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There’s no age limit that’s set on finding love. None at all. You might fall in love at first sight the very moment you walk into class on your first day at university. You might find your soulmate while out celebrating your 30th birthday. Or you might feel your heart beat quicker when you spot that special someone while out for a stroll in the park when you’re grey and enjoying your senior years. The beauty of love is that you can never tell when Cupid’s arrow’s going to strike. And it can happen whatever age you are.
Prompted by redditor u/amithrownawayforgood, people have been sharing their cute, adorable, and thoroughly romantic stories of having met their partners after 30. The stories are sweet and you might feel your hearts melt just a tiny bit, dear Pandas. Scroll down, have a read, and remember to upvote the posts that made you go, ‘Aww, that’s nice.’ No pressure, but if you’re feeling up to it, why not share your own romantic tale of how you met your partner in the comments.
Meanwhile, be sure to have a read through Bored Panda’s interview with dating and relationship expert Dan Bacon, the founder of The Modern Man, about how we can tell if we’re ready to marry someone. “When you meet your wife, you know you want to be with her and only her. There’s no question in your mind about that. However, that doesn’t mean that you know you want to marry her from day one though,” Dan told me what people, especially men, need to consider.
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#1
Can I tell the story about how my dad and stepmom met instead? This was back in the early 90s (pre OJ car chase by about a year I think). I was waiting tables at a steak joint and was living at home with my dad after college. My parents had been divorced for a couple of years and my dad was seeing a lady that my sisters and I haaaaated. I'm sure she was fine, but she was lame (she wore housecoats at 50???). Anyway.
One night I was waiting on a table of about 6 ladies that were out celebrating something special. I had been joking with them throughout the evening and near the end of the meal I asked if I could get anyone anything else. One lady said, "Do you have any tall, dark, handsome men stashed away back there?"
I tell her, "No. Sorry, we sold those with the prime rib, haha."
She follows up with, "Any short, fat, balding ones? I'm not particular."
Not sure why I did it, but I answered, "Nope. But you could go out with my dad!"
Before they left she legit wrote her name and number down on a deposit slip and I passed it along to my dad. He asked her out for ice cream, saying something about how you can tell a lot about a person based on their ice cream choices (OK, dad). They were married 20 years before he died of cancer.
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#2
New neighbor moved into the second floor studio and was chatting with me from his balcony while I worked on a art project in the yard. Thought nothing of it, till some houseguests insisted I come up and meet their friend , small world. Weeks later he told me he was flirting with me but I was oblivious (as usual) We had 20 wonderful years together till he died suddenly , and yes I do wish we had met earlier cuz then we would have had more time together.
#3
I was 34, divorced and destined to be the old cat lady at the end of the street. Took a job as a police dispatcher in another city. Air Force guy who worked down the hall apparently never came in until I started working there. He started coming in monthly....then weekly...and started wearing cologne: oh no. Coworkers said ‘ooooh he’s cute, go out with him’. First 4 times I said no. Then...one day he bent down by my desk and looked up at me and the light caught his eyes. Oh my god they were so blue. Cerulean blue, like the ocean after a storm. I fell into those eyes and never looked back. We had 16 years and 2 children. Then he had a heart attack and died at 51. Don’t waste your years. Don’t wish your life away.
The redditor’s heartwarming thread over on the r/AskReddit online community got over 44.1k upvotes and inspired people to open up about their love lives in more than 6k comments. If all of these stories won’t make you believe in true love, I don’t know if anything else will. Romance is alive and well, Pandas!
I had a chat with Dan, the founder of The Modern Man project, about how we can tell if we’re ready for marriage. We also spoke about some of the things that guys, in particular, need to consider before popping the big question.
“You know you are ready to marry a woman if you have never thought of breaking up with her for real,” the relationship expert told Bored Panda. “I say ‘for real’ because sometimes a couple will have fights in the early days and threaten a breakup, or temporarily think about breaking up in the heat of the moment, but then change their mind.”
According to Dan, it only becomes an issue if a guy constantly thinks about being with other women. “It’s only a problem if a guy secretly wishes he had a different woman, regularly imagines breaking up with his girlfriend and falling in a love with a new woman, or worries that his girlfriend probably isn’t the right woman for him,” he said.
#4
Hubby and I met playing QuakeII online aged 35. We were aware of each other for a good 2 years prior and played daily together - I thought he was a 16yr old boy and he also thought I was male - we only typed to each other, so no voice and I had a silly nickname. People didn't share too much personal stuff back then. I started going to LANs to play Q2, I mentioned this in a game. He asked if my dad played - if my dad took me to the LANs and off went the conversation from there.
