20 couples from around the world reveal how they fell in love

Gabbi ShawFeb 13, 2021, 17:56 IST

Mieko Kobayashi showed up an hour late to her date with Kazuhiko Kobayashi to see how serious he was about her.Toru Hanai/Reuters

Valentine's Day is on Sunday.
To celebrate all things love, Reuters interviewed couples around the world about their love stories.
The relationships include first loves to those who've been married for decades.

In honor of Valentine's Day, in 2018 Reuters interviewed 20 couples from around the world to ask them about their love stories.

From arranged marriages that have lasted over 40 years to young love between teenagers, these pairs prove that love has no age, gender, race, or sexuality.

Keep reading to be reminded that love is real no matter where you are.

The Amatyas met on their wedding day more than 60 years ago and have been together ever since.

Nnhucche Bahadur and Raywoti Amatya inside their shop in Nepal. Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

Haidar Ali Moracho and Coral Ibanez Blanco had to keep their relationship a secret for most of their time together.

Moracho and Blanco in Madrid. Susana Vera/Reuters

Pramodini Roul was recovering from an acid attack when she met Saroj Sahoo at the nursing home where she was undergoing treatment.

Roul and Sahoo at the "Sheroes" home for acid attack victims in Noida, India. Saumya Khandelwal/Reuters

Chad and Jenny Ostrom met on the first day of college more than 20 years ago.

Chad and Jenny near their home in Brooklyn, New York. Lucas Jackson/Reuters

The internet brought Rute Magalhaes and Filipe Alves together.

Magalhaes and Alves seen through a large format camera at their studio in Lisbon, Portugal. Rafael Marchante/Reuters

Cathal King and Jessica O'Connor bonded over their mutual love of outdoor activities.

King and O'Connor playing with their family dogs in Ireland. Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

Razhy and Alejandra met more than two decades ago in Mexico City, when Razhy moved there after being kidnapped.

Razhy and Alejandra in Mexico City. Edgard Garrido/Reuters

Amornrat Ruamsin, then 27, and Pitchaya Kachainrum, then 16, had a symbolic wedding ceremony in 2018. They met on Facebook.

Ruamsin and Kachainrum on their wedding day, with their 5-month-old daughter in Bangkok, Thailand. Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Dmitry Shamovich met his wife, Anastasia Kuzmenkova, when she visited his homestead with a group of birdwatchers to build artificial owl nests.

Shamovich, Kuzmenkova and their dog Amur at their homestead in Belarus. Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters

Arda and Daniela met at a museum and immediately hit it off.

Arda and Daniela in front of the museum where they first met in Berlin, Germany. Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters

Asha and Chandrabhan Ahuja met on their engagement day - just six days before their wedding. They've been married 50 years.

The Ahujas inside their home in Mumbai, India. Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Noor Djait and Ismail Benmiled grew up on the same street, but didn't really become close until they met at a nightclub when Djait was 17.

Djai, Benmiled, and their two children Malek and Said, in their house in Tunis, Tunisia. Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

Zheng Dingguo and Huang Chenfeng had an arranged marriage in 1972.

Dingguo and Chenfeng at the hospital in Shanghai, China where Dinggou is receiving cancer treatment. Aly Song/Reuters

Zakir and Nurgul Omur got engaged when they had only met twice.

Zakir and Nurgul at their home in Turkey, where they've lived since they got married. Umit Bektas/Reuters

Om Hany and Hayes Mehana have been married for more than four decades and have 12 children.

Hany and Mehana at their 50-year-old vegetable shop in Cairo, Egypt. Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters

Mezbah Ul Aziz and Mausumi Iqbal met on the first day of class at dental school, but didn't begin a relationship until Aziz rescued Iqbal from bullies.

Aziz and Iqbal outside their regular coffee shop in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

Kazuhiko and Mieko Kobayashi met nearly 60 years ago - Mieko was an hour late to their first date to see if Kazuhiko was "serious" about her.

The Kobayashis in their music shop in Tokyo, Japan. Toru Hanai/Reuters

Oladipupo Baruwa was persistent about his wife, Funke - he walked home from church with her after every service for two years.

Oladipupo and Funke Baruwa at their home in Abuja, Nigeria. Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters

Suzzy Konje and Tony Wakaiga were both 18 in 2018, but they said their "passion for each other has aged has matured like wine."

Konje and Wakaiga after a date in Nairobi, Kenya. Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

Yohanna Gonzalez was with someone else when she first met Kathriel Zambrano - but five months later they were engaged.

Zambrano and Gonzalez outside the bar where they first met in Caracas, Venezuela. Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

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