So, how did you meet? The story of Mr & Mrs Romance

In this series, we’re interviewing couples and asking them one of the most revealing questions about their relationship: How did you meet? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t find the answer interesting. It’s always a different story, and it always involves an element of controversy!

Mr and Mrs Romance - the story of us 3

As this is the first in our series of How Did You Meet?, we thought it would be only right to go first and tell you our story. It’s a pretty good one.

Let’s just say if you’re not a big believer in destiny, then this might not sit well with you.

We met in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. I was busy backpacking round Australia on a gap year and Mrs Romance was at the start of her university career.

How on earth we had time to meet still bewilders me. But here’s the whole story:

Mr Romance:
So how did you… we meet?

Mrs Romance:
I’m pretty sure I remember Leonie [Mrs R’s best mate from school] talking about you when I asked her how work had gone one Saturday – the first day you came into the shop.

Mr R:
I’d met Leonie when I’d popped my head in where she was working because I couldn’t believe a place like this could exist.

Mrs R:
She worked in a place called Thirst for Life. It was a shop that sold 42 kinds of water and had a fountain in it. I think one of my favourites was the French slimming water with low sodium, or maybe those fruit-infused waters that we used to think were hangover cures – very funny.

Mr R:
I lived about 5 doors down – in Paddington – and had to see what was going on there. I couldn’t believe it – I thought it was my housemate pulling my leg when they told me about it. But there you go.

Mr and Mrs Romance - the story of us 2

Mrs R:
But the day we actually met, I was hanging with Leonie making sure she wasn’t falling asleep at work, and I remember you just popped in on your way home. I remember thinking you were cute and you made me laugh, and it was just… funny.

You invited us to a party – a house party at your place. We did intend to go but for some reason we weren’t really nearby and we missed your party.

But I thought I’m going to invite you to my Olympics party.

So when the opening ceremony was on I remember making sure to get Leonie to invite you.

I just remember you had a cheeky smile, you made me laugh, and you were like… sort of the best moment in the water shop all day!

I’d been hanging out there all day, just waiting for you to just walk in I guess.

I remember being so excited when you came to my Olympics party – and those two weeks afterwards were just… there was just such a buzz. It was like New Years Eve in the city every night of the week.

It was just so much fun.

And then there was that time we got hit by lightning, which was like a week after we’d met – after we’d started going out. That was incredible.

And I remember my friend from work teasing me about us being serious, and I was like ‘oh, I don’t know’ we were too young to think it was going to be serious. And maybe that’s how we made it all happen.


Well, it looks like your friend from work was right, Mrs Romance. And since September 15th 2000 – it’s easy to find out when we first started going out thanks to the Olympics. That’s a long time.

I should add that my travel plans were supposed to take me on to New Zealand, Fiji and then the States after leaving Sydney. I was planning on spending Christmas and New Year in the South Island of NZ.

However, I pushed my visa and flights to their very limits so I could stay in Sydney with Mrs Romance as long as I possibly could. I ended up spending 2 nights in NZ, 5 nights in Fiji and about 2 hours in LA before landing back in the UK.

I then spent the next 30 days complaining and redistributing my debts so I could come back to Sydney straight away. It cost me a fortune, but it was more than worth it. How could I let someone like her go when we’d only just met?

Mr and Mrs Romance - the story of us 4

I always find it astonishing that two people who will have walked past, met, talked to and looked at literally millions of individuals – for them to find each other in that ocean of possibilities… it makes no sense. It makes the most beautiful pile of no sense at all!

We hope you enjoyed reading about how we met. We’ll be posting new stories in this series regularly. If you want to make sure you don’t miss the next installment, sign up to our newsletter, which comes out every Friday.

Photos of us by the lovely Steph of Lipstick & Cake

28 Comments

  • Reply February 10, 2015

    Nicole

    I love the story of how your met! I’ve been wondering since you began the blog but haven’t run into you to ask. I do want to know about this “hit by lightning”-story though… sounds dramatic!

    I believe in fate (even though the logical side of my brain refutes its existence). My Mum was walking past a building yard and my Dad wolf-whistled at her (*giggles*) and then they, some how, ran into each other again a few years later up the river. If someone is meant to be in your life, they’ll find a way.

    Hope you’re enjoying the beautiful life you’ve created together in Sydney. 🙂

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      That’s amazing, Nicole! It’s just so unlikely that people who fall in love ever meet. The potential for things to stop them meeting – a red traffic light here, a missed flight there, walking a bit too fast, a different choice of restaurant… there are too many variables for it not to be down to something like fate.

