I guess the title says it all. I always hear that the type of people you meet in bars aren’t the type of people you end up seriously dating, just the type of people you have a good time with. Looking back at my own history, things have never gone beyond casual with a man I met in a bar.
So has anyone met their life partner or even a long term significant other in a bar? If so, please share, and say whether or not you think your story is typical.
I met my girlfriend in the bar section of a popular restaurant. A mutual friend was visiting town, and she invited everyone she knew out for Mexican martinis.
Well, I met my husband in a bar…I guess he qualifies as the love of my life! 
I’m trying to remember for sure, but I don’t think I ever so much as went out on one date with someone I met in a bar before him.
Yep. Especially funny as I don’t really drink. But it was a social event for gays in a small town, and we were both dragged (well, talked into going) by other people.
Yes!!!
I know, it never really happens. But it did for me. I was newly single, certainly not looking for anything but a fun time. We played pool, we talked, we played pool, we talked… We played trivia on NTN, and talked to all my friends. He hit on me a little, but not too hard. About two months later he walked me to my car and kissed me goodnight. My knees buckled!
The next day I invited him to a Dopefest! We were inseparable after that. We’ll be married 5 years in February.
He’s my soulmate, my friend, and the love of my life. I’m 50 and he’s 54.
It can happen!
My boyfriend and I met at a (halfway-)gay bar. We’ve been together just over a year.
I went out and shot pool with a couple of friends, Dave and Grant. Afterwards we went to a bar. Grant went up to get some beer, and didn’t come back for ages. I looked around and saw him talking to two women. I said to Dave “Who’s that gorgeous woman Grant’s talking to?”. Dave said “Which one?” and I said “The gorgeous one, you idjit” and slid over to tell Grant to get on with the beer getting - while I was there, I made sure to ask the two women to join us. I spent the rest of the evening talking to her, watching her lips move, watching her hair, listening to her voice - I had it bad.
At the end of the evening, we all went our separate ways. Dave and Grant knew her through prior work at a research lab, but didn’t know her current situation. None of the friends of friends were any help. Eventually I called her cold, from the phone book, with no idea if she was married, single, or what. A guy answered. I asked to speak with her. He said yes, and put down the phone and never ever came back. Eventually I hung up. A week later I called again, and she answered the phone. The guy was her brother, a famous space cadet, who was likely distracted by a shiny thing, or a hockey game.
It was love at first sight for me, (longer for her). She’s the love of my life, we’ve been married for 13 years, and have two kids.
For the record - The Ship Inn, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Yes!!!
Although, our bar was also our workplace. On my first night on the job as a cocktail waitress in truly the dive-iest of dive bars, I met my husband who was working as a bouncer. He offered me a ride home (since the buses stopped running before 4am when the bar closed) on the condition that I go to breakfast with him. I did. I talked…a lot. He listened and laughed at my jokes. That was nearly 14 years ago. He still rocks my world.
Typical? I like telling our story because it’s pretty romantic in a love-at-first-sight kind of way. Is that typical?
I don’t know about “the love of my life” (ask me who that was when I’m dying), but of the three guys I’ve been in love with, I met the most recent of them at a bar (ftr, I met one of them through friends and one on the subway). It’s a place near my house, and we ran into each other there a few times, talked a whole lot each time, and one thing led to another.
I’ve dated plenty of guys I met in bars, and none of those guys or relationships were notably better or worse than the average. A few of them, though they definitely don’t qualify for the “love of my life” contest, are still friends many years later.
Yes indeed!
Like Brown Eyed Girl, we were both working there. I was a waitress and he was a bartender.
We just passed 24yrs, but have never actually married.
I had an unpleasant but informative experience with this. After a couple of dates, I had a guy tell me he knew there’d never be anything serious between us because we’d met at a bar. I found this especially insulting since I considered him someone I’d met through a mutual friend. Why the fact that this introduction took place in a bar rather than at, say, the Student Union justified such a sweeping generalization wasn’t particularly clear. He wasn’t really “love of my life” material anyway. Ironically, or maybe not, he was the kind of person who spent a good chunk of his life in bars.
