Charlotteans were asked to describe the moment they fell in love. Here are their answers

This is one question we asked newsletter subscribers in a survey about relationships this week. More than 1,500 individuals responded with their love stories. Some said it was love at first sight, while others said feelings of love built over time.

“Having one grand moment is like a fairy tale, it’s not real life. In real life, your love grows bit by bit over your life together,” a married female in her 30s responded.

But many respondents did have a moment they could pinpoint when they fell in love. Get those tissues ready. (Responses may be lightly edited for clarity.)

It was love at first sight (or close to it)

“When I saw my current wife. Figured it would just be another so-so date. When I saw her, I was terrified because I knew I was starting something big right then and there. That was 10 years ago …”

“On our first date! I knew almost immediately, and told my mom the next morning that we’d get married.”

“I saw my fiancé walk into the band room with a punk rock/emo T-shirt and a lanyard hanging around her neck that made it look like a choker. She was very angsty (and trendy at the time) and I was hooked lol.”

“Day 4? Which was our second date I guess. We had a non-traditional start, so it was pretty immediate. On the second date, I remember how happy I was and thinking I would never get bored of date night. We said ‘I love you’ on day 6, I met the parents that weekend.”

“When I saw my now-husband do a high dive off into the lake at the summer camp where we were both counselors. It was almost love at first sight.”

“The night of our first date I knew I was going to marry him. We’ve been married 28 years!”

It’s a funny story…

“About a month into my relationship, at a football game when my boyfriend said something cheesy and stupid, and I couldn’t stop smiling and staring at him with love.”

“When we had a full-blown nerf war inside the house.”

“When I tripped on a brick in public, and they were the first person I wanted to tell and laugh about it with.”

“I have only really been in love once. The exact moment I realized it was when we went on a weekend trip, and I did not dress appropriately for a hockey game so he bought me a big ass shirt as a souvenir. He wouldn’t stop roasting me for my poor outfit choices, and we just couldn’t stop joking about it. We just had the best time on that trip. We had been dating a couple months, but I definitely knew I had never felt that way before. He just looked out for me and made me feel understood. Looking back on it, I laugh because it seemed so small but a great experience to feel those feelings. It’s been 3 years since the breakup but I still have fond memories of the good times despite everything that happened.”

“On our first official date when he unabashedly pulled out a two for the price of one coupon.”

“When my fiancé told me a story about him raising a duck, and it was so silly and random (opposite of his stable and direct personality) I knew I loved him.”

“This sounds awful, but when I realized I could handle his loud snoring.”

“When my fiancé said he didn’t own a pair of flip flops.”

“The first time we both started cracking up laughing at the dumbest thing on TV. It may sound small but I just remember being so happy and knowing this is someone I see myself with on a long term basis.”

“When he walked into the bar and I was so nervous I dropped my beer in my lap.”

Feelings sparked here in Charlotte

“On my first date with my now husband, sitting on the back patio at Sir Ed’s. Our first date lasted like 3 hours, and when I got home I just knew something was different about that date!”

“When he rapped the lyrics to Drake’s ‘God’s Plan’ to me at Dandelion.”

“Enjoying a Bloody Mary at Tavern on the Tracks in 2007.”

“At the McNinch House after three months of dating.”

“Having lunch at Sir Gus’ restaurant after dating for about six months.”

“We had lunch at Copper, and I knew I had feelings for her. Our first kiss was at Unknown Brewing a few weeks later. I knew I was in love with her.”

“Dinner at Mac’s Speed Shop talking about how we saw our future together.”

“Dancing at Petra’s.”

“When I met my wife at the oh-so-classy Prohibition bar.”

“Sunday afternoon after brunch at Crepe Cellar we sat in the sun, drank a beer, and laughed the entire time.”

“When we first started hanging out, and I went on a work trip. The minute my plane landed back in CLT, he wanted to see me. I’d never had anyone make me feel like a priority before.”

“Making out in the Sycamore parking lot after an awesome first date. We never went out with anyone else after that, and now we’re married.”

“When he walked in the door of the Thirsty Beaver — haha! We had been chatting on the app, but there was just something about his energy when he walked in.”

Found love in tough times

“9-11. When the world was falling apart, she was the one person I wanted to talk to.”

