We asked people in the area to tell us their D.C. love stories, and the responses poured in. These vignettes show that love can be found just about anywhere — even in a competitive, fast-paced city like this one.
“In October 2016, I met my now-fiance, Dillon. We met, as many young people do these days, on Tinder. Our first date was at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe. The date was going so well we kept it going with drinks at Roofers Union. I didn’t know at the time, but just a few months later, I would be moving in with him to an apartment just around the corner.” — Katherine Perchik
“My now-fiance and I traveled all the way from Nassau, Bahamas, to visit D.C. in October 2018. My fiance, Patrick, had planned a surprise proposal in the U.S. Botanic Gardens. When I saw him on bent knee, a spell of emotions hit me, and I was so beside myself that I walked into a large planter.” — Bradisha Simone Smith
“We went to El Chucho for margaritas, then Room 11 for a night cap before riding our bikes home side by side. I reflected on our date the next day and thought about how much we laughed. I realized it was the best date I’d ever been on. Since then we’ve merged our lives, little by little, every day. We share a home, two cats and friends that feel like family. On February 15, 2018, he asked me to marry him, and I said yes. We’ll be married June 29 this year at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, just blocks away from our home. — Lia Seremetis
“I was bummed by the quality of dates I had been on recently and wasn’t sure this one would be any different. He finally walked into Northside Social in Arlington about 15 minutes late, just as I was debating if I should go home. It would have been the biggest mistake of my life. He made me nervous in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. We’ve been together ever since — 11 happy, blessed, blissful months. Our favorite thing to do is CrossFit and then watch ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ on the weekends. How had I never seen ‘SpongeBob’ before this?” — Roshni Uttamsingh
“I met my partner (going on 35 years ago) at a Bastille Day Party that he held in his Silver Spring backyard in 1984. A little Midwestern calm from him convinced me that maybe we should move in together. That was back in the day, long before same-sex marriage was even thought of. Those first six months were the hardest, but since then we have weathered the storms and enjoyed the highs of life together. So here we stand today, still together, and wondering where the time went. One thing has been constant: We care for and love each other more each day. Now, as senior citizens, it is great to see that young people do not have to hide who they are — not that we ever did.” — William West Hopper
“We met casually at Boundary Stone through his brother who is a DC Brau brewer. Then met again at their anniversary party at Meridian Pint. Our first date was at drinks Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and dinner at Busboys and Poets. True D.C. love story. That was 6 years ago. We got married in the district at The Loft at 600F and reside in Trinidad.” — Jamie Hecht
“Like so many others, we moved to the D.C. area for work. However, the work we found did not exist prior to 9/11. Were it not for those darkest of days in our nation’s history from which the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration were born, then a girl from Scranton, Pa., and a boy from Monterey, Calif., may never have met and fallen in love. That the worst tragedy to befall this country in recent history could result in the best thing to ever happen to me is nothing short of a miracle.” — Alejandro Cruz
“My fiance and I met 4 years ago at Howard Law. We share a name. My last name — Adeoye — is also his first name. Many people I met in my first few weeks told me about the third-year student with the same name as me. I grew annoyed because it’s very common for Nigerians to have the same name. But then I met him, and thought, ‘Hmmm ... maybe this will be our way of connecting.’ The rest is history, and four years later, we’re headed down the aisle!” — Lola Adeoye
“We met at Brixton on U Street. He says he spotted me with my friends waiting in line, but waited until we were inside to ask if he could buy me a drink. That was two years ago. Now we’re married!” — Cornelia Poku
“We met on 17th Street NW, had a crazy intense love affair, and now we are best friends. It doesn’t get much better than that.” — Krysten Jenci
“Danielle and I are both of Armenian descent, and Armenia was represented at Alexandria’s International Festival in October of 2015. A mutual acquaintance had invited us separately. She was very cute, but I was not bold enough to ask for her number, which I regretted immediately. I did some sleuthing and through the miracle of a Google image search, I was able to find her full name and with that, went to Facebook to message her. … We were married on June 2, 2018.” — Eric Ashbahian
Express thanks all of the couples who shared their stories.