Some of the sweetest love stories are the unexpected ones, and newly engaged Andrea Diaz certainly wasn’t expecting to find her future husband on Instagram! But not long after Colin Chapin began following her on the popular social media platform, she noticed a connection.
Andrea, who lived in Orlando, Florida at the time, joined Instagram for the emphasis on photos. Pictures were her favorite aspect of social media, and she found the ability to interact with people around the globe exciting. In March 2012, a short time after joining the site, Colin’s high school best friend, Noah Meadors, began following Andrea’s account after “liking” a photo of her Maltese, Luna. Days later, Colin followed suit, and Andrea followed him back, knowing he lived in Indianapolis and she’d never meet him. Or so she thought…
Andrea and Colin’s love story began to unfold in the most unexpected of ways. The Knot caught up with the soon-to-be bride, who is sharing every surprising detail of how the couple became friends, fell in love, and got engaged with the help of Instagram.
“I originally fell in love with Colin’s photos, because he focused on buildings around the city, their unique architectural angles, and their fun textures,” Andrea recalls. “He hardly posted photos of himself. Until one day, he did. Oh boy, he was kind of handsome! We began ‘liking’ each photo, exchanging quick praises (‘Great photo!’, ‘Nice shot!’). A few weeks later, the comments became longer, giving each other more details on our lives: where we grew up, places we’ve visited, favorite movies, etc. At one point, our conversations grew so long that a simple photo of a landscape showed ’30 comments’ only it was us, having a silly, totally public conversation.”
A week or two after following each other’s accounts, Andrea received a private message from Colin. At the time, Instagram users were unable to send direct messages to one another. “The reason why I loved Instagram was because of it’s breezy, no strings attached nature,” Andrea explains, “but somehow Colin had found a website that enabled one Instagram account [to] private message another. We wrote each other non-stop. Within a week, we had 130 essay-length messages and counting!”
Andrea wound up asking Colin for his phone number – something she never does! “Our very first phone call was later that night and we spoke for 8 hours. Yep, from 10pm to 6am!” she shares. “I was stuck sitting next to the wall, charging [my phone] for the last couple of hours, but it was worth it!”
From Instagram “likes” and comments to phone conversations and texts, Andrea and Colin decided to trying Skyping next. After a couple of weeks of video chats, Colin asked Andrea to be his date to a friend’s wedding. This was in May 2012 and the wedding would take place in September. Andrea agreed to be Colin’s date instantly, but Colin’s friends encouraged him to meet her in person prior to the wedding. “He flew down to Orlando in July and our first date took place at Disney,” Andrea tells The Knot. “He was only in Florida for the weekend, but I already knew he was the one.”
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For the next year, the long-distance couple visited one another every month or two. “I finally experienced fall leaves and snow for the first time!” the Orlando native shares. “We racked up so many miles, we were each able to redeem a free trip to each other’s city! We bridged the gap by reading the same books and discussing them and having ‘movie nights’ where we would choose a movie to rent together and Skype while doing so.”
After the highs and lows of long-distance dating, Andrea made a big decision. “I couldn’t bear the long distance anymore and felt as though I wanted a change of scenery,” she tells us. “So I finally moved to Indianapolis in August 2013. I sold all of my furniture, shipped off my car, packed my clothes in several suitcases, and flew up here with Luna. I had her on her leash, walking through the terminal to meet Colin, and she broke free and tackled him with kisses. I’ll never forget that moment, because it meant we were all finally in the same place!”
After living in Orlando, Andrea found the change of scenery she was looking for. Her first winter in the new state was “one of the worst winters in Indiana history.” “I originally moved in with mutual friends, planning on renting my own place,” she explains. “[Colin and I] spent all of our free time together, and the decision to move in came quickly after that. We lived in two different apartments and moved into our own house in the course of two and a half years! We always spoke about our future and knew we were headed towards marriage. We officially became engaged on April 4, 2016.”
Andrea and Colin had been talking marriage since their first year of dating. Without Andrea knowing, Colin’s father offered him a loose diamond that had been in his family. After Andrea pointed out non-diamond ring options, Colin finally mentioned the loose diamond. Colin purchased a “temporary ring” to propose with while the couple weighed their options. Being Harry Potter fans, the simple band had “always” engraved on it with the deathly hallows symbol. “About a week before the ring would be ready, I received a notification from Instagram,” Andrea shares with The Knot, “which led me to one of my posts of us in a photo booth from our first date and a comment from Colin asking me to marry him. Of course the answer was already ‘yes,’ but it was sweet to make it official!”
23. countdown | “3…2…1 Cheese!” #BDBchallenge #photobooth #instachapins
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Andrea can’t stop admiring her new engagement ring; Shane Company jewelers were able to combine Colin’s loose diamond – a round brilliant cut stone – with Andrea’s favorite: cushion cut diamonds. The stunning result? The round stone surrounded by a cushion cut double halo mounted on a simple white gold band.
Now that the happy couple is engaged, they’ve started planning the wedding. “We began exchanging ideas before the actual proposal took place,” Andrea admits. “I’d love to say that I took the initiative, but it was all Colin. He began the ball rolling and we just couldn’t stop blurting out possible venue names and wedding dates. We made a short list of venues we love and ended up touring and choosing our venue before I even had a ring! So when we were finally officially engaged and telling our closest friends and family, we were pretty well prepared for the onslaught of questions that immediately followed the announcement.”
“I’m also a huge fan of The Knot,” the bride-to-be tells us. “Colin and I are carefully planning on a tight budget, and it’s been an incredibly helpful tool thus far. I may or may not have created an account before I became engaged,” she laughs.
Although Colin’s family encouraged him to meet Andrea in-person before making any serious decisions, and Andrea’s parents suggested she complete a background check on Colin prior to their first meeting, this couple has proven they’re the real deal. Andrea believes others could meet friends or even a partner via Instagram as well. “I certainly wouldn’t advise against it,” she acknowledges. “I never imagined that a relationship would result from social media, let alone a deeply meaningful, permanent one. It all happened so organically. I think if I had gone into it purposefully trying to begin a relationship, it may have been a little stressful or overwhelming, but that may just be my personality. Overall, I absolutely adore love stories that are unexpected and surprising, and that definitely includes meeting your future spouse (or best friend) on Instagram.”
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“My only advice would be to feel truly comfortable with another person before meeting them,” Andrea shares. “Colin and I exchanged so many emails, texts, phone calls, and Skyping sessions that I was honestly dying to meet in person! On the other hand, with Instagram-inspired events such as Instameets, I say go for it! You’ll never know how many great friendships will result from last minute social gatherings.”
We know we can count on Andrea and Colin to document their wedding day on Instagram. May their marriage be picture-perfect!
