatted for a few minutes then decided to go down the street to a coffee shop to talk more. We talked for a couple hours. She was a relative of one of the people who got married, in from out of town for the wedding. I was friends with the other person who got married. Turns out we were both going to the day after party the next day. So after talking for hours, we said we would see each other tomorrow.
Got to the day after party the next morning and I had my kids with me. She had her daughter with her. The kids were roughly the same age and got to playing with each other. We talked more as it seemed the rest of the party was nothing but background noise. She was staying at a hotel close by and asked if my kids would like to go swimming later that afternoon. My kids enthusiastically say yes, so yes it was. We are poolside watching all the kids playing and knowing they were going back home the next day I asked if her and her daughter wanted to join me and my kids for dinner at a nearby restaurant. They said yes and we all went for dinner.
After dinner we all went to our respective places, but not before exchanging phone numbers. It seemed like a polite jesture on both our parts as she lived 2000 kms away.
She was catching an early flight the next day and I was awakened to her calling me to say goodbye. We talked for a bit and before she had to board I told her to call me when she got home. She did and we spoke twice a day for weeks. I wasn't sure what this all was, but I knew I looked forward to us talking daily.
During those weeks, a friend of a friend whom I had been social with asked me out on a date. I turned her down as I felt it would be cheating on my phone friend. It was at that point I realized I felt more for her than I realized. I kept that inside as to me it was insane that I was falling for someone I had only met in person for a total of about 12 hours. We continued to talk on the phone and one day she said she was thinking of moving to the city I lived in. She felt the same about me and she wanted to see if there was a relationship there. And she rationalized that her moving to where I was would be easier as her ex lived a few hours away and it would be easier for him to see his daughter.
Well she moved up here and got her own place. We started 'dating'. Months later we moved in together. Years later we got married. A decade later we are still together and love each and every day.
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk him about it.
When you gotta go, you go.
That should be a mantra for getting rid of the toxic people in our lives.
Not every relationship is meant to last forever.
Some people don't know how to be friends.
They are awfully good at pretending though.
Be vigilant of the signs and red flags.
Toxic people are crafty.
And once you're free, never look back.
Redditor _ReDd1T_UsEr wanted to discuss the reasons why many of us decided to cut some people out of our lives, so they asked:
"What was the reason why your friendship ended with someone?"
Sometimes a person just has to go.
Planning Stages
"I stopped being the first to always initiate plans, and that was that."
Witty-Surround-6541
"I once asked a friend to plan our next breakfast + walk outing, since I always did that. He wrote me a letter ending the friendship. Stunning!"
fermat9996
Pants on Fire
"Habitual lying became too annoying and disruptive to tolerate."
Hosscatticus_Dad523
"When you constantly are thinking... this math ain't matching lol. People that lie all the time make me sick. I've told multiple friends that you don't have to lie to me."
"I feel so much better when someone can trust me and feel comfortable telling me a hard truth than an easy lie."
"Even if the truth made me feel some type of way, I'm still glad it was honest. I've even said thank you to people in the past that have been honest with me, good or bad! Some people just can not help lying about things. I wouldn't be able to ever keep a story straight if I did that."
__eden_
Bad Behavior
"He kept having kids with different girls and bailing on them. Coming from a 'went out for a pack of smokes' Dad myself, I just couldn't watch it anymore. Bailed after the third one. Think he's up to 6 now."
KingGuy420
"Reminds me of one of my ex-friends. She kept having kids with MULTIPLE guys (all of them were one-night stands), I don't think she even knows who the baby daddies are."
"She also kept begging me and people for money for pot, and she also bragged about having OnlyFans. She'd also make up stories about being in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend (she'd also cheat on him/tell people her and him they broke up, which they weren't)."
wisconsinking
Reasons
"I was a bad person and they ended it for perfectly sensible reasons. I would have done the same. I've changed, but I don't blame them for not reconsidering contact."
tabletopsidekick
"I’ve been there. I was a bad person and lost friendships and family relationships. I tried to apologize to everyone I hurt."
PDXGalMeow
"I also accepted that they don’t want me in their lives anymore. I learned that I made my mistakes, I learned from them, and I accept their choices. I don’t self-hate anymore and I try to be a better person in general. I hope you are doing well and practicing self-love and forgiveness."
