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Original poster

To wonder how your parents and grandparents met?

143 replies

Daisywellies · 20/07/2015 14:43

In a world where so many couples seem to meet on line or through work it would be nice to hear of how couples met years ago when the internet didn't exist and people didn't work the long hours they do nowadays.

My parents met through friends; one set of grandparents met when my grandfather knocked my grandmother over with his bike outside the local library, the other when my grandmother served my granddad in a tea shop.

OP posts:
Emochild · 20/07/2015 16:11

My mum was friends with my dad's sister and introduced them when they were 14 -they are 67 this year and still happily together

One set of grandparents met in a military hospital -grandma was a nurse and grandad was a patient

Other grandparents met at a church tea dance when my grandad was on shore leave from the navy

MsRinky · 20/07/2015 16:16

My mum and dad met when he came to her rescue when her car broke down. They were married 6 months later, 46th wedding anniversary next month.

My paternal grandparents were from villages about 20 miles apart in Donegal, but met and married in the 1920s in New York where they'd both gone for work. Not sure how they actually met there though, and I've no idea about my Mum's parents, I must ask her. My granny was widowed young, and I know my Mum's step-dad was a driver for the Doctor that her mum was housekeeper for.

MrsMonkeyBear · 20/07/2015 16:19

My paternal gps met at a dance just as ww2 broke out. My dgf walked my dgm home and asked her to wait for him. 5 years later he showed up on her door step and they were together until the day he passed away. GM was 17 and gf was 23 when they first met. They didn't have my dad until they were 30 and 36 respectively.

Maternal gps met at youth club at the ages of 14 and 15. They were married 6 months after my dgm's 16th birthday and 5 months before my mum was born Shock

My parents met through their jobs, my dad was in the army and my mum in the airforce. My DM was 17 and Df was 22, they were married shortly before my mums 19th birthday on the same day as Prince Charles and Diana.

maras2 · 20/07/2015 16:20

The entire Maras family and friends now know about how we met since an emotionally labile (slightly pissed)DH gave a speech at our Ruby wedding anniversary party on Saturday.No secret was left undisclosed including the colour and length of the mini skirt I was wearing back in 1968.Our own kids already knew vaguely how we met but the description of DH watching me as a 15 year old trampolining in just a sports vest and regulation big knickers was met with ' DAD,enough already FGS' This was mistaken by DH for encouragement and a further 5 minutes of 'how we met,fell iin love,got married etc' ensued.A good night was had by all (120 people ) especially my 90 year old aunty. Smile

saresywaresy2 · 20/07/2015 16:21

My parents grew up on the same street.
My maternal grandparents were cousins, and I don't know about paternal grandparents, but they from Glasgow so probably the dancing!

BeaufortBelle · 20/07/2015 16:21

Grandparents met because they were both from racing families through friends.

Parents met when they were both working in Paris through friends.

DH and met at a ball, through friends.

Spot the common theme.

Whichplace · 20/07/2015 16:24

Parents met at a mutual friend's BBQ.
Maternal grandparents met in Gibraltar or Malta (they lived in both and I can't remember which one they met in) where they were both stationed with the navy/wrens just after the war.
Paternal grandparents not sure about but as they were both devout Methodists I imagine it was through church.

WaxyBean · 20/07/2015 16:24

My parents met at a bus stop. My paternal grandparents met at a dance.

MummyPig24 · 20/07/2015 16:25

Maternal grandparents met at a girls bridgade/boys brigade meet. They were clearly very much in love but unfortunately he died Young.

Paternal grandparents- Nan's friend was dating a boy and his friend asked my nan out, they've been married 55 years.

My parents met as my dad moved in as my mum's lodger. He kept asking her out and she kept declining as it would be awkward living together if it didn't work out. So to prove he was serious he proposed! They were very happy together.

Ananke99 · 20/07/2015 16:30

My parents met at my mums 18th birthday party.

Maternal grandparents met at a dance, it was ladies choice and my nan picked my grandad.

Paternal grandparents met at a dance too, my grandad was so enamoured by my nan he missed the last bus and had to walk home 10 miles.

englishmummyinwales · 20/07/2015 16:30

My grandparents met while working on the Cadburys production line just before WWII. I like to say that I have Cadburys chocolate flowing through my veins! In all seriousness though, Cadburys were responsible for improving their lives beyond anything their parents had ever known. After the war they sponsored them both to become teachers and allowed them to live in a Cadburys owned house until they were able to buy their own. They were eternally grateful and I'm very glad my grandmother never knew that they sold out to Kraft. My Grandad did and it was a point of great sadness to him.

