How did you meet?

This is mainly geared towards people who are moving from UK to US or US to UK because of a spouse or fiance, but anybody can please feel free to chime in

I am currently awaiting an answer for my settlement visa to live in the UK with my husband, and this question is for those out there who are doing the same (or the other way around, moving to US). My husband and I met 2.5 years ago playing a game on Facebook called The Dot Game. We enjoed playing against eachother, and exchanged some e-mails. We both realised very quickly that we cared for one another, and we fell in love so easily. We've both visited eachother in our respective countries, and were married this past June. The past 2.5 years have been an amazing whirlwind, I wouldn't trade it for anything

 I'm curious to see how you met your spouse/fiance, and how long ago. Every time I tell my story to someone (my bridal gown consultant; the photographer at the passport office for my photo; the owners of the venue where I had my wedding) they always say how incredible the story is, and how it's like a fairy tale. I want to know how many other fairy tales are out there I had never imagined I would meet a man across the world and fall in love so happily. Did others out there meet their future spouse while studying abroad? Or maybe through some mutual friends? Dating websites are common nowadays, how many of you out there met that way? Anybody can reply with why they are moving country, please feel free to share your stories and your fairy tales

I'm pretty sure there is a similar thread already existing on this topic, but we never tire of telling our fairy tales, do we? 

I met my husband the old-fashioned way--in person!  We met in the summer of 2006.  I was newly divorced and needed an adventure so I decided to travel around Ireland for the summer with my fiddle.  My intention was to soak up Ireland and learn some new tunes.  I certainly did just that, but at the end of the summer my hubby-to-be showed up with his guitar at the place I was staying at.  We spent about a week and a half hanging out with each other and really hit it off.  At the end of the summer I left Ireland to visit him in Leeds.  He asked me to marry him on my second visit to Leeds inside of the stone circle on the property where we met in Ireland (we took a trip back to Ireland and he surprised me with the proposal)!

There is a sticky thread called "How did it all begin" in the Expat Life section.  I can't link to it because I'm on my blackberry, but it's very easy to find!

That thread is here:
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=6513.240

That thread is here:
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=6513.240

It has a cool poll at the top & everything!

Met my husband online via an international penpals website.  For me, it seems pretty normal for people to meet online these days.  I often forget how that seems pretty amazing to other people. 

I think my full story is somewhere there on that other thread.

Met my husband online via an international penpals website.  For me, it seems pretty normal for people to meet online these days.  I often forget how that seems pretty amazing to other people. 

This is an amazing societal shift in terms of how people now meet each other, romantically or otherwise and it's only been in the last decade or so.....

Met my wife back in 1993, we both worked at a summer camp in NJ in the states. We had a 5 year long distance relationship with a lot of flying back and forth, internet was just starting so it was letter writing and phone calls. After my wife finished University we got married ad she joined me in the States. We lived there together 10 years. 2 years ago we moved here to the UK with our 2 sons....who are 6 ad 3....Both born in the States...

I met an Irish guy online when I was 16...he and I were internet penpals for a few years, and I actually ended up meeting him in person a few times during that time - once when his family came to Disney World (you should have seen my parents reaction to THAT! "so, can you all drive me up to Orlando to meet this stranger I have been chatting with online for a few months?" they were convinced he was a pedophile from Hialeah who was luring me to Orlando. Crazily enough, they said yes...mostly so they could prove to me that I wasn't talking to who I *thought* I was talking to. We showed up, and lo and behold an awkward Irish teenaged boy is waiting for me. LOL! They were totally shocked, but never had a problem with me talking to him online again).

After I went off to Uni, my Irish penpal broke the news to me that his best friend was heading to Uni in England and he wanted to keep in touch with both of us at the same time! I was incensed. I thought, what the heck? I don't *know* this guy? Why would I want to talk to him?!?

Well, when I met Ed online in that first three-way conversation...it was just ridiculous. We hit it off instantly and fell in love before we even saw each other in real life. I took my freshman summer to study abroad at Cambridge where he was (oh lordy, heatwave summer of '03!) and after spending the summer with him we knew we wanted to be together permanently. We had a long distance relationship for about 3 and a half years, then he moved to the States and we got married. :-) I finished vet school and now we're in the UK! Life is funny and weird sometimes.

Oh, I still talk to my Irish penpal but he changed a lot during my undergraduate years so we stopped being close. He does insist that I should name my firstborn child after him though, since he introduced me to Ed.

I met my Manx husband in a chat room in 1997....I used PircH and he used Mirc but we managed to find each other anyways.....He came to visit me in Oklahoma 2 times before I moved over to the Isle of Man in Nov of 1997 and we got married in June of 98 and here I have been.........

Back in the olden days people did actually meet in person. As DH and I did (in the Victoria Hotel in Leeds) After we married and I moved back to Leeds, I became acquainted with a number of American women and also people from other countries (Oz, France to name two) who had British husbands. Mostly it was a case of one partner or the other working or studying in the other's home country and -- ta da -- chemistry!  It may have been helpful that the foreign spouse had actually lived in the UK on her own for a bit. As I remember there was a lot of moaning about what we missed and get-togethers for Thanksgiving and 4th of July but I wasn't aware of anyone having major problems adjusting. And there was none of this aggro over visas and naturalization back then either.
So there's your lesson in Ancient History for today, kiddies 

I met Mr. K online in a CompuServe chatroom...April 1997.  We met in person in November 1997, married in 2000.  Back then it was not something that happened a lot...but now, it seems I know more people who met online than the "old-fashioned" way!

I admit to being very skeptical of online relationships as little as three or four years ago...I still would be skeptical if it weren't for all the people on UKY who met their spouses online.  I see now that you can form a strong relationship that way.  But DH and I met in person, while working in Japan

met my husband john on myspace over 3 yrs ago........we decided to chat one night for 12 hours...........made several trips back and forth.........married this past may and im applying for visa (next week i hope) then moving over nov 1st...........isnt life grand

We met online on a board for the band Primus, back in 1998. Friendship grew and changed and by the time he was ready for grad school we were planning our lives together. We got married in 2002 and have been happily together since.

My BF and I met whilst staying in the same hostel in Berlin in 2008.  I was due back to the US in a week (had been travelling for almost 2 months) and was planning to just stay in Berlin for that time.  However, my friend and I decided to go with him to Prague for a couple days and I was a bit sad when I got on the train to go back to Berlin.  I figured I'd probably never hear from him again, just like everyone else we'd met.

Three days after I got back to the US, it was my birthday.  A box of flowers arrived at my door that afternoon.  BF had sent them from Paris.    I knew he was a keeper then!  We did the back and forth for a year and I came over on a Tier 4 a year ago.  He's still the funny, kind, and giving man I met 2 years ago and not the axe murderer all my friends at home assumed him to be!