Redditor William3356 asked:
"How did you and your SO meet?"
I love the beginning of a love story.
Make me believe it's possible.
Looking Good
pennywise it 2017 GIFGiphy"I was drunk, walking in the road on the way to a pub, dressed as a clown. He was sober and on his way home from work. (It was Halloween)."
SlowDevice420
"My favorite part of this is the clarification that it was Halloween as if it’s there are other times you may be dressed as a clown. but this is so cute!"
NoFlounder90
And there she was...
"Totally random. I was jetskiing at a lake with a buddy. There was a big group next to us that was having an office party. They invited us over to share some shade and food. My wife showed up a bit later. She was nice and I invited her and her friend to go mountain biking with a big group of my friends the following weekend."
"I was not looking for a girlfriend at the time, but that is how things work. We started dating a few weeks later and our 21st anniversary is next month. I was 35 and she was 36 when we got married and neither of us had been married before."
Caspers_Shadow
Hair Issues
"Worked at the same prison together. I hated him. He hated me. We worked separate shifts then we got put on the same shift together. One day I showed up with a super short new haircut and he asked me 'Wtf did you do to your hair?' And I said 'Me? Wtf did you do to YOUR hair?'"
"And suddenly he found me attractive and the more I was mean to him, the more he liked me. Eventually, some hardships happened and he was the first to immediately extend a hand and help me and I saw the soft sweet side of him and I came around."
Chemical_Reality4606
8 years later...
"Online cos I don't have any friends and he had no luck with women in bars/clubs. Put him off for 3 weeks, asked my mom to check him out to see if she approved of him, she did, told my dad gently (just got out a baaaad relationship) and we met in a park and sat and chatted under cherry Blossom trees for 2 hours. 8 years later still kicking and can't imagine life without him now."
deandraws26
Cherish
madonna cherish GIFGiphy"Just moved to a new part of town, had no friends but saw a group of people at the skatepark. I decided to sit near them with hopes that they might talk to me (I always had a hard time meeting people/making friends)."
"I was 15 at the time and my now wife saw me alone and invited me to hangout with her group. I made great friends and gained years of incredible memories that I cherish to this day. I'm 23 now, we just celebrated our 4th anniversary, and just got married a week ago and couldn't be happier."
PapaPunk17
The Tag Along
Giphy"My cousin's wedding. She was a friend of another cousin who tagged along. We had 15 good years together before she passed away unexpectedly from a heart defect."
allen_idaho
"I met my boyfriend at a my cousin's wedding as well. I am sorry for your loss. May you find comfort in the memories."
wrapped-in-rainbows
Weddings are always a love match breeding ground.
Bountiful...
Reel It In Jay Buhner GIF by Northwest MotorsportGiphy"Technically a blind date! We met on Plenty of Fish but neither of us had a profile picture for one reason or another. We decided to meet up less than 24 hours after first chatting but without sending each other a photo first. We fell in love as soon as we saw the other that first time and we've never left each others side since!"
Gothic_Chaotic
When in Honky Tonk
"20 + years ago in a Honky Tonk back in Texas her cousin was talking to my best friend I asked her to dance she told me no. This is how our conversation started and we talked all night long I asked her to dance again she said yes and the Lights came on. I never got to dance with her that night but I did get her number. I knew the minute I met her I was going to marry her. I had never felt like that before. We are still married and she is my best friend."
txbbqdude
The Greatest
"Met through mutual friends on a camping trip, her smile was the greatest thing I had ever seen. New life goal: make this girl laugh and smile as much as possible. Now I have a picture at my desk of her doing both, while smashing a piece of our wedding cake into my face."
Ioapqjz
In Motion
Season 2 Dancing GIF by The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirGiphy"She saw me dancing and decided to get a piece of that action. 30 years later we still go dancing."
scalzi
Dancing is always the way to a heart.
Do you have any amazing "meet cute" moments with your significant other? Let us know in the comments below.
After a really lovely beginning, the last date I went on, the gentleman across from me told me he had a small secret. No big deal, but he wanted to be honest. He was an ex-convict. I won't get into why, but needless to say, it was a bit much. It didn't go well from there. But we were both too embarrassed to leave.
