“The biggest advantage to meeting potential dates in real life is getting to experience their vibe right away, which is something no online dating platform can deliver,” Thomas Edwards, founder of The Professional Wingman, tells Bustle. “This increases your odds of making good choices on who to go on a date with. There’s no better way to gauge attraction and chemistry than to be physically present with someone.” If you’ve ever gone out on a Tinder date with someone you’ve been chatting to for months and then have zero chemistry with, you’ll get how important this is.
And an AskReddit thread shows just how often people meet in other ways. A bunch of Reddit users shared the way that they met the love of their lives. Yes, dating sites and apps were the answer in some cases — but definitely not in all. When it comes to dating, sometimes think just happen. It may be when you’re making a real effort to meet someone, but in some of these cases the person just fell into their lap — in one case, very literally. So if too much swiping is making your brain (and your thumb) cramp, you may want to consider taking a step back and looking at how these people met the love of their lives. To be honest, the whole thread is worth a browse, but here are some of my favorites. Just make sure to have your tissues at the ready, because there are emotions all over the damn shop with this one.
1. Bad Wingman, Good Love Interest
Sounds like something out of a rom-com. In reality, my attempts to wingman usually just end up with someone crying. Glad to hear these folks are having better luck.
2. Making Excuses
It sounds like they forgave the colored contact in a hurry — and making excuses to go in over and over again is just too damn cute.
5. History And Monty Python
I think that’s as good of a test as any, really. Monty Python can show you the way to true love and happiness.
6. Volunteering
In case you need any proof, volunteering pays. This one is basically just showcasing how great karma can be.
7. Third Wheel Success
IT DOES HAPPEN. No more feeling weird about a random setup, sometimes it really does the job.
8When Kids Play Cupid
THEY KNOW. Kids always know. I hope that they gave that kid a damn medal— or at least a wedding invitation.
9. Every Class Together
It’s amazing how many of us are scared to strike up a conversation — even with someone that we see every day. But this proves that it really can pay off in a big way.
10. Puppy Love
OK, so it’s no secret that dogs are the best wing men ever. But apparently a real passion for dogs may be the key to success.
11. Umm…
Hey, it sounds like they’re both really happy with how it turned out. Hopefully the career switch was just as good.
12. Restaurant Love
If you can’t bond over food then, really, what can you bond over? Oh, and a snowball fight and some wrestling doesn’t hurt.
13. The Internet Dating Gods
Lest we forget, it’s the secret to so much dating success nowadays. Tinder, Bumble, dating websites — pretty soon this could be the majority of ‘how I met my partner’ stories. Hey, whatever works.
There are so many different ways out there to meet people — and these stories remind us that sometimes it really does just come out of nowhere. So keep your eyes peeled, because you never know when there’s a great relationship hiding right around the corner. And having a cute dog certainly doesn’t hurt.