I’ve seriously dated a few women I’ve met in bars, including my most recent long-term relationship. I’ve had nothing but decent luck (some good, some okay, but nothing bad at all). If you go to bars and expect to meet one-night-stands or “losers,” that’s who you’ll meet. I go to dance and have fun, and am not looking to hook up, so the women I meet are also not the ones looking for hook ups, but who are there to keep their friends safe (mother hens, designated drivers, etc.). Intelligent, morally upright, reserved people like to go out too, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to meet one in a bar.
I believe Dan Savage, my hero, met his husband at the Rebar in Seattle at a Stranger anniversary event. I was there!
They’ve been together since 1994 and have a kid.
Does on the street in front of a bar count?
I met my lovely wife on November 4th, 1989, in front of the old 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. We both were going to see Jazz Butcher and Mary’s Danish. Her friend asked my friend about the legality of a parking space there and a conversation ensued. We continued the conversation inside the club, I got her number, and we’ve been together ever since. It turns out that several of my current friends were also in attendance that night, as it was the same day some other current friends got married, and a bunch of the wedding party went to the club afterwards. It was quite a fateful night!
Sorta. A mutual friend was in town and wanted to see both of us. He came by my place to pick me up, we went to her place to pick her up, then we went to a bar. We were walking, since everything was in about a four-block radius. So, I guess I met her on the walk to the bar. When we got there, she ordered a scotch, neat. I knew immediately she was The One.
Not me, but years ago, the future Mrs. Cliffy and her roommate Erika were new in town and so went to a bar called The Cellar in Foggy Bottom, D.C. Erika struck up a conversation with a guy at the bar as they were waiting for the bartender. Their 12th anniversary was this summer.
–Cliffy
I’ve met serious boyfriends at bars. I also met my husband at the family holiday dinner table, so don’t rule anything out. Potential mates are everywhere.
I met WordWife at a club - Shelter in Chicago back in '90. I walked in, saw her at the bar and walked the other way - I wasn’t used to having such a beautiful woman make eye contact with me (think, oh, a 6’1" not-THAT-curvy Sophia Loren). She ended up bumping into me from behind while avoiding another guy, we got to talking and realized we had mutual acquaintances which smoothed things out for me conversationally.
I asked her out and we went on a first date - since I was in business school, lived on campus and had no car, I had to borrow a friend’s car. Halfway through the first date I knew she was The One - which was bizarre because I ended up having this Scrubs-like internal dialogue with myself throughout the remainder of the date: “Really?! But you don’t even know her!” “Doesn’t matter though - does it?” “Hmmm - nah; I guess not - but…really?!”
When I got back from the date, I went to return the car keys to my buddy. I said “look I have to ask a favor: there’s only 5 weeks before graduation and I have met the woman I am going to marry - is there any chance that I could borrow the car once or twice more before graduation to further my campaign?” He and his wife looked at each other and he said “wow - you’re serious, aren’t you?” and I stated “I have never been more serious about anything in my life” to which he replied “keep the keys.” 
Together 18 years, married for 16…
The first time I met my husband was in a bar. I was there hanging out, talking to some guys, and he stumbled up, told a joke, and walked away. He was there drinking after rugby practice and was all sweaty and beat up, plus not exactly sober. A few weeks later, the guys I had been talking to said they wanted to set me up with their friend for the rugby Christmas party. It turns out, it was the same sweaty drunk guy, except he’d cleaned up and looked pretty cute. He ended up back at my place that night. So, we defy all odds - met in a bar and hooked up on our first date. He always says he knew I was different because when he woke up in my bed the next morning, I was already awake and doing the crossword. Didn’t take much to impress him :).
We just celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary and have two kids. We’re best friends and have a great time together.
Presently I have a couple of paternity suit clients who’s problems began in bars.