PDXGalMeow
Money Issues
"I lent them $20 and then they avoided me so they didn’t have to pay me back. Worth the $20."
BuickAssault
"I don't ever expect prompt returns of small amounts of money between my friends... we all buy each other rounds or buy the food for the BBQ or whatever. It ends up evening out over time I think we'd notice though if someone was always taking and never giving and then they'd probably get cut off too."
Badloss
In the immortal words of Cyndi Lauper... "Money Changes Everything."
Lack of Support
"She joined a pyramid scheme selling butt-ugly leggings and it took over her whole life. When I finally told her it was negatively affecting our friendship, she accused me of not supporting her 'business.'"
LeftandLeaving9006
Oh Driver
"I was basically a taxi for my friends so I dumped them all."
Bullfrog_Little
"This one I can understand but depends on the situation. Not all of my friends had cars in high school, so our group needed to have me and my sh*tty '94 Plymouth Sundance come, or they couldn't do anything. I didn't mind at all then, but I definitely would these days."
Hoopajoops
"I remember I used to drive around with my buddies all the time before they had licenses. When one of my friends got his and a car I said sweet now you can drive me around for a bit, he replied that he wasn't gonna waste his money on gas like that. See ya, haven't really spoken to him since."
DontcallmeShirley_82
2063
"How's this for oddly specific: Friend since 1980, was hanging out at a bar in 1992 and there was a dispute of over a $15.00 bar tab. I was in the right, but whatever - he held a grudge for years."
"Ran into him in 2017 and we were both too old to care. Started to see each other now and then. 2023 and we're at this local bar for a show and got into a fight about $15.00 a ticket."
"Maybe he'll call me in 2063."
The68Guns
Exhausting
"She was a taker, constantly. When I needed something she made it about her yet again. Exhausting to be around."
LordyIHopeThereIsPie
"I'm going through this right now. Can't tell you how many texts I have from her in the past few days telling me that I need to get over myself, need to stop making myself the victim, have been a terrible friend, have never been there for her."
"She's the most narcissistic person I know and everyone does everything for her. She has one of the easiest lives ever and anytime anything bad happens to her she believes that everyone is against her and she's the victim here. It's pure insanity. There is no talking sense to people like this."
cheeseburgerwaffles
Life Changes
"I've lost like all but two of my 'friends' because I stopped drinking and doing hard drugs."
ConcertTerrible8877
"Same here dude. My circle is small but hey at least it's a circle I know I can go to."
Miss_mayonnaise
Oh, how things change when the booze dries up.
How much fun were you really having?
Do you have any stories about cutting off a friend? Let us know in the comments below.
People Who've Attended A Wedding Where Someone Actually Objected Share Their Experiences
There's nothing quite like the drama that can arise at a wedding or in the days leading up to it.
But the moment people don't necessarily think about is the moment when the audience can choose to object if they so choose, and surprisingly, some people take advantage of this opportunity. It often doesn't go well.
Redditor AustinMakesStuff asked:
"Has anyone ever been to a wedding where someone actually objected, and if so, how did that go?"
Objection: Avoided
"I went to a wedding where they skipped that part because the bride's adult daughter was planning to object."
- mynameizgary
"How was this known? Had she pre-announced her intention, or was she just that kind of person and people had accurately predicted it?"
- UpsetMarsupial
"She told somebody, and they told the bride and groom."
- mynameizgary
Uncovering the Con Artist
"I feel like about half of weddings these days don't have that part, and not because of feared objections, just because it is outdated and weird. Premarital sex is a thing. Divorce is a thing."
"Weddings cost like over $10k; if you know reasons to stop a marriage (outside of movies), you need to intervene at the engagement or earlier, not during the ceremony."
"That said, one of my wife's college roommates canceled a wedding like a day or two days beforehand, right after graduating college, after being in a long-distance relationship with some guy for a year or so. Her family was quite well-off and she was dating a guy who lavished gifts and expensive dates on her whenever they were together, said he ran his own company, just bought them a fancy house, etc."
"It turns out he was just super in debt, working a near minimum wage job, and maxing out credit cards taken out fraudulently. He had a fake web page with other employees for his company that he set up for the sole purpose of keeping up the front. The house was only bought from grossly lying about income (pre-2007 housing crisis) on the mortgage application, and he was drowning in debt."
