Move Over Tinder! This Couple Got Married After Meeting Through Duolingo

As technology advances, we discover more ways to find love. There’s social media and dating apps, such as Tinder and Bumble, but one couple found their happily ever after in a different and unexpected way — through a language learning app.

To celebrate the season of hearts, language app Duolingo posted on Tuesday the love story of the now married couple Amanda Lopez and Rob Ciesielski.

Amanda has been on the app since 2013 to learn Italian, German, French, and recently Mandarin, while Rob downloaded the app in early 2020 to continue learning Spanish. The couple crossed paths in 2021 when Amanda started receiving notifications from Rob congratulating her on her Duolingo streak.

Amanda was learning Mandarin because she was interested in another guy who was also learning Mandarin. “I thought, maybe if I knew more Mandarin, he would want to go steady with me!” she was quoted as saying in Duolingo’s blog. But it seems like fate had other plans for her.

Curious about the guy who has been congratulating her on the app, Amanda clicked on Rob’s profile and tried to search for him on Facebook. She then sent a message, and he replied a few days later. Little did she know that Rob was also trying to find her on Facebook!

The two kept exchanging messages to get to know each other better. "We’ve come quite a way, from calls to video chats to care packages sent halfway across the globe to virtual family introductions. And where our relationship is now will only continue to expand,” Rob said.

Amanda lives in the Philippines, while Rob lives in the United States. Being on opposite sides of the globe didn’t stop them from meeting, though, as Rob flew to the Philippines in the summer of 2022. He finally met Amanda’s family in person, and they took a trip together to plan their future.

Last month, they got married in the Philippines and even had Duolingo-inspired multilingual greetings incorporated in their reception. Our best wishes to Amanda and Rob!