The easiest way to write the story of how you met is as a letter to the person you met. Write "Dear" and their name, start a little before the day you met, tell the meeting in as much detail as you can remember, say when you knew, cover a few things that happened since, and finish with where the two of you are now. Writing to one person gives you permission to be specific, and specific is what makes it good.
Here is how to do it, step by step.
Why a letter works better than a story
When you try to write "our love story" for nobody in particular, it comes out as a summary: we met at a party, we got married, we have two children. When you write it to them, you start remembering things only they would understand. The coat they were wearing. The terrible first meal you cooked. The thing they said at the bus stop. A letter has a reader, and a reader makes you honest.
Before you start: gather the facts
Spend twenty minutes collecting the raw material before you write a word.
- The year and the place. Exactly where, if you can. "The Fox and Hounds, the back room" is better than "a pub".
- Two photos. One of each of you from around the time you met. Looking at them brings back details you had forgotten.
- A witness. If a friend introduced you or was there that night, ask them what they remember. Their version is often funnier than yours.
- Three things since. A milestone, something hard you came through together, and a trip you still talk about.
A shape that works
You do not need a clever structure. This one works for almost everyone:
- Open with now. One or two lines about a small, ordinary moment from this week. It tells them why you are writing.
- Go back to before. Who were you, the year before you met? Where were you living, and what were you worried about? What do you know about who they were then?
- The meeting. Slow down here. Where you were, who spoke first, what was said, what you thought of them. Be honest about the first impression, even if it was not flattering. Especially if it was not flattering.
- The moment you knew. It might be a big moment or a tiny one. If it crept up on you, say that.
- Everything since. Pick two or three things, not twenty. The wedding or the first home, the year that tested you, the holiday you would go back to tomorrow.
- Back to now. What makes the two of you, you. What you would want them to feel when they finish reading.
Write it the way you talk
The best love letters sound like the person who wrote them. If you would never say "my darling" out loud, don't write it. If you always call them by a nickname, use it. Read each paragraph aloud as you go. If a sentence would make you cringe saying it to their face, rewrite it.
Specific beats grand
"You are the love of my life" is true and forgettable. "You walked me home in the rain and gave me your jacket, and then complained about being cold for the next forty minutes" is the sentence they will remember. Every time you write a big statement, follow it with one small, real example.
Leave in the funny bits
Most real meetings are a bit awkward. Someone got the name wrong, someone spilled a drink, someone was supposed to be on a date with somebody else. Those moments are the heart of the story, so don't tidy them away. Humour also keeps a long letter readable.
How long should it be?
As long as it needs to be, and probably shorter than you think. A page or two is plenty for a card or a framed letter. If you find you have far more than that, you have a book.
Turning the letter into a book
That is what our How We Met book is: the story of how you met, written as a letter from you to your partner, with every page painted in watercolour from your photos. Instead of facing a blank page, you answer questions in roughly the order of the shape above, typing or speaking your answers, and the letter is written from your own words. The illustrations are made with AI, and you read every page before anything prints.
It works as a sentimental Valentine's gift, a first anniversary paper gift, or for any year on the list of anniversaries. And if you would like a list of prompts to get the memories going, start with these questions to ask your partner about how you met.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a letter about how we met?
Start with a small moment from now, then go back. "This morning you made the coffee too strong again, and it made me think about the first time you made me a cup, in that flat on Mill Road." It tells them why you are writing and takes them straight into the story.
What should I write in a love letter to my husband or wife?
The story only the two of you know: where you met, what you thought of them, when you knew, what you have come through together and what you love about your life now. Use real details and your own way of speaking rather than big romantic phrases.
How do I write our love story if I am not a good writer?
Write it as a letter and write the way you talk. Collect the facts first (the year, the place, a couple of photos), follow a simple order from before you met to now, and use one specific example for every big statement. Nobody expects a novel; they want to hear you.