Goodnight
Wake Up Reaction GIF by OriginalsGiphy"It was one of those setups where my mom and his mom were friends and they were like, "our two nerdy, intensely introverted loner kids should date!" Unfortunately that was the literal entirety of what we had in common, so."
"Bonus detail: we went to a theater that was showing "The Big Sleep." He fell asleep".
Chest Pump
"Organised a date with this gorgeous girl while I was at the surf club. Call for a rescue goes off and I'm running off to do my thing. Pull this older guy from the water, he is not in great shape and has stopped breathing. CPR and the whole works. 10 minutes later and the ambos take him away."
"At the date she wanted to know if I was gay or bi, had to explain what CPR was, that I wasn't attracted to the person and that it's to try and save a life. Nope, she wasn't buying it, I was was clearly gay for drowned men."
Butt First
"My freshman year of college, I went on a first date with a guy from my Italian class. We had pizza and after dinner, we were walking around and it started to drizzle. I was wearing ballerina flats with no treads."
"I took a step on the wet cobblestones and my foot shot out from under me. I landed on my butt, hard. I was mortified, of course, so I stood up quickly. My date asked if I was okay. I remember saying that I felt queasy... and the next thing I knew I was regaining consciousness in the gutter."
"A woman stopped to help. I eventually got up and finished my date at the student health center. It turned out I'd broken my tailbone. I had to sit on a donut cushion in class for the next two weeks. It didn't work out. It's too bad because breaking my butt on our first date would have made a great " how we met" story."
V-Day Mishaps
"This was embarrassing in the moment, but it worked out. It was a 2nd date, but it was also Valentine's day, so I decided to get her flowers, a card that plays music, and some chocolates. It was freezing cold, but I didn't have anywhere to keep them besides my car. I took the chance the flowers might die."
"We had a nice date, and when we get back to my car I got them out. Oh those flowers were DEAD. "Ah well...". She opened the card, and the sound chip just went bbbzzzzzzzz. I sighed and said "Well... I hope the chocolates are okay". She started laughing and gave me our first kiss."
Best Excuses For Late Assignments That Were Actually True | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Perfect Start
Season 1 Dancing GIF by FlirtyDanceFOXGiphy"First date with my now wife, I got food poisoning and had violent diarrhea on the side of the road and had to clean myself with an old shirt I had in the back of my car."
See now, any gastric issues, I'd have to excuse myself and run into the shadows. So some of these people are stronger (or just maybe more adult) than I am. Also movies aren't a good idea until you're already a solid item.
All by Myself
Lonely Bucks Bango GIF by Milwaukee BucksGiphy"Girl and I made plans to meet at an outdoor mall and see a movie, this was back in middle school so my mom had to drive me in about an hour's worth of traffic, and she cancels 15 minutes out."
"I felt so bad for my mom driving me all the way there already so I simply pretended like she hadn't canceled, my mom dropped me off, and I watched a movie by myself. Almost cried but I kept it together. But I mean the movie was good at least."
In the Library...
"Valentine's Day at college. My boyfriend walks into the library and finds me studying. He presents me with a bundle of flowers and the most horrible gift I've ever seen… here's a pic. https://imgur.com/gallery/AWKAGVc"
"Well I had apparently joked about it while we were at target one day and so he bought it for me as a joke. It didn't fit in my backpack and so I had to carry it around my college classes for the rest of the day. Several teachers asked me about it and I was mortified."
"Well I still married him a little later and we've been together 6 years since getting married. Honestly it grew on me enough that I still have it to this day. It's supposed to be a toddler body pillow but it's just the right size for hugging while you sleep. He's asked if he can throw it away a few times but I won't let him. I've actually tried to find the damn thing a few times online but haven't been successful. Even after using its barcode and factory info. I figure it's getting pretty gross and soon I should let it go."
- Zetta216
UpChuck
"First date with my now husband. We are both very anxious people who had little experience with dating and we were both so nervous. I threw up right before the date. He came to pick me up and we drove to the library where we were planning to use their wifi to watch Netflix in the back of the car (despite being almost 20 years old, my mom would not let us hang out in my bedroom at home)."