Turns out we were the same age and both had become single.
21yrs together, 7 years married on Valentines Day.
#5
I was 32, she was 38. I was supposed to go to a speed dating event but my sister called me drunk at 2pm on a Friday to go to a bar. I was already dreading the speed date so headed over to drink with sis and my friend instead. By 5pm I had just enough courage to be social with a girl who walked down the street after work and recognized my friend. Because I thought I was going speed dating I’d dressed up. It was pure luck.
I knew enough to know you didn’t waste time with a woman near 40. So two weeks later I bluntly asked if she wanted a family. We were married within a year. We have two kids. We had that first year alone together and some days I wish we’d had more, but mostly I think how bananas it was that no one scooped her up. She’s my best friend and she has a laugh you can hear two counties away.
#6
Met eight years ago had an old car meet in Nevada. Spent a little time together, a bunch of the older ladies shoving us together whenever they could, hence I avoided him the rest of the trip. He lived in Texas. I lived in California. A year later he called to ask me a question and three hours later we got off the phone. Same thing the next day. Same thing the next day. I invited him to come out and visit because we were having an event at my house. To my utter shock he came. About a year and a half later we were married five days before my 40th birthday. Fifteen months ago, I gave birth to our first and what will be our only daughter one week after my 43rd birthday. Yes, I wished I met him sooner sometimes. But in hindsight the timing was perfect and meant to be. And I wouldn’t have it any other way!
“In cases like those, she’s not the one for him and he will almost certainly not be willing to do what it takes to make the marriage work in the long run, which will result in cheating or a divorce at some point.”
Relationship expert Dan opened up to Bored Panda about how he actually never wanted to get married at all. In fact, he had “a number of girlfriends” propose marriage to him over the years, but he never accepted. However, now, he’s a happily married family man.
“My wife also proposed marriage to me within the first few months of being together. I told her that I didn’t ever want to marry and she said that she’d accept it and be happy to just be with me. Yet, two years into the relationship, she asked me again and I said yes,” Dan said.
#7
I met my wife when I was 40 and she was 29. We have a 5 year old together. Met at the gym. I invited myself at the bar she was going to hang out with her friends, they all bailed so it was just the two of us.
She never asked them to come. The player was played.
My Name Is Mars 3 years ago
Cookie Panda, I'm 11 years older than my boyfriend. I'm 40 and he's 29. What's the big deal?
#8
We were the only straight single people at a christmas party so people kept finding ways to get us to interact. Been together for the first 13 of many more years, guess it worked.
Sadly she was widowed a few years before we met so, I guess no on wishing we met earlier. He was a pretty great guy. Its weird but I kinda wish I knew him. Best thing I can do is take care of and love her in his place.
#9
We met in a bar when I was stood up by a friend. His friends went home and we were the only dancers on the dance floor on a Sunday night. We hit it off immediately. That was 13 years ago. I'm sooooo glad we didn't meet earlier. I was an idiot who only wanted to party and worry about myself. At 30 I was just starting to become a better person and be ready for a real relationship. Worked out perfectly.
“I had developed more of an appreciation for marriage and had also come to believe that I could make a marriage last for life and as a result, I decided to accept her proposal. We’ve now been together for 9 years, have twin daughters, and couldn’t be happier,” the founder of The Modern Man shared how he got his ‘happily ever after.’
Dan noted that marriage really is about finding the right person to be with. “Had I married one of my previous girlfriends though, I don’t think I would have continued to be happy or wanted to stay with her for life,” he mused.
#10
I met my partner 3 years ago through mutual friends. After two failed marriages I swore I would stay single forever. We moved in together two years ago and its been great. I am 66 he is 55. We are incredibly happy. I don't think I wish I would have met him earlier. People are different when they are seniors compared to when we were younger, different hobbies, dreams, etc.
#11
My husband and I met at a cafe in Paris when we were both 35. I’d asked him for a light and sat down at his table and we talked until the cafe closed. Two days later we saw each other there again and made plans for dinner that night. Five months later we married.
My husband frequently says he wishes he’d met me 15 years earlier and, while yeah it’d be nice to have had even more time with him, I feel we met exactly when we were meant to. Sometimes it feels like we’d set a date to meet at that exact cafe on that exact day. When I walked in and saw him that first night it was like, oh there you are.