ProfYaffle · 20/07/2015 16:32

My Grandad was on leave from the army in WW2, he was in the cinema and had left his kit bag in the aisle and my nan went flying over it. They got married and continued in the same vein for the next 50 years! My Nan had a perpetual Hmm face. Grin

MissBEverdene · 20/07/2015 16:33

Parents met at school

Maternal GPs grew up next door to each other

Paternal GPs grew up in the same village

All together since teens, all still married.

ghostyslovesheep · 20/07/2015 16:36

My Maternal grandmother was working in an army base in the kitchen - she never went to dances etc because she thought she was ugly (she was beautiful) so she always volunteered to work Sat

two Saturdays in a row this dashing young soldier turned up and wouldn't leave - just stayed talking to her - second week they had a date

3rd week they got married - he was shipping off to Normandy (D Day)

I wouldn't say it was always a happy marriage but when he died (aged 74) she kind of shocked us all by saying how much she'd miss the sex Grin

My mum met my dad at a dance - fell head over heels in love - daft bat!

DrDre · 20/07/2015 16:36

My parents met through work. They didn't work together as such but they met at a work social event.
I'm afraid I couldn't tell you how my Grandparents met!

wednesdaysocks · 20/07/2015 16:39

Parents met at a wedding of a mutual friend.

Maternal grandparents quite literally bumped in to each other outside Buckingham Palace when my Grandad was in shore leave from the navy- he asked her where the palace was because he couldn't see a castle anywhere.

Paternal grandparents probably met through living close to each other, I do know my uncle was born seven months after their wedding though.

LaLyra · 20/07/2015 16:51

My paternal grandparents went to school together. They were together from 14 (married at 18) until Grandad passed away at 73 and my Nana used to joke that if he didn't hang on another few months because he didn't want another blimming party.

My maternal grandparents I'm not 100% sure. Either Granny was best friends with Grandad's sister or they met at a street party when a neighbour got married. One is how Granny met her husband and the other is how her sister met her husband and I'm not sure which is which.

I don't know how my parents met. I know my mother was 14 and my father 21 and my grandparents (both sets) strongly objected to that, but I don't know how.

peppersaunt · 20/07/2015 17:43

DH and I met on the plane on the way to a beach holiday - turns out we were in different programmes at the same graduate school.
DM's older sister was at primary school with DF. She introduced them 20 years later.
MIL and FIL were childhood friends.

Fallulah · 20/07/2015 17:49

Mum and dad were a holiday romance - she went on holiday to Cornwall where he lived. A few years of long journeys and letters followed until they married in 1969. Still together and completely the reason why I'm a romantic schmuck!

muminhants1 · 20/07/2015 17:51

I don't know how either set of grandparents met, but my parents met because they both worked for Bendix washing machines in the late 60s.

My husband and I met at law school. Most of my friends met their other halves at university or via friends they'd made at university. Running clubs seem to be a good place to meet one's second wife or husband ;)

One of my cousins met his wife when she was a barmaid in a pub he used to frequent. She actually went out with his brother first.

frankbough · 20/07/2015 17:54

My parents were childhood sweet hearts, married at 16 and still together 45yrs later...

SockQueen · 20/07/2015 17:54

Mum was married to someone else, but separated, and going to Relate. She went to the theatre one night and bumped into her Relate counsellor (small town!) whose son was working behind the bar. Somehow Grandma managed to introduce them without breaking mum's confidentiality!

My paternal grandparents met at university - Grandpa's university was evacuated to Swansea in the war, and Grandma was the VP of the Student Union so organised a dance for all the evacuated students. No idea about my maternal grandparents, who died before I was born.

LobsterQuadrille · 20/07/2015 17:54

Loving some of these stories.

My parents met in Norwich where there was a German PoW camp - my father had been captured in 1944 (and was relieved about this) and my mother was a Norwich convent girl. Her father was in the RAF so a PoW wasn't his first choice, but they've been married for 63 years this month.

woodhill · 20/07/2015 17:58

I think my gps met each other at a dance, grandad had moved down country to where my gm liver. dm met dd at a dance in London in the 60s.

leedy · 20/07/2015 18:01

My parents met in college. Not sure about my paternal grandparents, but maternal grandparents met at a tennis club dance.