"The almost-bride's father got bad vibes about the guy (a few things didn't add up, like he had this fancy house but couldn't afford any furniture), and he hired a PI (Personal Investigator) who quickly uncovered the deception."
"(And she didn't break up with him because he wasn't rich, she broke up because he spent tons of effort to lie about everything and was completely conning her and just trying to get her roped into joint ownership of his debt via marriage that he expected the family to pay off.)"
- NoveltyAccountHater
Chosen Family
"My husband's first marriage. The brother of the bride stood up and said to my husband, 'Say no, you can still be happy!'"
"They went through with the marriage and wound up divorcing with a messy breakup."
"Brother-in-law is still best friends with my husband (as far as he's concerned, he gained a brother and lost a sister, and is better off for it), and he never lets him forget the fact that he was right and he should have bailed, lol (laughing out loud)."
- Amaevise
Marriage 2.0
"My auntie's fiance was already married (a lady stood up waving the marriage certificate), so the wedding didn't go ahead. The reception was on a long boat so we still went to that."
"The fiance went back to his home country to sort it out and never came back."
- Chiquita4eyes
The Mother-in-Law
"I worked a wedding where one of the moms objected, but I think the groom knew that the parent was going to say something, so they just responded with, 'Oh sit down, (parents name), we knew you didn't like this a year ago and clearly we're not going to change our minds today."'
"The wedding continued like nothing happened, but the mom was lowkey shunned and people avoided her at the reception."
- peeweekiwis
Going Separate Ways
"This was in America, and the wedding was in a Buddhist temple. The parents of the groom stood up and objected because they didn’t believe the bride was of the same class. They spoke in another language so most of the English-speaking guests didn’t know they were objecting."
"My husband was the best man and those closest to the couple knew this might happen. The Buddhist priest said he would handle it if the parents tried anything."
"After the parents spoke for a while, the priest said to the groom, 'You’ve heard what your parents had to say, what do you want to do?'"
"The groom replied, 'I want to marry my bride.'"
"So the priest asked the parents to leave."
"At this point, the rest of the guests are clueing in that this was not a nice part of the ceremony, and that the parents were actually objecting, so, as the parents walked out, some of the guests were berating them saying things like, 'You should be ashamed of yourself,' and 'How could you do that?' Even though the groom was not happy with his parents, that was very hard for him to hear."
"That was 30 years ago. The couple is still married. They have two beautiful, successful children. After the groom’s mom passed away, the groom’s father came around and was involved in their lives until he died."
- Bayou_Mama
Not Meant to Be
"A woman, in her twenties at the time, objected to her mom marrying my uncle. So she started yelling, 'Mom, don’t marry him!' during the ceremony."
"The ceremony proceeded, and some family on the mom’s side lead the daughter away to quit interrupting."
"I don’t blame her. My uncle was a lying, lazy bast**d. The marriage didn’t last."
- Rabies182
The Best Man Swap
"I went to a wedding where the best man was replaced a week before because he banged the bride. But the wedding still went ahead just with a different best man. They are divorced now."
- Tobias---Funke
Joke Gone Wrong
"I went to a Catholic wedding where, when the priest asked this question, one of the groomsmen did a VERY loud, long, throat clearing, which got everyone laughing."
"Everyone except for the bride's elderly Italian Grandmother, who marched out of her seat and angrily hit the groomsman with her handbag and shouted at him in Italian!"
- hundreddollar
Giving Away the Bride
"I objected. I took giving my sister away literally."
"I wasn't the brightest three-year-old."
- dookieshoes88
Wedding Invitation Revenge
"At my cousin's wedding, her friend said, 'I object,' because she was not invited to the wedding. She was kicked out of the wedding."
- SuvenPan
Hilarity Ensues
"Not quite the question as asked, but too funny to not share:"
"Priest: 'Any objections?'"
"Father of the bride: lets out the hardest, loudest, most complex-sounding sneeze I've ever heard in my life, completely with involuntarily saying, 'ACHOOOOOO!'"
"Mother of the bride, hammered on champagne: 'For f**k's sake, Jerry!'"
"It took a good five minutes for everyone to regain their composure."
- ibiacmbyww
The Bride Who Got Away
"I had a friend who was a minister, and the subject came up if he asked the question during ceremonies he officiated."
"He laughed and said no way. He basically tells the couple not to include it because it only invites a moment of anxiety at best, misery at worst."