#12
I'm not sure if we qualify -- and if we do, it's a technicality -- but it's a fun story anyway.
I met my wife in college, but she dropped out and left, and I lost track of her. We'd had an attraction but she had previously been involved with a friend of mine (K), and he was still hung up on her, so we didn't act on it.
Eleven years later, when we were 31, I got an email blast from that friend, and thank GOD K didn't know about BCC, because it included a whole long list of folks in the CC line -- and in that list was my wife-to-be's hotmail, which was obviously her.
I sent her a message, basically saying "Hey, what the hell ever happened to you?" and we started emailing back and forth. Like, a LOT. Clever, witty, flirty messages, sometimes several times a day. I was winding down a company that was failing so I wasn't picking up on clues that she was interested, not even when we finally got on the phone and talked for THREE HOURS. I've always been dumb that way.,
Then, in late August, things were really coming to a head with my employer/company, and I didn't reply to her email quickly enough, so I wrote her a no-s**t actual physical letter (ikr?) that I posted the first week of September.
So, here's where I mention that we were 31 in 2001, and that she was living in Washington, DC, and that my letter was the only piece of mail she received on the second Tuesday of September that year, and that it took her most of a day to get across DC back to her home on account of, well, terrorism. It was also the last piece of mail she got at that PO box for a long time, because it got anthraxed shortly thereafter.
Things ramped up. We decided she'd come to my state to see U2, as she'd missed the show in DC. She got the tickets, and I had frequently flier miles to fly her down. The show, though, was about 4 hours away, and the FF ticket meant she had to stay for 3 days.
We both thought, independently, that "holy s**t, we just signed up for a 72 hour first date."
Reader, I married her. In October will hit our 16th anniversary.
What you should never do, however, is give in to peer and social pressure. Marrying just to make your family happy can end disastrously. You have to be honest with what you want. Not what someone else wants for you. You're in charge of your destiny.
“If you’re going to get married, it has to be with the right girl. You shouldn’t ever marry just for the sake of it, to impress family or friends, or to do what others are doing,” Dan warned.
“A family member of mine got married because his friends were all getting married, so he followed along with their lead. He then ended up going through a painful divorce 5 years into his marriage after having two children. He and his ex-wife still aren’t on good terms to this day because she is bitter about what happened,” he told Bored Panda that you have to listen to your intuition, instead of giving in to outside pressure.
#13
The second question first, no, we wouldn’t have liked each other when we were younger (we met at 33/34).
She lived above a friend in the same apartment complex I lived in. I moved in with the friend, asked this girl out, and she turned me down. About a month later she went to an Aziz Ansari show. He convinced her to give him her phone, and he promptly read her Facebook messages out loud. He asked the audience if she gave me a chance, they all booed her, and then she asked me out a couple days later.
Aziz Ansari guilted her into going out with me.
Saint Thomas 3 years ago
I'm glad if it turned OK for them... but invasion of privacy and peer pressure doesn't sound like a very romantic way to start a relationship for me :-/
#14
We met through Craigslist? Iirc, I was lonely looking for someone to see movies with. She was looking for more. But after a few weeks of chatting, we met up , and omg the sparks, and chemistry. Our first date lasted 9 hours long... Here we are, still madly in love, 11 years later and 2 kids, 4 states, 4 apartments, 2 houses and our 10 year anniversary in September.
#15
I was single and sad after being cheated on by my then-partner so one of my friends suggested I try out tinder as a distraction. I had always thought tinder was just hookups and kind of cringy. He was the second date I went on. Best guy I’ve ever met.
#16
I went to a concert. She’s tiny and couldn’t see so I put her on my shoulders without actually chatting and just asked her if she’s single at the end of the night (she jumped on 3 or 4 times throughout the night). That was 3 years ago, Now I’m planning the engagement.
#17
Met through Match in our mid-thirties. He was on his last week of having an active account (about to buy a house and minding his finances). I happened to swipe right. We messaged a bit, but after some awkward experiences were hesitant to give my number. I gave him the Lost numbers, he replied with “you just stole my heart”. We met in person, got engaged 7 months later, married a year after that. As much as we both wish we could have met before, we know we were completely different people and lacked the maturity to have the amazing, loving, and healthy relationship we have now.
#18
Met through Bumble, I was close to giving up on finding anyone who would love me. I am pretty sure he was made for me. I always wish we had met earlier, though given how long it takes him to do anything it's not really a surprise it took this long lol. We are expecting our first child in August
#19
I met my wife in a bar when I was with my brother and a friend of his. I thought my brothers friend was a d**k.
