Tinder turns 10; 7 couples who met on the dating app share their tales

In September, Tinder celebrated its 10th anniversary.

This September marks the 10th anniversary of Tinder.

The popular dating app Tinder turned ten years old in September. According to the app’s website, it has facilitated more than 75 billion matches and around 1.5 million dates per week.

Insider spoke with seven couples who discussed how Tinder was the catalyst for their relationships.

In February of 2018, Francesca Baker, 35, and Andy Brooker, 37, matched on Tinder and began a relationship of the friends-to-lovers variety.

Andy Brooker and Francesca Baker.

With thanks to Francesca Baker and Andy Brooker

Baker and Brooker, both of whom reside in London, told Insider that they first met in 2018 for drinks after matching on Tinder, but a relationship did not develop until much later. Brooker stated that he liked Baker from the beginning, but she had already been dating another app user.

“Like rapidly developed into love, but I also cherished our friendship and all that we had,” Brooker explained.

During this time, Baker and Brooker became best friends and frequently hung out together. They stayed friends for two years, but during the pandemic, their friendship changed. By that time, Baker had ended her prior relationship.

“I discovered I loved Andy while exploring the park during the March 2020 shutdown. So told him,” Baker said.

During the UK lockdown, the two were forced to text instead of meet in person, but in May 2020, they finally had their first formal date. They went for a walk on the Kent trail Wye Downs.

“We had been aggressively flirting in the weeks prior, but were unable to see each other. “In the weeks that followed, there was a great deal of drinking in the park,” Brooker recalled.

Baker swiftly moved into Brooker’s residence during a second national lockdown in November 2020, which, according to her, “certainly hastened things.”

After two years of dating and cohabitation, Brooker accompanied Baker to Berlin for her birthday in March 2022. Thereafter, Brooker proposed marriage. Baker and Brooker have been dating for about two and a half years as of September.

After meeting on Tinder in February 2017, Christina Lucchesi, 31, and Daniel Wright, 34, were in a relationship that spanned many time zones.

Christina Luchessi and Daniel Wright.

Christina Luchessi and Daniel Wright’s kind permission

A close buddy influenced Luchessi’s decision to swipe right on Wright.

“My best friend was actually swiping through males on my Tinder account when she came across Daniel,” Luchessi claimed, adding that her companion had met Wright in a bar in Rome while studying abroad two years prior.

Luchessi “super liked” Wright’s profile, and Wright reciprocated by “super liking” hers. Their first date was a Taco Tuesday at a local San Diego, California restaurant. The couple continued to see each other for a few months, then Wright relocated to Madrid, Spain in April 2017 to pursue a master’s degree.

When Wright moved overseas, Luchessi stated they did not prolong their relationship, but they “accidentally kept talking to each other every day.”

In August of that year, Luchessi traveled to Spain to celebrate Wright’s birthday, during which she and Wright decided to make their long-distance relationship official, with Luchessi residing in San Diego and Wright in Madrid.

“When I visited him in Europe, we realized how well we got along, and I believe that’s what made us think, ‘Maybe we should give this a try,’” she added. However, the 8-hour time difference made communication somewhat inconvenient.

In December 2017, Luchessi relocated to Spain, and the couple returned to San Diego in August 2018. Following five years of dating, they are planning their wedding.

In February 2020, Gabriel Garza, 32, and Julianet Gonzalez, 27, met at a onesie bar crawl in Harford, Connecticut.

Gabriel Garza and Julianet Gonzalez.

Gabriel Garza and Julianet Gonzalez are responsible for their respective contributions.

As a single father, Garza told Insider he initially joined Tinder to meet new people.

He partnered with Gonzalez in front of the 2020 pandemic.

Gonzalez stated, “I had apprehensions because he had a lengthy profile that essentially stated ‘positive vibes only’ and a number of photographs of him with large groups.” “I eventually swiping right because his grin seemed so warm and inviting, and he appeared to be a lot of fun.”

Garza and Gonzalez reported that after exchanging phone numbers, they engaged in “witty banter” that led to their first meeting. The pair decided to do a bar crawl with a onesie theme.

Gonzalez stated, “After our first date, I knew he was the one for me.” “After that, I went out with my friend and told her we would be married one day.”

The sentiment was shared.

The rest fell into place, with Gonzalez initiating the relationship by informing Garza she desired to make it formal. The two became engaged in 2021.

Gonzalez stated that their third date ended up being a trip to New Hampshire. I had misgivings about crossing state lines with a stranger, but it turned out to be a wonderful experience. The next year, we returned to the same location, where he serenaded me and proposed.

They share a 2-month-old daughter and Garza’s 6-year-old son from a prior relationship.

Allena Arnold, 24 years old, and Darryl Seah, 27 years old, started dating in May 2021 after bonding over thrifting, plant buying, and film development.

Allena Arnold, as well as Darryl Seah.

Thank you to Allena Arnold and Darryl Seah

In 2021, Arnold swiped right on Seah.

They stated, “Darryl’s photographs seemed incredibly cool.” “He appeared to have a great social group and engage in engaging activities, which was precisely what I desired. Plus, they were so adorable!”

Seah was drawn to Arnold’s smile, passion for plums, overalls, and general aura.