"As soon as we got to the library he got out of the car and threw up in the parking lot. I then admitted to him that I had also thrown up right before the date. He tried to play it off as us having the flu or food poisoning but we both knew it was really just the nerves."
Hey Dad!
"I went with a girl to see a really late night theater show. It ended at like 2am, well past when public transit stopped running. We didn't have a car or money for a taxi so we walked back to her family's house since I lived much further away. We collapsed fully clothed on her bed and instantly fell asleep."
"Three hours later her dad shook me awake and demanded to know who I was, then when he found out I was studying chemistry in college he started questioning me about thermodynamics, which was... really not my strongest subject."
Yo Eli!
hot guy GIFGiphy"He took off his shirt at outback until the waitress asked him to put it back on then stood in the parking lot loudly (and badly) rapping to his own music. Shoutout to Eli."
Woof!
"A woman asked me on a date to a dog park bar. I told her my dogs don't travel well so it would just be me, which she said was fine. I got there and she also didn't bring her dog. Then she tells me she's a recovering alcoholic and doesn't drink. So we're at a dog park bar with no dogs and no drinking. The date lasted another twenty minutes or so before she began crying about how she'd ruined everything and ran to her car. Suddenly I was a guy at a dog bar with no dogs or drinks that just made a woman cry and run away."
George Costanza
george costanza work GIFGiphy"My George Costanza moment. Went out on a date with a girl going to college at a neighboring town. Went to dinner and what have you. When I went to take her back to her college apartment, we sat and chatted in my truck for a few minutes. Then she said "my roommates gone, do you want to come up for coffee?" My response was "no, I don't like coffee."
"She gave me a strange look, we said our goodbyes and I left. I was half way home when it hit me. I wish I could say I'm just going off the Seinfeld episode, but nope. tmobley87 is a big idiot when it comes to women. But met my now wife of 8 years the next month so I say it worked out."
Nevermind
"I was 13 and it was my first date. She wanted to meet at some place and then go somewhere else, but I was pretty bad at knowing places so I had to ask my mom where it was. She gave me a lift and I thought she'd go away but she apparently went out to see what's happening. Not knowing I was being watched I met her and we started walking when suddenly my mom yelled out from behind us that we were going in the wrong direction. I was so embarrassed I wasn't able to talk to the girl normally after and just went home very quickly because I thought the whole thing was already screwed."
IBSed...
"When I was in high school I dated a guy with IBS and my parents insisted multipe times on having him over for dinners where he would just sit there because he couldn't eat any of our food. It would've been fine if my parents ever let him and I cook (food he could eat, which we always offered) or if people in my family freaking talked! We're a VERY introverted family and that's fine when it's just us, but when you're 17 and your boyfriend is bored and hungry and your family is just chewing in silence... ugh, the cringe."
Excuse me?
Parks And Recreation Nbc GIF by HULUGiphy"We went to Burger King, she asked me to take her virginity in the bathroom and I said no. This was followed by very silent chicken burger eating."
- -IIll
Fun and Games
"I invited my bf at the time over to watch movies in my basement. Instead my grandmother sat in between us and we watched the game show channel. For 3 hours. And it wasn't even like she was trying to prevent us from doing stuff. She just wanted to hang out with us."
When at Starbucks
"When I was a teenager, there was this girl that I really liked. We started to hang out a lot more after we ended up in a class together. Around two months after the class started, she asks if I want to go get coffee sometime. I of course say yes, ecstatic that she asked me out. However, while we were on the "date," she started saying stuff about how people always mistook her for a lesbian, saying how there is no way in hell she would ever go out with a girl."
"I was thrown off by this, because I thought that she, a girl, asked me, a girl, out on a date. I said that I thought that she asked me out, and she got really embarrassed, so now both of us are sitting in the middle of Starbucks on a sort-of date that only one of us wanted to be on."
Hold Please...
"We had a mediocre date, then walked to her apartment. On the way, she took a phone call about a couch she was buying. This call continues for the next few hours (!!!) of the date. To entertain me she put on a show on Netflix- You. This show is about a stalker, and is not really good first date material. At the end she said, resigned, "There isn't going to be a second date, is there?" And I agreed there would not be."
