Woman Agrees to Marry Stranger She'd Known for Two Days, Proves Skeptics Wrong 11 Years Later

When an English woman went on a girl's trip to Spain, she hadn't expected to meet someone who would propose marriage within two days of knowing her. At first, she thought it was a joke but later realized the man she barely knew was serious about spending the rest of his life with her.

How do people decide they want to marry someone? Do they decide after spending time with their prospective spouse? While some people wish to know everything about a person before tying the knot, others don't take much time to choose their life partner.

A couple defied all odds after getting engaged two days after meeting for the first time. They didn't want to date for months before deciding if they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with each other. After people learned about their quick engagement, they were sure the couple would part ways soon.

THE GIRLS' TRIP

In July 2011, 33-year-old Shari Thorpe from Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, in the UK, went on a trip with her friend to Gran Canaria, Spain, expecting to have the best time of her life.

Thorpe hadn't planned the trip. She only agreed to go after her friend's boyfriend had refused to go last minute. She went with her friend, not knowing she would find her soulmate there.

While having a good time with her friend, Shari spotted a man near the pool. She instantly felt attracted to him but had no idea he would become her life partner in a few years.

THE MAN NEAR THE POOL

The man Shari saw by the pool was Ryan Thorpe, who was also from the UK. When Shari saw him, she asked her friend to put on her glasses to spy on him. She recalled:

"It turns out Ryan was eyeing me up too and told his friend he was with I was the girl he was going to marry."

Later that evening, Shari met Ryan at a nearby karaoke bar, where they chatted for a while. Ryan made her laugh at his jokes and felt she was the girl he wanted to marry.

When she told her parents she was now engaged, they thought she wasn't serious.

THE UNEXPECTED PROPOSAL

The next night, Ryan met Shari again at the karaoke bar, but he had planned something this time. While singing a song for her, he asked if she would marry him. Shari recalled:

"I just said 'go on then,' not really realizing he was serious."

To her surprise, Ryan pulled out a ring when they met the next day. As much as Shari wanted to think about it, she couldn't keep herself from saying yes. There was something about Ryan that made her feel butterflies in her tummy whenever she saw him.

THE SKEPTICS

After saying yes to the man she barely knew, Shari returned to her hometown, and Ryan went to his. When she told her parents she was now engaged, they thought she wasn't serious. Shari revealed:

"Lots of friends and family thought it would just be a fling and that we wouldn't last."

No one registered their engagement until Shari told her parents that Ryan was coming to visit them. That's when they asked her questions about him.

THE NEXT STEP

A few weeks later, Ryan met Shari's parents and impressed them in no time. Shari revealed that her "dad was sold" when Ryan shook hands with him upon meeting him.

Six months after dating, Shari decided to move in with Ryan in his Odiham, Hampshire home. A month later, in February 2012, the couple discovered they were pregnant with their first child. Shari said:

"It was all so fast but felt so right."

GOING BACK

When people looked at the couple with raised eyebrows after discovering they were having a baby, she didn't pay heed because she and Ryan were sure about it. They wanted to start a family and get married.

A year after they first met in Spain, Ryan and Shari decided to celebrate their anniversary by visiting the same bar they met at. Shari said:

"The locals at the bar remembered who we were, so it was really sweet."

TYING THE KNOT

Shari and Ryan had a great day at the bar, and he even sang the same song for her that he did when they first met. Soon, Shari gave birth to their first child, Cayden.

In August 2015, Shari and Ryan married after saving enough money for their wedding. Their friends and family were surprised to see them together, knowing they got engaged two days after meeting each either for the first time. Shari said:

"I think friends and family were skeptical when we got engaged so fast, but as soon as they saw us together and we had Cayden together, they could see how perfect we were."

The couple had two more sons, Curtis and Cilian. Shari said she wanted to go back to Spain with her children and show them the place their parents met for the first time.

"11 years later, and we're still going strong," Shari said while she felt glad she had accepted Ryan's proposal that evening. She thought it was the best decision of her life because she felt Ryan was the perfect partner for her.

What would you do if you were in Shari's shoes? Would you also agree to marry someone you met two days ago?

Share this article with your friends and family if you liked reading about Shari and Ryan's unique love story.

Click here to read another love story about a woman who made a promise to her dying husband and gave birth to his twins three years after his death.