      Oh, the lightning story’s a doozy, Nicole! Will have to tell you about it – it’s pretty cool. 🙂

      Jxx

  • Reply February 10, 2015

    Carly Findlay

    What a beautiful story! I love this and I love you two lovebirds 🙂
    (Also, I hope to be a part of this series one day!)

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Aw thanks, Carly! So glad you like it. I reckon there’s definitely space for your story in the series! 🙂
      Jxx

  • Reply February 10, 2015

    Sonia from Sonia Styling

    Oh you GUYS! I just bloody love you both to bits and this story is testament to the zest for life you both have – and the love for each other. Rock on, kids! x

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Ha ha! Thanks, Sonia! Yeah, s’pose we do love each other a bit. 😉
      Jxx

  • Reply February 10, 2015

    Liz @ I Spy Plum Pie

    What a lovely story! And what a ridiculous shop, does it still exist?!

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Ha ha! It is a ridiculous shop, isn’t it, Liz? Sadly no longer in Paddington, which makes how we met even more amazing. It closed down in 2001 I think – yet another example about how meeting someone is all about timing.
      Weirdly though, we were at the Sydney Good Food and Wine Week in Olympic Park last year and spotted a stall called Thirst for Life selling water. We never met the owner, who was in the stall, but I took a picture of him and showed our friend Leonie. She’s pretty sure it’s the same guy!
      Jxx

  • Reply February 10, 2015

    Me my best and I

    Awwwww you guys! My hubby has this saying ‘ you meet good people in bad places’ he always uses (partly to excuse the fact we met at about 4am in The Courthouse- Ewwww!)

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Ha ha!! Ah, the good old Courthouse! I think your hubby’s got that right, Julie. That place is a shocker – not that I haven’t spent the end of many a great night in there. Actually became such good friends with my old boss in there (a drunken d & m), we hang out all the time now. So as far as the Courthouse goes, no judgement from me – had to get that pun in, sorry!
      Jxx

  • Reply February 10, 2015

    Norlin

    Aww…you two are sooo SWEET!! Beautiful story! It’s true though how incredible it is for two people who have no mutual friends to begin with CAN end up together through some cosmic thing. I call it FATE! 🙂

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      It’s got to be, hasn’t it, Norlin? There are just way to many variables for it not meant to be. Glad you like our story. It still makes us smile when we talk about it.
      Jxx

  • I love that story, that’s kizmet that is! You two were always destined to be the Mr and Mrs of Romance xx

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Ha ha! I guess we were, Sammie. I never really thought of it like that. Isn’t it funny where life leads you?
      Jxx

  • What a gorgeous story! I met Mr SnS just before the 2000 Olympics too – it was a great vintage, that year and yes, an easy way to remember when we met too! x

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Thank you, Vanessa! 2000 was undoubtedly a good vintage! So much happened that year come to think of it. Amazing, isn’t it? Maybe something to do with the Y2K Bug or something? 😀
      Jxx

  • Reply February 10, 2015

    Katie Rainbird

    If pictures really paint a thousand words… well there’s an epic love story right before me.

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Aw, thank you, Katie. That’s so sweet! 🙂
      Jxx

  • Reply February 11, 2015

    Steph @ Lipstick & Cake

    I love hearing that story! Oh and great photos by the way 😉 hahaha x

    • Reply February 11, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Thanks Steph. And thank you for the photos too. You were very patient with me!
      Jxx

  • Oh you guys … love you loads and love that story!!

    • Reply February 12, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Love you too, Nikki! So glad you liked the story. We’ve been thinking about publishing it for a while but didn’t know whether it’d work or not. 🙂
      Jxx

  • Reply February 16, 2015

    Jess - A Little Part of the World

    Fabulous Story!! love it. I met my husband at a bus stop… sounds boring but it’s a great story with shared cabs, tracking down emails with nothing but a first name, occupation and place of work. Jx

    • Reply February 16, 2015

      Mr Romance

      No way! That sounds like an awesome story, Jess! Might have to hit you up for the details of that at some point! Sounds amazing.
      Jxx

  • Reply February 27, 2015

    Sonia Life Love Hiccups

    Oh you gorgeous couple you. I am such a sucker for a love story and as for the Sydney Olympics – we found out I was pregnant after I peed on a test during the opening ceremony lol x

    • Reply March 1, 2015

      Mr Romance

      Ha ha! Everyone loves cheese, Sonia! Amazing about your Olympics story though. Sounds like that evening was a lifechanger for a few of us!
      Jxx

  • Reply March 28, 2015

    Nat Carter

    Love a love story! Ain’t love grand

    • Reply March 29, 2015

      Mr Romance

      It certainly is, Nat! Glad you liked our story. We enjoy talking about how we met – but then I think everyone does really.
      Cheers – Jxx

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