Met on Mutual: Stephanie & Erik

Hello, my name is Stephanie. I am from Ecuador and I arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 21, 2018. One Sunday, October 14th, 2018 to be exactly. I was bored that I was swiping up on mutual. At that time, I was not looking for a relationship, I just wanted to make friends and have conversations with guys that served a mission in Latin America, because I did not know any English at that time. So, I saw a profile of a guy that served his mission in Mexico. He just had one, blurry picture and in his description, it just said U of U. It was not anything impressive, but I thought in my mind ‘’well, I can practice English with him’’.

I swiped up and we matched. I was really impressed how quickly he sent me a message. He greeted me in Spanish saying ‘’Hi, asi que una Latina divertida’’, because in my description it said that I am a fun Latina, and I responded to him ‘’yes, y con mucho sabor’’ that means “and with a lot of flavor”. I thought wow! This guy seems daring! I would never forget that start.

At that time, the weather was a little bit cold, so he asked me to go out for a cup of hot chocolate that week. I said “sure” and we agreed to meet in a cafe near my apartment. I was so nervous because he was my first date from Mutual and this was the first time that I agreed to meet someone through a dating app.

I was waiting on the café’s patio and I felt something weird. I was sitting in a cold chair looking down the whole time when I felt that he had arrived, and my heart started beating fast (do not ask me how but I felt it). I raised my head and he was standing there. He said “Hello, where can I come in?”.

He sat on the chair. I noticed that he was more nervous than me, but after we started having a conversation, I felt relaxed. Also, I noticed that he was not daring like I thought when he sent me that first message. He was the opposite, (introvert, nervous) but cute. I’m totally different. I’m an extrovert person that likes to take risks, try different things, go to different and new places, dance, sing, etc., but you know what?! We fell in love.

Well, after dating for 14 months with ups and downs, he decided to propose to me at midnight on December 25, 2019. I was sleeping on the couch at his parents’ house because I spent Christmas eve with his family, and suddenly he appeared and got down on one knee while he was shaking. He started showing me a photobook of us with what he wrote about his feelings (he never did that before) and asked me the most important thing in a woman’s life. “Do you want to marry me?” I started screaming and yes! I said yes!

Then, In January we went to Ecuador, so he could meet my family and I picked up my wedding dress that was made by my aunt (we also bought our rings there). Then COVID-19 arrived, so we only had our civil wedding on May 8, 2020 and we were finally sealed on December 10, 2020 in the Ogden Utah Temple. After our sealing we felt complete.

My advice for those who use Mutual and do not feel safe. It is normal but give yourself the opportunity with that soul who is completely different from you and take risks that help you progress. If it does not work, at least you have learned something new, and if it works, you will have left your comfort zone. Keep going!