When did you say "I love you" to your DH/DW?

[Fairy]

So, when did you *know* this was it? This was the one? Was it love at first sight? Did it take till the end of the night? End of the month? Was it at your 10yr HS reunion? I'm interested in your story.

Mine was that we worked together, kind of. Met at a museum where I worked and he volunteered in my exhibit. It took a couple months for me to realize I liked him, apparently he'd noticed me first. But then I just knew one day, and it took a few weeks, then we had our first date, and I knew on that date that I would marry him. Took two weeks to actually say "I love you," but I knew it on the first date. What's your story?

[mjs64]

I think it was something like a month after we were together. We never dated. We were friends for a few months (during which he had a crush on me), then one night, we kissed, and, um, a bit more, and he actually stopped us, saying he couldn't go on without a commitment! What a man. I committed (to being his GF) right then and there, and I think we told
Each other "I love you" about a month later. Moved in together after 6 months, he proposed after a year. He's always said I was his dream woman--I'd never experienced anything like that from a man. We've been happily married for 3 years.

We met in grad school, both working on PhDs. I feel so lucky to have found him. Our relationship isn't perfect, and we've especially struggled this year with DS in the picture. But I've always felt loved, and I really love him.

Sweet thread.

[amldaley]

Realized I loved him within an hour or two of being with him.
He told me he was going to marry me sometime that night / early next morning.
We said I love you....I don't actually remember when!!!!!
We eloped after 4 days.
We say I love you all the time now - every day, many times a day.

[Raidra]

My husband and I met online, in January of 1996. I was 15 and he was 17. It took three months to work up the courage to tell him that I liked him, and then another two after that before I told him (still online, though we talked on the phone all the time) that I loved him. He said it back, of course, and felt bad for not telling me first.. we're both very shy. :)

Weirdly, I remember the first time I said I love you online, but I don't remember the first time I said it on the phone or in person.

[JoyNChrist]

DH told me he loved me and that we should "just get married and have babies" on our third date. We'd known each other maybe a month (met at my cousin's wedding...they had attended high school together).

We met in June, started dating in July, moved in together in September, got officially engaged in February, got married in August. We'd known each other all of 14 months. Been married 5 years, and I still think I couldn't have custom ordered anyone better for me.

[lhafer]

We were in high school - age 17 when we met. I was immediately attracted to him. We dated for several months. We found out later we fell in love with each other at the same time - it was a moonlight night, and we were at a friend's house. A group of us had all just gotten back from bowling. We fell in love that night. But we didn't say I love you until a while later (like a month or so I think). It was the day OJ Simpson got acquitted when we told each other I love you (he said it first).

[ThreeofUs]

Introduced by a mutual friend, we emailed back and forth for a couple of weeks when *bam!* it hit me that he was the one. Apparently, it hit him at about the same time - he emailed to ask what I wanted from the rest of my life and from a life partner. And I answered.

Who said ILY first? I have NO idea.

[hillview]

It was a few months. We liked each other but took it somwhat slowly. It worked out well for us. We were older me in 30s and DH in 40s.
/hillary

[BDKmom]

DH and I met through a mutual friend (July), started dating in September, were a couple right from the beginning, and said I love you in February. I remember the night I knew I loved him. We were at the movies and before it started, he was being his usual goofy self, and it hit me that I loved this person. He actually said it first a week or two later. We were 4 days before Valentine's Day, and I don't think he knew how to handle the holiday if we still hadn't said it. (Shopping for a card for a person who you are dating seriously but haven't said ILY to is definitely difficult.) So, he said it, I said it back, and we haven't looked back. We got married on the 2nd anniversary of our first date, and just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary and the 10th anniversary of our first date.

[luckytwenty]

We'd been dating for about six months when he said it to me. I knew I loved him after four months, and one day just kind of exploded at him, "Why haven't you ever told me you loved me?" And he said, "I'm crazy about you, but I don't know if you're the one I want to marry yet." I was 21 and he was 23 at the time and I was like WHAT??? Whose talking about marriage??

[vonfirmath]

We had known each other casually for several months. (In the same group, etc. I even emailed him back and forth about game stuff!)

But we went to see Jonah together (the Veggietales movie) and afterward hung out, excited that we both had the same opinion of the movie/how close to the Bible it was, etc. And afterward he walked me back to my car.

He tried to kiss me. and I turned away. After the second time, he backed off.

I went home and we IM'd and chatted the rest of the evening. Some time in there -- some combination of him trying to kiss me and him respecting my own boundaries on there -- I realized he was The One. I was at church the next morning eagerly awaiting my best friend to tell her I'd met Someone Really Special! By the election (this was mid October), we had talked marriage and knew that we both wanted children, had the same goals in life, and were on the same page/headed toward getting married (though it took almost a year before he was in a position to propose. We were married 6 months later.)

[pinkmomagain]

DH and I met in a grad school class. He said he knew he was going to marry me from the minute he saw me. Didn't talk to me until the end of the semester. If I had to guess I'd say he said "ILY" a couple of months into dating. I waited a few weeks before I said it back. I felt it, but for some reason I didn't want him to think I was saying it just because he said it to me. We dated for about 4 months and he started talking marriage. Engaged 7 months later. Married the following year. Been married for 17 years.

[karstmama]

our first date was a dive trip, so we shared more bodily fluids that day than most first dates. if you can both puke on the first date and then have a second...

anyway, that was august 23. he said 'ily' within days. he proposed within days. i said it in september, and have so far refused his hand in marriage but right now mainly for logistical reasons - he's in another state though trying to move.

[MommyAllison]

DH said it first, when he proposed. Prior to that, he'd come close to saying it a few times but stopped himself and told me he didn't want to say it until he was putting a ring on my finger. I actually can't remember when I said it back - must have been shortly after the proposal though.

[Cam&Clay]

I have known DH for so long that I don't really remember when we said I love you the first time we were together which was in high school.

When we reunited, we only had 2 weeks to be together before he left for Iraq. He told me he was in love with me all over again the morning before I got on the plane to head home. I remember bursting into tears and saying, "Well, what the hell are we going to do now?"

We were married less than year later, twenty years to the day from the day he gave me his class ring in high school.

We say "I love you" many times a day even when he's on the other side of the world.

[crayonblue]

I have no earthly idea who said it first or when! We started dating when we had just turned 19 and 20 so that was a long time ago! Just a guess but I would bet that DH said it first.

[bostonsmama]

Ack...who remembers that kinda stuff?? It was 11 years ago. I know that he said it first and that I said it back w/out truly meaning it yet (hey, I was in college and had my whole world ahead of me). But definitely by 4-6 months I was head over heals, and 2 years later we were married. I have not regretted a single day with him since...my DH is the best.