Pooped
Mel Brooks Poop GIFGiphy"Was just a meet and greet coffee date with somebody I met online. We went for a walk down a tree lined street and a bird shat on my head."
- Jogaila2
Somebody find Eli. Now that had to be fun, at the very least. I just drag dates to karaoke. But, a parking lot works. And just so y'all know... I'm even MORE over dating now. LOLOLOL
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How much can really be told when eyes meet from across a room? That is the question. I will say that I've been pretty spot on from what I was able to immediately deduce from my past paramours. Most of them were who I thought they would be, and, for the most part, that was a good thing, until it wasn't. Let's see who can relate...
Ouch
Romance Love GIF by Hike Sticker ChatGiphy"I just know this guy is going to be a GIANT pain in the butt."
We were coworkers. I was right.
Say Cheese
We found each other on Tindr (yes, I'm aware we were using it wrong). I ran into him on the way to the restaurant we were supposed to meet at and the first thing I thought was "Wow, he looks so much better than his profile pics. Thank God he can't use a camera well or else he'd probably be snatched up already".
Hooked
"Wow, that guy is cute and quiet. He's so mysterious! I have to talk to him!". My husband and I met working in a bookstore. I asked him if he ever talked, he looked me in the eye, nodded, then walked away. I was hooked! We had lunch at the same time about a week later, so I asked him if he wanted to get lunch together. We started talking about elementary school and discovered we went to school together from 3rd grade until sophomore year in high school, although we didn't know each other. It's a small world!
The Eyes have It
GIF by Vulture.comGiphyShe has beautiful eyes and she was so pretty (still very much so).
I was so nervous, I went to bathroom and gave myself double finger guns and said don't screw this up. Still married 5 years!
Edit: thank you for the award!! Also, we met on tinder and yes she looked like her picture.
That Guy
"Oh hey, It's that guy I met in the cafeteria. He seems smart. I'll sit by him so I can cheat on tests." We started to become good friends so I felt guilty and ended up telling him. From then on out, he made sure to not flip to the next page or turn his test in until I was done copying. :,)
It was a required health class & not at all relevant to our majors. I had a hard time with those tests for whatever reason and he aced them with no effort... So he didn't mind.
I drew him funny pictures and comics as thanks and we hit it off from there. :)
Now see there, love does still exist in this cruel, cold, mad world. Not only must we open our eyes, but also our hearts and minds. (I should write for a lesser version of Hallmark. No?) If only we were aware of the impressions we're making ourselves. I also forget, people are watching.
"Hairy" Situation
The very first impression was pleasantly surprised.
For context, it was my first day at my first (student) job, and my boss was showing me around and introducing me to everyone by going to all office rooms, one after the other.
My now-husband was in the very last room, and I was "warned" that that team was a bit "special", mainly because of their very direct and sometimes weird/harsh sense of humor. What surprised me was his hair color, as my now husband was the only one in this department of ~50 people with brightly colored hair.
So while I didn't get to talk to him much that day, I remembered him for his hair color alone. It took us a few more weeks getting into contact and to eventually start dating, last weekend was our ten year anniversary (and third wedding anniversary), and he still rocks his brightly colored hair.
Not so Scary
I thought he was an ex-convict. He's super muscular, tattoos covering every inch of his body; all around just a very threatening looking guy. He came up to me and told me "I think you're adorable. Can I have your number?" I was petrified because I have never dated or attracted anyone of this type. But he charmed me. Turns out he's a huge softy with a goofy personality. He cracks up at the smallest things, he loves sweets like a little kid, getting tucked in at night and is scared of the dark. I love him to bits!
A Lasting Impression
mandy moore love GIF by This Is UsGiphy"OMG she's beautiful when she's annoyed" Good for me, cause I annoy her a lot. 9 years in and I can't imagine annoying anyone else.
Coming Back
I was a bartender and he was one of the first to get a drink from me that day. So I didn't think much, I was still trying to screw my head on and jump into the shift. He kept coming back tho, not always to get a drink sometimes just to stand near my bar while I made drinks. His friend brought him there for his birthday, yet he spent most of his time with me. Once I noticed him, I thought he was a lovable dork. I needed to a have a conversation with him where I could be myself and not in working mode.
