By ADRIANA ERMTER
One of the best lines from TV’s Sex and the City is when Kristin Davis’ character Charlotte York exclaims: “I’ve been dating since I was fifteen! I’m exhausted! Where is he?” It’s funny, because it’s true. At some point in our dating lives we just want to find “The One.”
But since there’s no rule book, and checklists never seem to work, how do you know when you’ve met Mr. Right? We asked our married friends how they knew their partners were Mr. Happily-ever-after:
Time stands still
“When I first met my husband, he was walking towards me at a party like it was in slow motion. I thought: This is the guy I am going marry. Then he said that he was moving to another country to be with his girlfriend. Nine months later he was back. Within four months we were dating and after three months we were engaged.” S.H., Australia
You’re friends first
“I thought that my husband was intelligent, articulate, had a head on his shoulders and would make a great father. But I wasn’t ready to be in a relationship, so we were best friends for one year. Then, one night during dinner I decided to give ‘us’ a try. It has been 13 years and he’s the father of my three children.” N.J., Montreal
He says I love you first
“When a guy is willing to be vulnerable and admit his true feelings first; when the risk of rejection is so real at the beginning of a relationship and he just goes for it…he’s the one.” T.U., Toronto
You’re comfortable
“I knew when we were lying in the dark, listening to Elvis and Van Morrison and we were just singing away.” A.T., Calgary
No changes necessary
“There was not a single thing I wanted to change about him.” S.M., Toronto
There’s future potential
“Although we didn’t have everything worked out, the potential between us was too great to ever walk away.” R.R., Toronto
Your emotional connection
“We had an intense emotional connection. We would literally dream the same dreams at the same time. Once, while sleeping, my husband stirred and said: ‘I dreamt we were camping.’ At that very moment I was dreaming that we were putting up a tent together. Or there was a time when I was thinking I should call my Grandma and one second later, my husband said: we should call Grandma.” S.H., Australia
You don’t need him to love you
“In the past, I loved other people because they loved me, but I knew I loved him regardless if he loved me back.” S.J., Sydney
You always have fun
“I enjoyed being with him even if we were watching a baseball game or doing the laundry.” E.K., Calgary
Meeting the parents
“When my husband wanted me to meet his parents on our second date and I wasn’t nervous.” A.E., Toronto
Read More:
30 Days, 30 Ways to Improve Your Relationship
Hollywood’s May-December Romances
How Much Time Should a Couple Spend Together?
