How we met: 11 couples share their meet-cute stories, and none of them involve an app | Canada Voices

Not that long ago, it felt ahead of the curve to meet a romantic partner on a dating app. But in recent years, with more than half of relationships beginning online according to a Stanford University study, it’s become quite ordinary. In fact, it’s so common that stories of old fashioned, in-the-wild first encounters feel like precious lore. So The Globe and Mail called on readers to send in their own meet-cute stories.

These digital-free love tales, both old and new, show romance has always existed beyond Tinder and can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places.

Rock climbing

Ian: As I was climbing, I saw Tina and her friends, who looked far more experienced than me. I asked for advice because I thought she was cute, but also because I genuinely needed the help. She gave me tips, I thanked her, and then left to climb on my own. By closing time, Tina was still climbing, so I thought: What do I have to lose by asking her out?

Tina: So, Ian approached me and said: “I saw you climbing earlier and thought you were cute. Can I ask you out?” I was surprised and delighted by his open and direct communication style. I used to be on dating apps, and conversations on there are less straightforward. His approach felt so refreshing in comparison. So I said yes – it helped that he was very attractive. So we made plans to meet at a bubble tea shop.

Ian: We quickly started dating, and now we climb together once a week. She still helps me a lot with my climbs.

Tina: Ian is being humble: He has become better than me! I want to take him downhill skiing next.

Ian: That’s a harder sell – I don’t want her to see me fall flat on my face.

Military training

Kelly: Joe and I met while we were both new officer cadets – I was 18 and he was 23. Since his last name starts with S, and mine, T, we always stood next to one another in the ranks, whispering jokes and encouragement to manage the intensity of the time. But it wasn’t until our field exercise that I really fell for him. I broke my tibia and the course staff and the rest of my platoon mates were convinced I was “being a girl” about it, whining, trying to get out of doing the work. Joe believed me, carried me and our two rucksacks (totalling about 210 pounds) for three kilometres back to our camp.

Joe: Basic training is so intense that it quickly reveals people’s true character, so I could tell how Kelly handled pressure. She was still her bubbly, caring self on the most stressful days. So when she got hurt, I thought: There is no way that someone like her is faking.

Kelly: The people who believe in you in your hardest moments are those you want to keep close. Neither of us expected to find love in basic training – you aren’t necessarily trying to make yourself cute – and we’ve now been happily married for over 10 years.

Working out at the gym

Mark: On a truly frigid December evening, I was at the weight room. I was one of the die-hard regulars there: single, in my late 20s, with too much time on my hands. That evening, the room was unusually quiet – just me, my workout mate and a shy newcomer. Then she walked in: squash girl. I’d noticed her before, cycling briefly before disappearing. This time, she asked, “Does anyone here play squash?” My chance. “No, not really,” I muttered, inexplicably. She disappeared down the hall.

Of course I played squash, but I panicked. Realizing my mistake, I sprinted home, grabbed my gear, and returned breathless. “So, you do play squash?” she asked, smiling.

Darlene: I had joined a squash league and needed practice, so I was disappointed when none of those guys seemed interested in playing. I hung around the court for a few minutes, and then here comes one of them, completely winded with squash gear. I figured he was worth the game.

Mark: She did beat me, though defeat never tasted so sweet. Because eight minutes, one defeat and 38 years later, here we are.

Darlene: It sounds lucky, maybe overly serendipitous, but serendipity is always out there if you are willing to entertain it.

Beach Boys concert

Kathryn: I went to the concert in Calgary when I was just starting university, living with my parents, and didn’t expect to meet someone. I was there with a big group of friends, including my sister and her boyfriend, and this guy I didn’t recognize: a fetching sight with great big hair, brown corduroy overalls and a leather jacket. He had a Beegees thing going on, with yellow and brown puka shells around his neck. I was immediately interested, but thought he was too cool for me.

Peter: I knew that my good friend’s girlfriend was bringing her sister to the concert. I was excited to meet her. So, somewhat out of character for me, I made an effort to dress super nicely. I remember straining my neck to catch a glimpse of Kat down the row. She was beautiful, and I knew immediately that I wanted to date her. I was lucky: Kat is high fashion, and I think my plan worked. Only later did she realize she had been duped: I’m nowhere near her fashion level. But the one thing that we knew we had in common that night was music. We still find delight in discovering new artists together, and both of our kids are professional musicians.

In line at a store

Heather: I was just passing through after a day of ice fishing, on my way back to Southern Ontario. I struck up a conversation with the store owner, who offered condolences for the passing of my wife, Sandra, less than a year prior.

Laurie: I lived on a remote island and rarely visited town on Fridays, but I was at the store by chance, to buy a shirt I didn’t need. l overheard some of Heather’s conversation but assumed her loss involved an illness or job struggle. So I didn’t ask questions, paid for my shirt and left.

Heather: Later, the owner shared that this stranger had also lost her wife, also named Sandra, to cancer, a number of years ago. So, a few days later, I asked her for Laurie’s contact information. What began as walks and phone calls evolved into conversations about love, loss and the impossibility of replacing “the best.” Six months later, we realized that if love was ever possible again, it would be with each other.