My future wife approached us and proceeded to tell this d**k what a d**k he was, turns out they work together. I was immediately attracted to the way she spoke and her judgement of people.
After she walked away, I asked d**k what her name was, true to form he would not give me her name.
My future wife was with a group of 6 women, I nervously approached and asked for her name.
I was 30, we’ve been together ever since.
#20
Sent her a message on OkCupid, but then she set her account to inactive without seeing my message. Two years later, she reactivated her account, looked at her old messages, saw mine at the top of the queue, and the rest is history.
#21
I am 47, I met my boyfriend on a dating app 2 years ago. After my divorce (married for 20 years) I was terrified I was too old to find love- who would want me now that the best years of my life were over? How would I figure out dating much less dating on the internet?
My boyfriend and I met a coffee shop the first time, and it was over a month before we met up again. Since then we have had countless adventures together- he’s my best friend and adventure buddy.
Sometimes it makes me a little sad that I had to wait this long to experience what real love is like , or that our time together is limited by our age- I wish We had a lifetime to spend together.
The truth is though, that 20 years ago we were different people with different understanding of life and love, and how things should be. If we had met then, maybe we wouldn’t have the deep connection we do now. Our separate lives taught us patience, compassion and honesty. They made us ready for the love we have now. I wouldn’t trade the 20 or 30 years we have to spend together for a lifetime of anything less.
Love doesn’t know age, it’s out there- and it’s never too late to find it
Felice Coles 3 years ago
Those years built you up for this relationship. Congrats on the maturation!
#22
My to-be ex told me to go down to our insurance agent's office and talk to get my own insurance. Bam! Ex introduced me to my wife.
#23
I was diagnosed with a very large brain tumor at age 30 in 2008. It required three surgeries and a month in the ICU. It’s the sort of thing that makes you reevaluate your life choices, so when I was recovered at 33, I joined the Peace Corps as a way to pay it forward.
I served in a small town in Burkina Faso. My neighbor was a Canadian aid worker who rightly had a dim view of Peace Corps volunteers as relative amateurs who drink too much (both are true). I was neither, and after one project that went especially well, she expressed her surprise on this point. This started a debate on the nature of aid work that continues off and on to this day. Among other arguments - we’re both lawyers now
#24
My wife was over 30 when we met. I was outside her house directing traffic after a drunk driver obliterated the telephone outside her house one evening. directing traffic for a downed pole took a very long time so I was outside her house for a while.
Eventually she came out of the house and over to my car and offered me some dinner that she had made. The rest is history.
#25
Was seated next to her on a flight from Morocco where we both attended a sweet music festival. I’m still grateful to the gods of the seating algorithms.
It’s been 6 years and we are expecting our third child
#26
I met my wife in junior high school. We were friends in a group of friends. Never dated. Lost contact after high school. 25 years later we saw each other on social media, reacquainted as friends, then started dating and 8 years later we married. Still happily married after 9 years. We were both different people when we were younger and agree that it wouldn't have worked out between us if we got together when we were young.
DennyS (denzoren) 3 years ago
I like this and yep, growth and that's so true....high school you and grown up matured you are completely different.
#27
We met on the Coachella message boards. I was 34 and he was 30. He was looking for a ride to Coachella, I had tickets, but no one to go with. We met once for about an hour before making the 14 hour drive together. Hung out together the whole weekend, discovered we had similar tastes in music and enjoyed similar things. We didn't actually get together until about 3 months later when we met up to go to another music festival together. Music festivals have been a regular part of our 10 years together. Hopefully will be again soon. Stupid Covid.
I don't think it would've worked if we had met earlier, although I wish we had. It took me awhile to figure out how to be in a healthy relationship, and I'm glad I met him at my right time.
#28
I got divorced. Nothing tragic - we just weren’t right for each other. I was back to dating and it was fun but wasn’t really clicking with anyone. I was thinking about people who I knew that might be partner material. Then I remembered meeting her at a party and wanted to try to connect.
Meanwhile, her sister heard that I got divorced and told her to pursue me. My SO thought it might be too soon (only a few months). We went on a date anyway.
Fast toward to 4 years later. Our baby (1st for both of us) will be here in 2 months and we’re engaged to be married sometime in the next year or so. Success!
#29
Friends told me to make online dating profile
After a month, and talking to few girls just casually, she messaged. After first conversation, it felt right away, that this is something special. She wanted video call next day, and everything felt great from that point on.
