Meet the couples who (somehow) found love online
It’s no secret that the dating landscape feels bleaker than ever. From catfishing to ghosting to the half-baked conversations that make up the majority of the dating app experience, there are plenty of horror stories to go around. And, for better or worse, people really love to share them.
Spend just five minutes online and social media will convince you that dating apps are a breeding ground for disappointment. But spend any more than five minutes dating doomscrolling, and you’ll be bound to join over half of adults (53%) in the UK who are now boycotting dating apps altogether in favour of meeting someone in real life (albeit sometimes via dating app-hosted singles events).
And yet, despite our growing resistance to dating apps and sites, they still remain the most common place to find a partner. After my own often-hellish experience of online dating, which lasted three years, I met my now-partner on Hinge in September last year (we bonded over my Lord of the Rings tattoo and our nerdy interests, which culminated in a first date at a board game cafe).
When you’re swiping and starting the talking stage with a new person for the gazillionth time, it feels like finding anything meaningful from a dating app is a rare occurrence or a downright lie. But that simply isn’t the case. My certified single-all-her-life friend, for example, met the love of her life on Tinder. They were so sure about each other that within three months they were living together, and within six, they were engaged.
In my honeymoon-phase haze, I wanted to understand the disconnect between the mainstream discourse (dating apps = bad) and mine and other people’s positive experiences on dating apps. So, I decided to ask people on Instagram for their own digital love stories and was overwhelmed by the response.
In the thick of it, dating apps can be a toxic relationship in themselves, which is why showcasing the glimmers of real love seeping through the swipes is so important. For anyone who is tired of dating apps and at their near-breaking point with the well-meaning but demeaning ‘It’ll happen for you!’ relatives, here’s 10 love stories of real couples who found love in a supposedly hopeless place: the internet.
Pooja and Priesh
Pooja and Priesh, 32 and 33, from London, have been together for six years, married for two and a half years, and have a baby due in November
Pooja: “Priesh and I matched on Tinder in December 2017 but didn’t go on our first date until February. I lived in New York and he was only visiting so I thought he was passing by on a work trip.
After two rescheduled dates, I thought he wasn’t interested and was wasting my time. When we finally met, I was smitten by his English accent. But our first date was by no means an instant hit. There was no follow-up for a second date until we accidentally ran into each other on the subway a few weeks later.
He asked me out for dinner and it was amazing! We sat in an Italian restaurant until they kicked us out at closing and exchanged stories about our families and growing up on either side of the Pond.
Our relationship works because we are so different but we share fundamental core values and goals. Each Sunday we have an ‘office hour’ appointment where we go to a coffee shop or a pub and just talk about all the stuff that we need to do (administrative things) as well as check in on each other.”
Pooja’s best advice? “Give people a chance. A person’s entire life cannot be summarised by 200 characters, so don’t discount them immediately.”
Ellie and George
Ellie and George, 27 and 26, from Yorkshire, have been together for three years and got married in July
Ellie: “George and I met on Tinder in June 2021; I had been on dating apps for a while and not had much luck. I was just about to give up and changed my Tinder bio to ‘Take me on a date first’. George messaged and said, ‘How about five dates?’, and the rest is history.
On our first date, we ended up being at the bar for hours and neither of us wanted it to end. George went home that night and told his sister that he was going to marry me. But we actually didn’t even kiss until the fifth date, until he stayed over and I finally blurted out, ‘Are you going to kiss me now?’ After that, things moved quickly. We moved in together after six weeks, got engaged after six months, and are now married three years later.
Before meeting George, I had given up hope on dating apps. Now my opinion is to keep going: there’s someone for everyone and you might just meet them online.”
Ellie’s best advice? “Don’t accept anything less than what you deserve on dating apps — some people are only after one thing, but you don’t have to just accept that that’s how it is.”
George’s best advice? “I hated dating apps. Now I couldn’t thank them enough. Be yourself and don’t just go looking for a shag; be tempted by premium options if you aren’t having much luck.”
Laura and Jack
Laura and Jack, 33 and 29, from Huntingdon, have been together for three years and live together
Laura: “I sent him a message on Hinge, fully convinced he was too attractive to even reply or notice me (LOL, so confident). He made me feel safe from the very beginning and there was something there that really made me want to explore things further.