Same Mindset
Lovers Kiss GIF by NETFLIXGiphyI thought he was so cool. We had talked online for a few days but it wasn't until I saw him walking towards me when we met for our first date that I realized he was way out of my league. Luckily he thought the same thing about me.
So from now I''m going to enter every room with my eyes forward and bulging. I want to put forth a grounded presence and also I want to survey for connection. Hopefully I can add to this thread years from now after an anniversary. In a good way.,
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12 Years In....
disney love GIF by Mickey MouseGiphyPretty great we met when we were 17, started dating at 18.
Been 12 years in which we have done long distance over different continents for 2 years, gotten married, had a kid, bought a house and currently sharing a bag of chips while watching IT Crowd.
We have both changed and matured and fought and laughed and cried together has been wonderful.
My BFF
In my case, pretty awesome actually.
We met when we were 15, started dating at 16, engaged at 22. Been married almost 25 years now.
I'll admit it takes a lot of work. There's always something either internal or external to the relationship itself to deal with, but you do. I've never fallen out of love with her, and it makes the bad times better, and the good times amazing.
And there's something about spending all those years with the same person, and then they surprise you with a skill or some story you never heard, and it's like a reminder of why you married this amazing person in the first place.
She's my best friend, and I absolutely cannot imagine my life without her.
past the angst....
It's pretty great. I met her when I was 14 and am now almost 30. I've known her more than half of my life and consider myself lucky to get to share the rest with her. Our first child is due in February and I still think back to high school when we were just two angsty scene kids unaware what the future had in store for us.
sexy man GIFHave spent our teenage years together, navigated our twenties, traversed our thirties and are currently slaying our forties.
We are both completely different people than we were almost 30 years ago but our core values and morals are still the same.
But I got lucky. I hooked up with a pimply, badly dressed teenager who has morphed into the most handsome mid 40s man I know... he's now definitely at 10/10.
The Back and Forth
Doing well here. Although I did move away when I was 18 for 6 years. In that time we both lived separate lives apart. When I moved back we were both single, got back together. Been together for 10 years have 2 kids as well as foster 2 more.
Had something very similar happen here! He moved away for college. We spent 7 years apart. I like to describe it as we had to grow up before we could grow together.
the lucky one
Met when we were 17, started going out together at late 18 years old. Married 32 years, best decision I have ever made. Together we have raised a great son. I know she has my back but will definitely let me know when I'm being a moron. Perhaps the reason we have lasted this long is that I still think I am lucky to have her in my life.
Memories....
romance kiss GIFGiphyI met my husband when we were 14!!! Married 20, together 30 years now.
I like to hike and I've seen him go from no hair on his chest, to hair, and now it's silver. I agree it's pretty great having a lifetime of shared memories. What's kinda crazy though is that when I looked into his eyes one afternoon in late February 1990, I could see 20, 40 even 60 years in the future, and his eyes were still the same fun, mischievous and kind eyes, and that's the moment I knew I had to marry him. Took him about 8 years to figure it out.
In Deep
It's pretty amazing. It's a love that develops and changes over time. We got together in 2004 when we were 15/16. Married now for 7 years with 2 kids.
It's a deep love, but sometimes little flashes sneak up like yesterday he was washing the dishes and singing Epiphany from Sweeney Todd and I just had this overwhelming feeling of "this is why I love this man."
The growing together and the doing things together, constantly being at the same stage in life has been amazing.
It's also been great recently supporting each other going back in to education and taking it in turns to piece each other back together. For me, the most important things for us to have made it this far is us developing as our own person out with our relationship. Last year, we survived a pretty awful period where we loved each other, but things were just so distant and off. Thankfully we were able to push through and work things out.
And the biggest piece of advice that has stood us well so far has been to never sleep on an argument.
Love Lost
Not as good as divorcing her 6 years later. As we continued to grow up and become adults external from the relationship, within the relationship we stayed petty high schoolers. We yelled and screamed at each other and then would just have sex to fix it, which never actually fixed anything.
We broke up over 15 years ago and I have had on again, off again contact with her since. Last time we stopped talking I found out she still thinks I'm the reason for all the bad decisions and bad things that happen in her life and she told me straight up she wished we had never been a couple. I don't need that.
