We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the time they realised they had found "the one". Here are some of their responses.
1. I had an ex that would never let me get guacamole on my Chipotle burrito bowl when he was paying, because it “cost extra”. I would even offer the extra money and he would lecture me on why I didn’t need it. When my now husband treated me to Chipotle the first time at the beginning of our relationship, I asked him if I could get guacamole on my burrito bowl. He replied, “Why would you ask me permission? You can get whatever the hell you want.” That's when I knew he was the one.
– Efristau
2. Literally the moment I saw her. You know that slow-motion thing that happens in movies? Yeah, that happened. It freaked me out a little at the time as I had no idea what was happening. I told her how I felt, we moved in together a few weeks after that, and got engaged a year later. We've been together 11 years, married with two kids.
– Stellermatt
3. I never had a defining moment; my love for my husband grew slowly over time. It was the little things he did, like having dinner ready when I walked in from work. Being proud to show me off to his family and friends and telling me every day how beautiful I was. But it was seeing him holding our daughter for the very first time that I knew I’d chosen right, and we’d spend the rest of our lives together. We’ve been happily married for almost three years and together for almost seven years with two beautiful children.
– Sarahannw453cb5fbe
4. I’m a hardcore introvert that will viciously defend my alone time. I realised he was the one after we moved in together and I didn’t mind him being there with me even at my worst. He’s the only one allowed in my bubble.
– Elizabethf38
5. My husband used to be just my best friend. One day, he told me he was interested in dating someone we worked with. I gave him a lecture about how she wasn't right for him, and how as his friend, I didn't want to see him with the wrong person.
When I got home that night, I started thinking about him ending up with this girl and I started crying, like hysterically. I sobbed for about an hour before I realised that the reason she wasn't right for him was because I was. And if I didn't end up with him, I would never find anyone else who measured up to the standard he set. I cannot fully explain the clarity of that moment, but I guess sometimes it really does take almost losing someone to realise how much they mean to you. I called him that night, and we got engaged two months later. We've been married five years, and every day it gets better.
– Caitlyn Ssennyange, Facebook
6. We had been dating a few weeks and were talking about Disney. He said, “I love Universal Studios” and my heart got all crazy because I thought he was going to say “I love you.” And I realised I was disappointed that he didn’t say it. The rest is history. Been together for 10 years now.
– brittanyh47fc42ed9
7. We were on our second date and I was gabbing away as we walked up some steps – I turned around and he was gone. I looked around and found him carrying a stroller, with a child in it, up three flights of stairs so that a mother didn't have to do it. He has done that every time he sees a mother with a stroller, or a person with big bags, or an elderly person who needs a steady arm.
That's when I realised this guy was something special. His kindness and compassion for others never ceases to amaze me. We just got engaged in December.
– Therese Marie, Facebook
8. I love listening to oldies when I'm getting dressed. And one evening we were getting ready to go out with friends and "Stand by Me" came on. I was just humming along and then all of a sudden he belted out the chorus at full volume and started dancing with me right there in the bathroom. I knew right then that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, singing and dancing without any reservations.
– Jordan Young, Facebook
9. We went to school together, stayed friends throughout university, and would meet up for a catch up after work every now and then. We were just friends going out for drinks for about a year and everyone kept asking if we were together. The answer from both sides was always "Nahhh, we’re just friends." We went on holiday, shared a bed, and nothing ever happened. But when my dad got cancer, he was the only one I could tell. He didn't tell me it was OK or that I should be positive. He was realistic, he was factual, and he comforted me whenever I needed. He was the one holding me in the middle of a crowded rush-hour train station whilst I cried on my birthday worrying that it might be the last birthday with my dad. He was half an hour late for work. At some point, we finally decided we were more than friends, and we’ve been living together for almost two years now, my dad is in remission, and I'm pretty sure he’s the one. If he isn’t, then I don't know what is.
10. We were watching TV and I was blinking loads because my contact lenses were really dry. He went upstairs to get my glasses without me asking. I cried a little, but blamed it on the lenses, obvs.
– stephaniep4f57e4b41
11. We met on Tinder. I had been inundated with dick pics and pure filth and I was getting to the end of my tether when he started messaging me. He asked if I liked cocktails, a reference to my profile pic, and I thought, Uh-oh, I know where this is going: COCK-tail, I geddit.
Anyway, he didn’t mean that; he was genuinely interested in me. We sent lengthy messages that revealed a lot, so I knew we had a ton in common. Our first date was so nerve-racking, because I have trust issues and I was waiting for him to be a dick. I had my guard up, but he broke it down, he was open, kind, and he listened.
We’ve had lots of milestones, mutually deleting Tinder, meeting friends and family, our first sleepover, our first fight and makeup. There wasn’t just one moment, but a million little things that made me think, I could take being treated like this forever. And I deserve it. He made me believe that I deserve to be happy and loved. That’s how I knew. I said the l-word first, about eight weeks in, and I was so scared. But he just said the loveliest things, all the reasons he had fallen for me. For as long as I live I don’t think that moment, that rush of euphoria, will be topped.
He’s pulled me through depression, dealt with anxiety, and encouraged me to push forward with my PhD. He makes me a better person, less selfish, more compromising. Hopeful and trusting for the first time. I love his foibles and he loves mine. Three years, a purchased apartment, some travels round the world and the full approval of everyone I know, this is my guy. For life.
– aureno4b9ae7106
12. I was immediately smitten the first time I saw him, but I knew he was the one when he bought me socks. When we were still only friends, I mentioned that I liked the wool socks he was wearing and that they looked warm. The next day, he showed up with five pairs for me. Fourteen years later, I still have them.
– kimh4b43df207
13. We met and spent every day together and I started to feel like I was done looking. What sealed the deal is when he proposed to me the day I lost my hair to the chemo. We had been dating a year and two months when I was diagnosed and got engaged three months after. Ten months after my treatment was over we were married in front of all of our family and friends. He really is a wonderful man.
14. It's hard for me to pick a defining moment, but he would tell you it was the time we were watching TV after a nice steak dinner with my family. He looked to his right and saw me eating cold steak right out of the foil bag the restaurant had packed it in. I had grease all over my face, and I was totally happy and not self-conscious. I guess he must have realised I feel safe enough with him to be completely myself, and it's true! He's my best friend in the world, and the best friend I've ever had. To drive the point home, this is the story he told last night to the person who will be officiating our wedding as an explanation of why he loves me.
– Liane Graham, Facebook
15. I’ve been with my partner for five years. He asked me to marry him and I accepted, but I still had some internal reservations because of how mistrustful I am and I’d been hurt in the past. One night I was driving home from a party and got into a horrific car accident. My left hand was crushed so badly they had to amputate three fingers and part of my thumb, I had bad whiplash and an upper back injury. He was by my side during the entire 10 days at the hospital, never cared that the beautiful engagement ring he bought was mangled somewhere. He helped me wash my body in the shower and change my bandages nightly for months. He never made me feel bad about being disfigured, he kissed and held me like he always did and never treated me any different. The way he behaved during that ordeal absolutely blew me away and I knew then when he told me he was in it for life, he truly meant it. I trust him in a life-and-death type of way, not in a confidant way. I never realised there was a difference until that happened.
– purplenurple666
16. About a week after my partner and I started dating, my grandmother was given a week to live and passed away almost exactly a week later. Even though we hadn’t been together long at all, he was really there for me like a partner should be. That’s when I knew I wanted him to be there forever. We’ve been together 15 years and married seven.
– Katiefair
17. When he gave me his favourite book as a Christmas gift, it was like he gave me a little piece of him.
– Meg Sanders, Facebook
Some responses have been edited for clarity.