“When my mom was diagnosed with cancer early on in our relationship, and he was the first person who I wanted to confide in, even over some of my life long friends. I knew he would know what to say.”

“When my dog nearly got ran over by a car and my boyfriend chased after my black dog in the pitch dark. I had a panic attack, and he took care of everything — finding her and driving me to the animal ER hospital.”

“I knew he was the one for me forever when I broke my ankle and he drove to my house 40 minutes away each day to help pull me out of the bathtub because I couldn’t shower on my own.”

“When I got food poisoning at my boyfriend’s (now husband’s) parents’ house after meeting them for the first time — he stayed up all night taking care of me on the bathroom floor.”

“When he calmed me down during an anxiety attack and wasn’t afraid to talk about it.”

“I’m not currently in love. But the last time was when the guy I was with got really sick, and I had to take him to the hospital. As he was sleeping in the hospital bed I realized that I was so scared and worried, and I knew I loved him then.”

“When my partner stuck with me through cancer treatment.”

And the other love stories that are just downright sweet

“We were having a long conversation about his presence around my son (3 years old at the time) and I told him you can hurt me all you want, I’m an adult and can handle it, but you won’t hurt my son. He looked me in my eyes and said I’m in this with you and him. The very next day I told him I loved him.”

“I knew I loved her about 3 months in. We were out to eat and talking and I realized we had been there an hour and it felt like 5 minutes. That is how you know you are with somebody you can spend time with. She checked all the boxes, and it is more than physical attraction to keep the glue together.”

“When I first heard my date speak Spanish. I had no idea he spoke another language. We were out hiking, and he answered his phone and starting speaking Spanish to his employees.”

“Laying on the couch with my head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. I just looked up and said ‘I love you’… It just felt right.”

“I knew I was in love at the restaurant on our first date. He excused himself to go to the bathroom, and when I saw him walking back to our table, I just knew. It’s pretty unexplainable, but in my head in that moment, I said to myself, ‘Yup, this is the guy.’ And we’ve been together now for a little over 2 years.”

“Don’t know if there was an exact moment. I remember we’d just be hanging out, and I’d keep worrying I’d accidentally blurt out ‘I love you!’ I think it was an inkling for a while and then continued to just get stronger and stronger until we both said it!”

“I guess the moment when you realize all your stories involve them, even the mundane ones but you don’t think they’re mundane. You have fun with them all the time no matter what you’re doing, and you want to tell them everything before anyone else in your life, and you’re also super attracted to them. Listen, if they’re your best friend AND you want to bang them all the time, you’re probably in love.”

“The first morning I woke up in his arms.”

“Before we were dating, I told him I’m not here to play games and he said ‘Good, me neither. I’d marry you tomorrow.'”

“He was up late working on a proposal for work and I was asleep in bed. He woke me up (accidentally) by ever so gently lifting me into his arms as he got into bed so that he could hold me while we slept.”

“When we slow danced, I melted in his arms, kinda like warm chocolate pudding.”

“41 years ago … as he dropped me off at my parents house after a movie. I leaned in to the car window for one last kiss, and he said it first … I knew that I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life. Still going strong.”

“I got transferred to a new job in Ohio from Memphis. I was dating her at the time for like 2 years. She was a flight attendant and I thought how convenient — she could fly up to see me now and then while I make my mind up about how in love I was. Well she told me she would fly up once and that was it. I called my parents (I was age 28) and told them I was in love. I was told to fish or cut bait. And in the same call, I had to ask my dad for a loan of $2,000 so I could buy her ring! We got engaged in February 1986 and a few months later were married. Still happily married to her to this day!!”

“When he showed up at my house on Christmas with a bow on his head to say he was my Christmas present. We had only been dating a month.”

“When I looked in her eyes and never wanted to look at anything else ever again.”

“After about 3 months of dating, we broke up. I was miserable, he was miserable. We were both trying to call each other at the same time that we couldn’t connect. (landline with no call waiting)”

“When we first kissed and my entire body was electrified, wanted to melt, and butterfly’s fluttering inside feeling all at once. We have been together since middle school.”

“When we spent our first Valentine’s day together.”

Happy Valentine’s Day, Charlotte.