Being Sure
patrick swayze ghost GIFGiphyHe's my best friend. We dated on and off and were friends since high school, got married after nearly a decade of making sure we were right for each other.
All the Reasons....
Pretty fantastic. We started dating when we were 15/16, and got married eventually at 30/31. Been married 12 years now.
Not great stuff: He's only kissed one person besides me. I have had other relationships- we broke up lots between 16-25, and I had one very serious relationship in there. I have slept with other people, and negotiated dating different people and being in love with someone else. I have always worried he would be happier/more fulfilled if he was making a more informed choice. He laughs and says I am his informed choice.
I also could be the very best at something. He doesn't know that- this is just how it is for him. I suppose the reverse would be true too- I could just suck at so many things. He doesn't know. To consider breaking up or losing him- he's been the center of my life since I was just past childhood, long before I was an adult. I literally do not know who I am without him.
The best stuff- I know everything about him. He knows everything about me. We have been together for nearly every important event of our lives, or immediately told the other one about it. The closeness and intimacy are beyond what I think they could be with someone I didn't grow up with. When I said above that I don't know who I am without him- I am not who I am without him. It's like keeping part of who I am inside someone else's body. The reverse is true. We're still very independent, but at the quiet center of who I am, he's there too.
The intensity I feel about him has only deepened. I had an obsessive hormonal teenage crush. It never went away. I love him with a firey passion, but also with maturity, compassion, understanding and respect. To get to be with him for almost the entirety of our lives is a delight that I can't really express.
So far.... so good....
Love Kiss GIF by molehillGiphyGreatest decision I ever made. Met her in 4th grade, didn't start dating until we were 17. Did long distance for two years in college. Transferred schools together. Moved across the country together. Marriage, two kids and dog. Seems to have worked out for us so far.
Home
Comfortable. We dated in high school and then were out of touch for 23 years. When we reunited and subsequently got married, it felt just like going home.
My Queen
Married a high school sweetheart. She was the prom queen, lead actress in drama attracted boys like moths to a street light. Neener neener, none of the jocks, scholars, or rich guys could capture her heart. Just passed the 30 year anniversary. We married late, she 34, me 29, first and only marriage for both of us.
That Man of Mine
We are not married, but i am still together with my high school sweetheart. I can't imagine we will be apart 'until death do us part'. he was my first everything and sometimes I do wonder what being with other people would have been like. I really miss that euphoric feeling of new relationship and we are addicted to each other. he takes good care of me. I love him.
Parks And Recreation Donna GIFI'm very happy. It's fun to explain the story of how we met and started dating, or causally drop 'well, we've been together 18 years' and watch people try to do the math. We joke about it a lot.
Dale Gribble voice: 'Are you attempting to know me? I am unknowable.' '18 years, hon.' ''Oh yeah.'
44 years in....
Not me, but my parents. They started dating in High School, and got married when they were 19 and 20.
They went through rough patches here and there, but at the end of the day, all they ever wanted to do was make each other happy. They raised 3 kids that all turned out just fine (if I do say so myself).
On their 44th wedding anniversary, my Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 non small-cell lung cancer. From the day of her diagnosis, she was basically bedridden.
She needed help going to the bathroom and showering. Suddenly, my Dad was thrust into the caretaker role that my Mother had been in her whole entire life, and he excelled at it. He was there for her every single day. If he didn't know how to do something, he would ask someone that could teach him. 8 months after her diagnosis, my mom passed. The love and respect that the two of them had for each other was exceptional.
Challengers
I have to agree with most commenters, it's great. I met my wife when we were 16 and we have been together for 14 years, just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this week. We're best friends, we know everything about each other, we're aligned on almost every issue (religiously, politically, how to raise kids, etc.) because we challenged each other as we grew up. 10/10 would do it again.
Since Grade School....
Known each other since grade school. I (28/m) and her (27/f) have been together for 10 years now and married for 4. 2 kids later (8 and 2) and there's nobody I'd rather be doing it with. Second child was born with a severe heart defect and spent months in the hospital.
Going through hard times like that make you appreciate the good times together even more.
