Launched in May of 2011, Tinder made matchmaking more universal than ever. By connecting each user with a Facebook account, Tinder creates profiles with ages, pictures, and short bios for other users to view. Once somebody views another person’s profile, the user will have the choice to swipe right (interested) or left (not interested).
Although the app has been quite successful, Tinder has often been labeled as a “hookup” app, due to its superficial and racy content. Yet, there has been the occasional glimmer of hope. Here are three true stories of real-life Tinderellas and Prince Tinders who got more than a single night of happily ever after.
1. Right Swiped
This story is about Freddy and Janie. Their Tinder tale starts like many, with a single click to download the app. Freddy made a basketball reference and the game was on. Janie was impressed by his baseball knowledge and continued to chat with him.
Freddy creatively asked for Janie’s number and asked her on a date, then Janie blew him off. Of course, this seems all too Tinder-typical, and in most cases, their story would’ve just ended here. However, Janie had recently been grounded because her parents weren’t fans of her being on Tinder. A month later, she texted Freddy asking him if he would be her date to the NCAA tournament, and the connection was set.
They went to more games together and started dating two months later. This past January, the couples got married in Utah and happily blog together and tell their story.
You can follow them and check out their story here.
2. The Night We Met
Sarah and Ryan reluctantly exchanged numbers over Tinder in March of 2013. Ryan, nervous and excited, asked Sarah to have lunch with him at Pita Pit next to their college’s campus. Once the ice was broken, the two couldn’t stop talking to each other. Ryan enjoyed Sarah’s company so much that he asked her on a second date while they were still on their first date.
Fast forward a few months: Ryan popped the question to Sarah in the car (his original plan to propose during a romantic bonfire in the canyon was foiled after some bad weather rolled in). They were married in December in 2013 and are beyond happy.
3. Long Distance Didn’t Stop Them
Andrea was never really sold on the idea of Tinder, until she found Nathan.
He didn’t seem right for her at first; he had a picture holding a baby on his profile, which wasn’t something Andrea wanted to get involved with (even though the boy later turned out to be his baby brother).
But what made Nathan special? Unlike the other guys Andrea encountered on the app, Nathan tried to get to know Andrea first. He genuinely wanted to know what she liked and how she thought. He was a gentleman that wanted a real connection with Andrea. Even though they attended different colleges, the distance couldn’t stop them.
“I know that Nathan and I are one of the millions of couples that are long distance,” Andrea exclaimed. “The thing that makes us special is that we’re not only beating the odds of maintaining a LDR, we’re also a couple who succeeded thanks to a silly little app.” The couple has remained together all throughout college and are still happily together today.