"His best story (and one of the reasons he stopped including the question) was about a couple where in the lead-up to the wedding, the couple was obviously in love. The bride-to-be was very smiley and happy."
"But the day of the wedding, she was stone-faced. He (my minister friend) knew something is up because he’d never seen her like this and he asked if she was okay. She just said, 'I’m fine.'"
"Right before the service, he asked again, and 'I’m fine.'"
"He got to the question, 'Does anyone object to this union?'"
"The bride reached over, grabbed the Maid of Honor's hand, shoved her into the bride’s spot, and said, 'You’re screwing him, you marry him.'"
"Then she stormed out of the church."
- FDS_MTG
An Unforgettable Toast
"At his rehearsal dinner, a coworker's mother's toast included that his soon-to-be wife was a 'd**n dirty w**re who wasn't good enough' for her son. Folks were not happy. (The video ended so didn't see the whole thing.)"
"At the wedding which I attended, his mom started to say something at the 'speak now or' part but was silenced by her daughter. Mom left and didn't see the rest of the ceremony."
"Everything about that poor guy was drama."
- nebelhund
Period.
"Attended a wedding where the minister said something along the lines of, 'If anyone here objects to this marriage, you can keep your mouth shut. Today is not about you.'"
- Jinjoz
Bonus: Funeral Shenanigans
"Not a wedding, but at a funeral someone objected to the death."
"At my uncle’s funeral, his ex-wife and a local church [cult] leader tried to raise him from the dead. We were all sitting there like normal people at a normal funeral and she walks up to the casket and starts yelling, 'James Lester, raise up!'"
"I didn’t know she was there or I would’ve prepared myself for shenanigans. Also, I didn’t know my uncle’s middle name was Lester, so please imagine the confusion. So she and the cult leader are literally yelling at my uncle’s body."
"Not surprisingly, my uncle refused to resurrect himself. They were escorted out."
"I’ve actually never told this story because it makes my family look insane."
- HughSteele
The last thing a person wants is for their to be drama on their wedding day, but like any other major event, sometimes something will come up. But having someone try to put a stop to the wedding, in front of everyone, certainly will add a terrible note to the wedding day.
Financially speaking, most of us could benefit greatly from having extra money each month.
But where someone might assume that the extra money would just be wasted, most people would apply these funds to very practical purposes and expenditures.
Redditor dothepingu asked:
"What would you do if you had an extra $1,000 every month?"
Dental Care
"A couple of weeks ago, I went to the dentist and overheard a heartbreaking situation."
"The office had a very open floor plan with privacy screens rather than individual rooms. But you could still hear every single conversation."
"This teenage kid comes in and says that he has a broken crown that needs to be fixed."
"The dentist says that it will cost $700. Kid says he has to call his mom first."
"So the kid calls the mom, and the mom says, 'No way in h**l can we afford that. Just tell the dentist to stick the old one back on.'"
"The dentist is like, 'Are you sure? That's not really a thing. It's just gonna break off again.'"
"The mom says too bad, he has to live with it."
"If I had an extra $1000, I would have picked up that tab for that kid."
- taleofbenji
Practical Choices
"Pay off debts and save."
- luciliddream
"Exactly my thoughts, start actually being able to plan things and save money rather than being on the back foot all the time."
- thebeardeddrongo
Financial Pressure
"Worry less."
- Cool_Ranch_Dodrio
"Absolutely. Money just helps so much for lowering stress!"
- appleparkfive
Quality Time
"I'd ask my husband to take more time off work. We don't need the extra money, I'd rather have his company."
- Eve-3
Health Care
"Save more money and continue with my current lifestyle, except maybe also be able to get eye surgery for my worsening vision."
- Morbidhanson
A Little Self-Care
"I'd start actually getting my hair cut and colored by someone that's not me at 3:00 AM feeling brave."
- digitalisdaydream
"I feel attacked by this comment, it feels personally directed at me."
- friendlyghost_casper
Mental Healthcare
"Be able to take care of my and my wife's mental health a h**l of a lot better."
"Her therapy is important but expensive. I would love to make sure she had more appointments and the best care."
- onionleekdude
Time to Retire
"Retire. 1000 USD per month is LIFE CHANGING in the Philippines."
- Eleazarosaurus
Home Upgrade
"Probably move out of my uncle's shed."