Even though we both wonder if we missed out on a bit of our youth by being in a committed relationship and having kids early we both know that are happy that we got to grow and mature together. Wouldn't change it for the world.
Look Closer
Look Reaction GIF by MOODMANGiphyGreat, but I would recommend waiting until you both are 25 at least and then have a good look at each other. Your character normally develops until this age.
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Rice Away....
Not my relationship but my sister is french and is dating a Chinese guy. He buys so much rice she told me she could hold a siege for a whole year with it and she keeps texting me stuff like 'can you believe it???' with pics of kilos and kilos of rice he just bought. bumblebee_helee
Food Tears.
GiphyI'd never seen someone cry tears of joy eating good pasta until I met my Italian girlfriend. JMES241
"person who is old
Calling everyone an uncle or auntie when you mean "person who is older." The number of actual relatives is much smaller than the number of family members.
[edit: I love that apparently this happens everywhere except for white middle America. I first got it from my Chinese in-laws] oftenfrequentlyonce
I'm southern US and allllllllll my parents close friends growing up were "Uncle This" or "Aunt That" everything else was reserved for like just adults in general. RobotDeathQueen
Wabbly....
GiphyJello. So many kinds of Jello. Every person in the surrounding South Dakota farming community brings a different kind of Jello to social gatherings. YoureDelightful
Because we hug...
My boyfriend is half Japanese, and his very un-emotional relationship with his mother, and his father too, was a huge shock to me.
My parents are european immigrants from the Balkans, and they're incredibly affectionate. My brother and I are affectionate with each other and will hug anytime. I hug my parents nearly every day (before the pandemic). I grew up holding hands with my cousins in public, but my boyfriend absolutely hates PDA of any kind. We've gotten into numerous arguments about physical affection in public or even at parties around our own friends. Naturally he thinks my relationship with my family is very weird. Because we hug... QueenYmir
Don't Listen.
When I was dating a Mexican, I'd go to his family parties and they would play the most foul mouthed gangster rap. Screw tha police blasting at a 5 year olds birthday. Abuelas and abuelos up and dancing to it.
I made a comment about how liberal his parents and grandparents must be. He said "oh they don't know English. This absolutely wouldn't fly if they knew what it was about." ohso_happy_too
Hands free.
GiphyOooh being so touchy touchy. I'm Asian and she's Hispanic, 'nuff said.
Also what surprised us was the foods. There were so many things present in our opposite cultures but used in a lot of opposite ways. Like certain ingredients used savory in one culture and sweet in the other and so in. But a lot of ingredients in common. ThaiChili
Bye Nanna.
Black British with a Jamaican family. Married to a white British guy.
Was most shocked by funerals. When we had his nanna's funeral I was shocked that people were invited and only immediate family. We did the funeral, then went to a pub and there were sandwiches, cakes, tea etc then everyone was heading home by 5.30pm.
Jamaican and Caribbean funerals are NOTHING of the sort. People turn up because they knew the deceased person years ago. Some people don't even make plans to go to the funeral they arrange to go to the "after". There's hot food served like a properly catered function in a hall or centre, there's sound systems set up, and people dance. Also sometimes a couple old men in hats playing dominoes. There's also usually a "nine-night" so nine nights after the person passes away you hold a big party essentially to chase away bad spirits. Lots of music, drinking, food, smoking, etc.
I told husband about this and his face was a picture! AliceLovesBooks
Counting Coin.
Money management. I was quite surprised that when we got married, we were supposed to give away half of the cash we received as gifts to my SO's cousins. I was then instructed that it was rude to have a savings account. If we had extra money, it should always be given to the family as gifts. Not happening. MyDogIsaGargoyle
Everybody's Business.
I'm white that married a Mexican. The biggest thing for me was that EVERYTHING is a family affair. Like, I call my family every other week or whatever, but my husband's family does everything together. My first taste of this was when we were dating, and it took the whole family to switch out his mattress for a bigger one. I was like, you couldn't do that yourself? He looked at me funny when I said that. petiteandpale16
So Close...
The EXTREME family closeness. I'm black, but my family isn't particularly close - we live in different states, we talk probably weekly, I don't know the daily ins and outs of their lives. My wife's family though - my god. Take a wild guess at their ethnicity. I'll give you a hint - 90% of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live in the same five mile radius in El Paso. redooo
Just Say Hello.