We met up in London and he stayed with me a few times, before one night we went for drinks and decided to move in together. We hadn’t even known each other for a month at that stage, it was so crazy and spontaneous. But it just felt right.
The early stages were harder than now. We didn’t know how to approach conflicts or communicate properly. It took us a while to figure out how to express emotions with each other. We also have a good balance of our own things, we love doing things together but it’s also good to have space.”
Laura’s best advice? “We would have never met if that app didn’t exist. A silly app changed my life.”
Jack’s best advice? “I’d definitely say, if you’re single, give it a try, why not?”
Alice and Ruth
Alice and Ruth, both 32, from Yorkshire, have been together for six years and got married in July
Alice: “We first met on a night out about three years before we got together at a very noisy gay club in Brighton through a friend-of-a-friend (I actually misheard Ruth’s name as ‘Boob’ and proceeded to call her that for the rest of the night).
Then we matched on Tinder. I really fancied her and sent the first message, which was very unlike me. We both felt immediately safe around each other — there was an instant mutual trust and we just got on like a house on fire.
On our six-month anniversary, Ruth gave me a ‘ring’ (a blow up doughnut to take to the beach), we moved to our first flat together and in August 2021, Ruth gave me a real ring on a moonlit Brighton beach. We’re both a bit weird in opposite ways and both neurodivergent so we understand parts of each other that others might not.
Before I met Ruth, I was quite scared of dating apps, it felt like I was putting myself out there. We might not have technically met on a dating app, but I doubt we’d have had the confidence to explore a romantic connection without one.”
Alice’s best advice? “If you match with someone you already know, make sure it’s clear you actually fancy them. Ruth initially thought I’d matched with her for LOLs because we knew each other.”
Demi and Konrad
Demi and Konrad, 30 and 35, from London, have been together for nine years, and are engaged
Demi: “I got a piercing for my 21st birthday and Konrad complimented the picture I had of it on Tinder. After a week, I told him that if we didn’t meet soon we should just let it fizzle out… we organised a date very quickly.
Konrad was resistant to another relationship so soon after a bad experience, but I fell in love with him and felt deep down we were meant to be together. We were casual but exclusive, and gradually his walls came down. Seven months later we were ‘together’ and he told me he loved me on Christmas Day.
We’ve grown so much from when we met; we were both so stubborn over pointless things. The only time we had a proper argument was over food. I flipped out because he messed up my food order and wouldn’t apologise. He left and I went home and cried. We laugh so hard about it now.”
Konrad: “Our relationship progressed slowly and that’s why I loved it. It was different from any of my past experiences and exactly what I needed. We show love and respect to each other every day without fail from simple things like me making tea to Demi knowing when to give me space.”
Demi’s best advice? “Don’t take it too seriously. If you go into it with the mindset of husband/wife hunting then you’ll possibly be searching for a long time. I’d also suggest people be more open to the types of people they’d date.”
Kerry and Liam
Kerry and Liam, 30 and 32, from Derbyshire, have been together for eight years and married for five
Kerry: “Liam messaged me on Tinder, but his opening line wasn’t great… It was something like, ‘I’ve just realised who you are’, as he was two years above me at school.
The day after we started talking, I actually deleted the app. For me, it had done its job — I only wanted to speak to him. What I failed to do was tell Liam that and he thought I had blocked him! We had already exchanged numbers so I did put him out of his misery the next day.
We both felt immediately comfortable around each other and when we were talking it's as if we just knew each other already. On our second date Liam was a bit hungover after being with his friends for the bank holiday the night before, but as a result he wasn’t nervous so he was his true self. Within six months we had put a deposit down on our first home and within two years we were married.
We both believe life should be fun, we love challenges, are ambitious and believe it is so important to laugh in this life. We didn’t think for one second we would find marriage through a dating app but here we are proof that it does work.”
Kerry’s best advice? “I think some people might give up quickly with dating apps, if they have had a bad experience in the past. Stick with it, don’t ghost them and ask open questions.”
Katie and Pete
Katie and Pete, 32 and 33, from Bristol, have been together for six years. They’re now engaged
Katie: “Pete and I met on Bumble, after I sent a GIF waving and he sent one back. Soon enough we were making Lord of the Rings jokes and planning our first date to Voodoo Rays in Peckham where we shared a 22-inch pizza.