- chunky_chumpkin
Mortgage Payment
"Make an extra mortgage payment; pay off this house twice as fast."
- HawaiianShirtsOR
Regular Meals
"I'd try out that three meals per day trend that people talk about."
- BeginningCap2333
"I'd settle for one meal a day and not living in my car."
- Desalvo23
"Dude. Been there for six months. One day we'll make it big. We'll sleep on a mattress and eat TWO meals a day."
"Like kings."
- CaptainFunktastic
Break Time
"I'd work fewer hours. I've been here for 32 years and haven't been able to take a vacation in over four years."
- The_Safe_For_Work
Providing for Family
"My mom recently became single, with three kids and a grandkid at home. She and two of the kids who live with her are unable to work because of severe health problems."
"I know she is constantly terrified about how she's going to pay the bills. I'd give her the $1,000 each month in a heartbeat."
- GiskardRayke
Man's Best Friend
"I'd finally be able to afford a dog."
- stoleyourspoon
...Ouch.
"Live instead of survive."
- Keanu_Christ
While there are millionaires in the world, or even just people who live very comfortably, most people are currently living paycheck-to-paycheck, give or take a few hundred dollars. And that $1,000 extra each month would make all the difference.
When love is on the rocks and there's no salvaging a relationship, it's better for a couple to call it splits.
Sometimes the reason for a breakup is obvious.
Other times, it's more complicated.
But the people involved going their separate ways is better than staying in an unhealthy relationship.
Curious to hear from ex-lovers who've been there, Redditor Lishasquarepant asked:
"What caused your last break-up?"
These Redditors found they and their significant other were no longer on the same page.
"Simply, we grew apart."
– catetheway
"Same, I feel like Michael Scott everytime I try to start another relationship. 'No question about it, I am ready to get hurt again.'"
– Gthew
Happier Apart
"Same. We loved each other like siblings, not spouses... Ugh! Lovely man though who now has a fab girlfriend. We are good friends and much happier apart."
– MoxieHasKnottyBits
No Regrets
"Same. And it f'king sucks, but that’s life. It’s been a year and I still hate every second that she’s not in my life, but at the same time I know she’s happier now than she would’ve been if we stayed together."
– throway35885328
Having no communication is the worst part.
Silent Partner
"He slowly got distant. I believe he lost interest and didn't dare be honest with me about that."
– GaiaNatur77
The Late Blame Game
"I had that happen as well, but then he pinned it on me being distant and not affectionate enough."
"My guy, if you pull your hand away every time I try to hold it, I'm gonna stop trying to hold it. And if I ask if something's up and you repeatedly tell me everything is fine, I'm going to believe you. Don't wait till I'm at my worst moment and then reveal you had issues with me for 3 months and break up with me for it being 'my fault.'"
– Billielolly
"Everything Is Fine"
"Oh man, the asking repeatedly and getting a 'nothing' reminds me of a story."
"My friend used to ask her ex this every time he was unusually quiet. He’d always say he was fine, then at one point, told her to stop asking because it was making him feel weird."
"So she did."
"Six months later he initiated a divorce because she didn’t care about his feelings anymore."
"Like…don’t ask for sh*t then get pissy when you get what you want."
– TheRealJackReynolds
And then there are those who were not invested in the relationship for a long time.
The Struggle Is Real
"He seemed to struggle with the concept of not f'king random people."
– spanglesandbambi
Leaving The Problem
"He moved to his country because he missed his family. So he only sent a WhatsApp message saying he was going to stay there. I would have preferred a call at least to break up a marriage."
– kattia12
New Life
"Something similar happened to my cousin. He married her in the US, they had a baby together.. a few years go by, he misses home, goes back to visit.. His family had an arranged marriage ready for him 🤦🏻♀️ He ended up with a new wife and new baby. Hasn’t came back."
– MysticalMom7
A Foreign Custom
"It just seems so surreal that a grown a** adult with a wife and baby would leave his family behind for an arranged marriage. I'll never fathom the mentality."
– ro0ibos2
Ouch
"I wasn't having sex near as often as she was."
– YourWordsMatter
Breaking up is hard to do.
But a good thing to remember is that love can be found again and the new relationship can be even better than the previous one.
And that's something that can't be recognized until you look back in retrospect.
We all have to kiss a few toads.