GiphyMy wife had to deal with Korean people who will frequently comment about your appearance as a greeting.
My aunt meeting my SO: Hiiiii nice to meet you! your face is so small. fire_escape_balcony
Tick-Tock...
Being late to social gatherings is so ingrained in their culture that showing up right on time is considered rude. She has literally made me pull into a parking lot and wait so that we were at least ten minutes late to dinner at Tita's house. And we were still the first ones there by far. nails_for_breakfast
It's All Relative.
Sooooo much family. She is Samoan. It feels like every Samoan seems to be related. poisoop1or2
I LOVE big families, though! I came from a family in which my grandma is a child of 9 siblings and whenever we celebrate cny I would literally be able to meet my "nephew" whose 25 years older than I am due to how many cousins we have.
So, how does it felt like to meet so many family members though? I've asked my cousin's wife about this and she said she was pretty overwhelmed at first; what about you? haunted-shark
Well I moved country and went to live with her family at one point. I was the only white guy around. Yes it was overwhelming but I couldn't have been made more welcome. I have met and forgotten hundreds of relatives. Yes, I too have nephews that are a lot older than me and refer to me as Uncle. Great people with warm smiles and hearts. poisoop1or2
I Do!!
Weddings.
My fiancé (Irish) and I (Indian) started planning our wedding. We're both wanted to go for a small wedding and we sat our parents down and told them about it. I gave my fiancé a heads up to let him know that we'd have to operationally define what a small wedding would be to my parents because to them small would be like a 100 people.
He didn't take me seriously at first, but when we finally got down to it and told my parents, they came up with a guest list of just their friends and my family of about a 125 people.
As a compromise, we've finally arrived on 20 people for the wedding and my parents are throwing us a party after with whoever they want to invite. It was like a war negotiation. acidgreencanvas
Cheers...
GiphyThey can drink. Like, seriously. Holy Crap. (Scandinavian, specifically Norwegian, Irish and Swedish). JohnGrant88
Cant' Go Just Anywhere....
A black women's hair is expensive and takes foreverrrrrr. Plus you can't go to any old salon for it. ChloeCohn
Even if I wanted to go to any salon it sadly isn't super possible. Despite going to cosmetology school, many stylists still do not know how to work with hair types that aren't traditionally white. My town has mostly white salons and only less than 5 women available who can do black hair. It's absolutely been an expensive struggle but the final look pays off when I can find a woman to do the job. Blue_Bloom
"Oh you're HUNGRY!"
GiphyI learned very quickly that when you are eating food at my Greek SO's house, you always leave a little bit on your plate. If you don't they'll say "Oh you're HUNGRY!" and pile 5 times as much food onto your plate. svenson_26
So Blunt.
Hispanic culture has zero version of political correctness. They are extremely blunt. "Hey you look like you got fat" isn't uncommon.
The people have a better view of life in many ways than I grew up. Much more family focused. carnagebestvillain
Pride!
My biggest surprise is the huge amount of Polish pride someone can have considering that they don't speak Polish or have been to Poland.
Her biggest surprise is that we play hide the money anytime we go to a relative's house. Also, the arguments that ensue when trying to pay the restaurant bill. krsparetime
Big Loud Love.
GiphyI'm half Spanish on my mum's side, we never really got on with my dad's family (which is sad, because some of his more distant relatives are amazing people), so I was raised in my mum's culture.
My husband's family are lovely people, but how their family works is so strange to me. When they talk to each other, it's how I'd interact with a work colleague I don't see very often- polite, cheerful, but never touching on personal subjects. They seemed horribly embarrassed when we called them to announce our engagement (we live on opposite sides of the world).
I was a bit offended until I got to know them better, they do care and they are warm- they just don't express it like my family do.
I did warn my husband about my family, but I don't think he really understood. We are LOUD. Loud enough that if you want to talk, you shout over everyone else. There are a lot of us. We are all up in each other's business. Our family will subsume you if they like you- he gained 5 aunts and uncles and 10 first cousins without asking for them. 80s-Dayglow-Kitten
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