Our conversations were immediately fun and easy, but also deep and meaningful. Within six months, we realised that we were not only falling madly in love with one another, but we were becoming great friends too.
At an Alfa Mist gig, he turned to me and told me he loved me. Later that year, we moved in together and survived the pandemic, redundancies, career changes, and city moves until we bought our house in 2022.
We listen, we hold space, we give each other grace to make mistakes. I think because we’ve built this friendship alongside our romantic relationship we can pick up each other’s slack intuitively and are constantly checking in and tending to each other.”
Katie’s best advice? “It takes such resilience and self-worth to find what you’re looking for. I genuinely don’t believe there’s a secret sauce to dating apps. I think the key is do no harm, take no shit.”
Kourtney and Emily
Kourtney and Emily, 31 and 32, from London, have been together for three years, are married, and have a baby on the way
Kourtney: “Emily and I met on Tinder and we didn’t spend too long chatting, because we wanted to meet IRL. Our first date was in Stratford (which Emily was about half hour late for), we played a lot of Jenga, and I definitely went in for the first kiss in the lift when we left.
We went on a few dates and then I got the dreaded, ‘I think we're better as mates’ message. About a month later Emily got back in touch. We took things pretty slowly at the start and spent a lot of time just getting to know each other. Long walks, beer gardens, lie-ins, and then things just seemed to slot into place.
We knew that we wanted children, and, as a same-sex couple, our options for this were quite time-and-situation limited. We wanted to be married before we had children, so we got married in April 2024 and have been extremely lucky to be able to start the IVF process and fall pregnant the first time.
It sounds cliche, but we are best mates. It’s a running joke in our relationship that we just ‘watch each other breathe’, which is an extremely twee way of saying that we just really enjoy each other’s company.”
Kourtney’s best advice?“I think that showcasing an honest version of yourself is important, because you never want to start something with someone where you feel you’re hiding a part of yourself. Take a chance on things too.”
Railey and Erik
Railey and Erik, 36 and 49, from Cheltenham, have been together for three years and are now married
Railey: “Erik and I found each other on Luxy during the pandemic. I was in Barcelona and Erik was in the UK. The idea of actually meeting felt impossible, so when we matched, I didn’t think much would come of it. Erik sent me a message on my birthday, but I didn’t reply. Weeks later, I responded and he asked for my number.
With all of the travel restrictions, we weren’t able to meet in person. Our relationship started with late-night phone calls and video chats that went on for hours. There was a rawness to those conversations, as we couldn’t hide behind physical distractions.
When Erik finally came to Barcelona, we had built such a strong emotional foundation that seeing him in person felt more like a reunion than a first time meeting. He came back one more time, before I moved to England.
We practise effective communication, allowing us to resolve conflicts without letting them linger. We prioritise intimacy by practising it every day. It’s not just about finding the right partner; it’s about knowing how to build the right relationship.”
Railey’s best advice? “Start with yourself. Be clear about your vision for your relationship and have clear expectations of what you’re looking for. When you date with intention, you don’t waste time on connections that aren’t meant to be.”
Jack and Tamara
Jack and Tamara, 28 and 30, from Manchester, have been together for four years, and are now digital nomads
Tamara: “Jack and I matched on Hinge during the height of the pandemic. We’d both separately returned from overseas, devastated that we could no longer travel. I remember his profile featuring plenty of things that appealed to me: he’d lived in Vietnam, rode a motorbike, and liked rock climbing. One of the first things I said to him was that I challenged him to race motorbikes across India — which caught his attention.
In the early days, I was very open with Jack that I saw this as casual, and that exploring other connections was fine as I’d end up leaving soon. Little did I know that I’d end up travelling with him. On Valentine’s Day, he told me he loved me and asked me to be his girlfriend; things got serious and we haven’t looked back. We’ve travelled the world and even settled in various countries.”
Jack: “Our relationship works because we share our passion for adventure, excitement, and trying new things. We learnt freediving on our first trip, which has now developed into something that has become a big part of our lives.”
Tamara’s best advice? “Be yourself, don’t lie about your height, and be honest and clear in your communication. Suggesting an adventure on a first date is probably a good way to stand out — who wants to meet in a boring bar these days?”
You Might Also Like