In May of that year, they met at Seah’s residence. Arnold also matched with Seah’s roommate at the time, who encouraged Arnold to spend out at their residence.

Arnold stated, “My friend and I went over there.” “The boys spent the evening repairing skateboards, DJing, and relaxing. Then, Darryl and I discussed mushrooms and music before deciding to go on a date the following morning.

Arnold described their date as a “typical alternative date: plant shopping, thrifting, and film development.” We never left each other’s side after that.”

Soon after, Seah realized he liked Arnold, stating, “I felt they were someone whose energy complemented and balanced my own. To avoid sounding trite, I felt that there was a yin and yang connection between us. It felt as if I had known them long as well.”

Arnold and Seah both stated that their relationship developed spontaneously, but they made it public at a Pride party.

“As Darryl and I jumped on the trampoline, I began using sign language to convey ‘I love you.’ It took him some time to catch on, but once he did, we both agreed that we loved each other and wanted to be together.

Arnold and Seah have been in a relationship for over a year.

In December of 2018, Jean Evans, 50, and Pavle Savic, 48, utilized Google Translate to converse.

Jean Evans and Pavlement Savic

Thanks to Jean Evans

Evans was about to take a vacation from Tinder after attempting online dating for the first time for a few months before she was paired with Savic.

She added, “The holidays were approaching and I thought, ‘He’ll be my last date, and I’ll just focus on getting through the holidays and the new year before deciding what I’m going to do or not do.’”

Evans had spent her entire life in Greenville, South Carolina, where Savic was visiting. She stated that she was attracted to his profile because he was from Montenegro. She stated that the possibility to meet individuals from different locations was one of the reasons she downloaded Tinder.

Savic swiped right on Evans because he liked her appearance and wished to meet someone in Greenville.

During the next week and a half that Savic was in town, they met up and went about while communicating in English and Montenegrin via Google Translate. Even though verbal communication was difficult, each found it simple to comprehend the other.

It is difficult to describe. It seems, and this may sound silly to others, that there are some people with whom you are destined to cross paths. I’m not sure. “I sort of felt that way,” Evans added.

Savic ultimately returned to Greenville to reunite with Evans before returning to Montenegro.

They communicated frequently via text message, and after a few months, Savic moved in with her. A year later, they tied the knot.

Evans stated that after four years of dating, effective communication maintains their relationship intact.

After meeting on Tinder in June 2021, Nicolette Polson, 26, and Matthew Merrick, 27, had to keep their relationship a secret for the first month.

The individuals Nicolette Polson and Matthew Merrick.

@bethanyjeanphotography

Polson and Merrick matched because they both had children listed on their profiles.

“Honestly, it was an odd state of mind; I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I can be friends with him. I don’t have buddies at home. He appears to have a child roughly the same age as my daughter,’ Polson said.

Merrick felt a deep connection after a few days of messaging and told his friend that she was the one.

Merrick’s final message to Polson on Tinder read, “Just so you know, I’m putting all of my eggs in your basket.”

Polson exclaimed, “This kid doesn’t know me!”

Merrick’s pledge to his family that he wouldn’t date until his previous marriage was annulled posed the greatest early hurdle to their relationship, according to Polson.

Merrick’s family believed he was at the grocery store on their first date, so they met in an In-N-Out for thirty minutes. Polson stated that the incident turned her off, and she subsequently informed Merrick that she merely desired to remain friends.

Fortunately, Merrick was persistent, and according to Polson, removing pressure from the relationship let them connect.

“I was able to open up a lot more in a friend sense, in a friend connection, because I thought that when you’re dating someone and trying to get to know them, you tend to hide a bit more,” she added.

Two days after becoming buddies, Polson desired to try again.

Merrick moved in with Polson after two months of dating, and the couple got engaged in May after dating for over a year.

At August of 2017, Yama Ibrahimi, 29, and Karina Aygistova, 31, met on Tinder while Ibrahimi was attending meetings in Aygistova’s apartment complex.

Yama Ibrahimi and Karina Aygistova

Thanks to Karina

Aygistova tapped the right button on Ibrahimi because he appeared accessible.

“I’m not sure why, but the mirror selfie was adorable. And it felt somewhat genuine. You seemed like someone I could converse with, and you were attractive, so it worked,” she added.

Ibrahimi remarked that he was quickly attracted to Aygistova and appreciated that her photographs suggested she traveled frequently.

Ibrahimi, who was in Moscow for a few days for work, was swiftly discovered to be seeing clients in the same building as Aygistova’s apartment after they matched. In addition, it was the day before Ibrahimi’s flight to Amsterdam, and although they exchanged a few messages, they did not meet up before he went.

Every day for three months, Ibrahimi insisted that they meet up in different locations. In November of 2017, Aygistova arrived in Amsterdam to meet a friend and see him.

Aygistova stated, “I believe we were already a little bit in love due to our constant connection.”

Although the initial vehicle trip from the airport was unpleasant, they felt more at ease wandering around the canals the following day.

The following week, they met in Paris, and then Ibrahimi asked Aygistova to be his girlfriend in Milan.

After four months of dating, Aygistova and Ibrahimi moved in together and promptly adopted a dog.

Ibrahimi proposed in June 2021 in Paris. They have been dating for around five years.