Laurie: We had our wedding in March of 2024, at the same place as our first date: the Anchor Inn, in Little Current.

Sweet 16

Sydney: When I was 16, I threw a classic high school birthday party while my parents were away – loud music, drinks and plenty of chaos. To help a co-worker feel more at ease, I told him to bring a friend. That small suggestion changed my life. My co-worker’s friend, Josh, handed me an iTunes gift card as a birthday present. At the time, I was vegan, and he told me he was vegetarian, so we bonded over recipe swaps and restaurant recommendations.

Josh: Truth be told, I wasn’t really a vegetarian. But I thought Sydney was so pretty that I became one on that night. I didn’t touch meat for the next four months, but then I finally caved over a McDonald’s Junior Chicken.

Sydney: We exchanged Snapchat handles, went to the movies and everything clicked. Josh became my best friend, my partner through proms, university, first jobs and buying a home. Now, we’re planning our wedding for next June. That night was the beginning of something extraordinary – a love that keeps growing every day.

Working at a travelling circus

Annette: I met Sylvain while working for Cavalia, a Cirque-type show with horses and aerialists. I was from Los Angeles, and he was this Canadian guy from Quebec, touring with the show as our head of sound. One morning, I was having pancakes at Denny’s on my way to the big top, and he came and sat with me. We talked about work and life, and enjoyed each other’s company so much that we made it a habit to have breakfast together before work.

Sylvain: Sitting at the Denny’s booth, she struck me as beautiful: an angel. I also joked with people that the prospect of dating someone from California and moving down there for the winters sounded pretty good.

Annette: Yet, after the summer, Sylvain went back to Canada. I stayed back in California, missing him and often crying. In November, I flew to Canada and there, I knew we were meant to be together. We married in 2018 and have made Ottawa our permanent home; and, yes, the winters are much colder, though I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Calgary Stampede party

Harold: A friend of my late wife encouraged me to attend a Calgary Stampede party under the premise that there would be a lot of single women from B.C. there.

Nadine: I suppose I was one of them. Though I wasn’t expecting to meet single men: I was 45, and felt past the age of meeting good men at random.

Harold: At the party, I was getting bored of doing small talk, so I went for a little walk, and I saw Nadine sitting all by herself in the shade. I asked her why she was alone; she said “I’m a redhead and I can’t take this heat.” So I sat with her and we really hit it off: Then someone played some music and I taught her the western two-step.

Nadine: Despite my two left feet, I loved my evening. I talked about Harold for the entire, 10-hour car ride back to B.C. the next day.

Harold: After a short romance across the mountains, I quit my job, sold my house and moved to B.C. to be with Nadine.

Farmers’ market

Kaitlyn: Early into my summer job, I was sitting on the ground just outside the farmers’ market tent, eating a vegan mac and cheese hot dog. Kevin walked by and asked if the hot dog was good. I said no.

Kevin: I approached her because I remember thinking: Wow, that is an inconvenient, gross-looking hot dog. It might be the messiest thing to eat in this entire market, and this girl is self-assured enough to eat it in public. It screamed self-confidence.

Kaitlyn: The next day, we jumped right in conversation and immediately had a really good flow. We started to spend time together during activities with our co-workers, like touring sunflower farms, and eventually I asked him if he wanted to grab a coffee just with me.

Kevin: I said “Yes!” Though the weird snacks continued: On our first date to the movies, Kaitlyn brought blueberries.

Touring Europe by bus

Miles: We were on the same tour bus, spending 12 days riding around Europe, but I’m not entirely sure where we first met: I was younger and intensely celebrating Oktoberfest in true keeping of my heritage. Though, I remember sitting beside her in Austria at supper, where she ignored me to instead chat with a young Mexican couple who barely spoke a word of English. Either I had tough competition or I needed to improve my game.

Chere: We sat next to each other on the bus and started exchanging books. With each day, the conversation became more interesting. By the end of the trip, we decided to try a long distance relationship. Flights were so cheap that we were shuttling between my home of Portland, Oregon, and Waterloo every two weeks.

Miles: The next year, Chere crossed the border in a dilapidated 1986 Jeep packed with her things and moved in with me on a tourist visa. We married three months later.

Competing in a triathlon

Mac: It was a warm and sunny morning at the Chinook Half Ironman. I was looking for a place to set up my bike, found an empty spot next to this pretty girl, and introduced myself. She told me she was using this event as a preparatory race for her first full Ironman, just like me.

Jay: I was like, who is this guy? He’s pretty chatty before the race.

Mac: We talked again after, but her brother came by and I thought he was her boyfriend, so I left. I didn’t see her again until the next Ironman, where she caught up to me on the run. She said, “Hey, how’s it going?” But I was suffering way too much to talk. So she said “I’ll keep going now,” and finished so far ahead of me that she didn’t wait for me at the finish line.

Jay: The next day, I wanted to find him online, but I couldn’t locate him on social media. My friend told me to check LinkedIn – sure enough, I found him. We met for a drink, talked about our races and enjoyed the evening. We’ve since beaten each other once in the Ironman, and have called a truce: We only cycle together now.

These interviews have been edited and condensed.