Few months after, I flu across the world, spent best 4 weeks in my life. First time, I got that feeling, that she is the one. Few months after that, I went to see her again, this time with the ring.
Now we are happily married for almost 3 years. Life is so beautiful now, definitely wish we met earlier, as I would progress so much further in life, in pretty much all aspects.
#30
I was in Australia on a working holiday visa. After going on about a million trials with different companies, I get a call for another interview with another one. Show up and there are 3 others all "interviewing" for a bunch of different roles. He rushes in late, gives us all a spiel on each of our different roles, asks if we want to try it out, and schedules a time. That was the interview. I don't think I answered a single question.
He ends up driving me home after my trial day and I think how kind he is and my head automatically out of nowhere goes "It'd be weird if we ended up falling in love and I had to go back to Canada and we had to figure out cross-country futures." Then I was like "wtf was that? no, boatsmoatsfloats, no, you just met this person."
About 4.5 months later we were in love, about 7 months after that, I went back to Canada and we had to figure out our cross-country future together. We're now legally partners, but i haven't seen him in a year and 15 days. Not at all how the last year was supposed to go, but god I hope I get to see him this year.
I don't necessarily wish we'd met earlier. I think we would have had a ball together as children because we had very similar interests. I also would have loved to see him in his wild 20s. But we both had lots of growing to do before we were able to be the partners we are to each other. I do wish we'd had more time together...I wish we had time together now for that matter.
What do you think ?
Ba Loeloe 3 years ago
So meeting your partner after 30 is special. Didn't realise. Maybe if we didn't put so much pressure on each other it would be less special.
onitsuka 3 years ago (edited)
Was about to post something similarly confused. Meeting someone after 30 is worth a dedicated post?
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More Thinking Needed 3 years ago
The average age people get married (US) is: men 31 years old, women, 33 years old. So this post is basically about most people.
Monica Martinez Castañeda 3 years ago
Thank God. I was going crazy thinking "Is it too old to be 30?" I think only a couple friends of mine got married before that age... All the others were over 30!
Load More Replies...
Nizumi 3 years ago (edited)
Met my partner online when we were mid-30s. It was a few months after my 7+ year relationship broke up, I was looking to start dating. Many friends had met their partners on a dating site, so I figured why not try? I didn't know how to upload a photo (this was very early 2000s); didn't know you had to pay to contact someone you liked; was horrified at most of the profiles. And then I found his. It was funny and it was smart and he gave way too many details about himself and I thought "This guys needs protecting." I figured out how to contact him and threw him a smiley. He only got that smiley when he logged in to CLOSE his account - he was giving up. Still, even though there was no picture of me, he responded. When we arranged to meet, we were coming from different parts of town - different transit lines. Somehow, we ended up being in the same train car. It's been almost 20 years. Is it still wine and roses? No. There are dirty socks and underwear and aggravation and..... And I wouldn't have it any other way. He's my heart.
Ba Loeloe 3 years ago
So meeting your partner after 30 is special. Didn't realise. Maybe if we didn't put so much pressure on each other it would be less special.
onitsuka 3 years ago (edited)
Was about to post something similarly confused. Meeting someone after 30 is worth a dedicated post?
Load More Replies... More Thinking Needed 3 years ago
The average age people get married (US) is: men 31 years old, women, 33 years old. So this post is basically about most people.
Monica Martinez Castañeda 3 years ago
Thank God. I was going crazy thinking "Is it too old to be 30?" I think only a couple friends of mine got married before that age... All the others were over 30!
Load More Replies... Nizumi 3 years ago (edited)
Met my partner online when we were mid-30s. It was a few months after my 7+ year relationship broke up, I was looking to start dating. Many friends had met their partners on a dating site, so I figured why not try? I didn't know how to upload a photo (this was very early 2000s); didn't know you had to pay to contact someone you liked; was horrified at most of the profiles. And then I found his. It was funny and it was smart and he gave way too many details about himself and I thought "This guys needs protecting." I figured out how to contact him and threw him a smiley. He only got that smiley when he logged in to CLOSE his account - he was giving up. Still, even though there was no picture of me, he responded. When we arranged to meet, we were coming from different parts of town - different transit lines. Somehow, we ended up being in the same train car. It's been almost 20 years. Is it still wine and roses? No. There are dirty socks and underwear and aggravation and..... And I wouldn't have it any other way. He's my heart.
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