Ninety-nine percent of the time I’m all about the bride, but this post is dedicated to that guy waiting at the end of the aisle—and when he knew his girlfriend would someday be his wife. (So, fine, I’m still all about the bride.) Get some tissues ready.
This may sound funny, but after our first date. I was pretty blown away by the woman who’s now wife. She was beautiful, smart, and fun, and she was OK with the fact that I was 13 years older than her and that I was divorced. We covered all that on our first date, and when she told me that she was OK with the age difference and my previous marriage, I thought to myself, If I can win her over, I will marry her!
—Evan M., married September 13, 2014
It was New Year’s Eve 2002, and my girlfriend and I had been dating for a few months. I was deathly ill with the flu but had to play a gig anyway, an after-party for Phish at Madison Square Garden. Not many people were showing up, so when my girlfriend walked in and I saw her, I got really excited. We hugged and I told her that I loved her for the first time, and she said the same to me. From then on, I knew I would ask her to marry me.
—Adam S., married July 1, 2006
I knew my girlfriend was the one when there was no pressure. Ever. She had her own friends, her own life, and there was no schedule. She was so cool and easygoing. We had been dating for a while and had never talked about the next steps. We both were just enjoying the ride. I remember us eating at a restaurant near her apartment and asking her if she was feeling pressure that we needed to get married. She said that she wasn’t in a rush and that it needed to feel right for both of us. That’s when I knew that she was The One. Also, she’s gorgeous. That doesn’t hurt.
—Dave T., married October 22, 2006
I wouldn't say there was one specific or pivotal event when I knew she was The One; it was more of a series of brief yet enchanting moments all over NYC. From my fumbling attempt to ask for her number while standing in a blizzard on Avenue B to braving the adventure that was the free-for-all of the darkened nighttime streets during the infamous blackout to a very public yet eternally private kiss in Union Square Park, after all of those moments (and countless others), I knew she was The One.
—Dave P., married May 27, 2006
We were going on an “away” trip for the first time—to Las Vegas for the weekend. (We live in Los Angeles.) I remember that I was worried about having to poop in front of her for the first time. We started talking about the fact that she rode horses competitively as a kid and basically lived in stables. And she had a horse she loved who she trained with. She always dreamed that it would one day be her horse. And then, on her 18th birthday, her father brought her to the stable where she trained and showed her that the sign above the horse's stall had her name listed as the owner. As she started telling the story and getting to the part about her dad, she started crying. It wasn't a sad cry, but tears were running down her face as she was telling the story and laughing. And it made me start crying somehow. I was sitting in the bar at LAX airport and we were both crying as she told the story. Keep in mind, my cry was a very manly type of cry. But I was crying and I remember thinking to myself, Shit, I'm done.
—Derek F., getting married June 13, 2015
I always thought the saying, “You'll just know” was a cliche, but it’s true. There was no moment, unless it was the first moment. From there, it was more of a “when” sort of thing.
—Andy K., married November 17, 2012
When did your groom know you were The One? Go ask him!