LONDON: Love is beautiful... Perhaps a little more so when someone finds it without putting much of an effort. But can it blossom even from an innocent WhatsApp message sent to a wrong number? Michael Evangelou from Colliers Wood in south London would say 'yes'.
Evangelou, 44, sent a message, which read "Girls Trip", to a number he thought was his own as a reminder to see the film at the cinema.
It sparked a conversation with a stranger and ultimately led to their marriage, independent.co.uk reported on Monday.
The recipient happened to be Lina Dahlbeck, 37, from Morden in south London, who sent a reply saying, "Hi! Girls trip? Who's this please? I'm guessing this was intended for another Lina".
The pair struck up a conversation as they attempted to figure out exactly what had happened.
Despite never meeting, the two chatted for most of the day before arranging to meet for a drink later that night.
"We started chatting back and forth. I think if I wasn't single I wouldn't have continued the chat," Dahlbeck was quoted as saying.
And just four hours after that WhatsApp message, they were on a date.
"We were convinced it was fate that had brought us together," Dahlbeck said.
The couple married on December 7 and in March, they are jetting off to Dubai where Dahlbeck aims to launch a make-up school.
"Most of our friends thought we were a bit nuts," Dahlbeck said, adding that parents of both of them were delighted at the prospect of marriage.
The couple insist that their story is a lesson to others not to give up on love.
"I had given up on love and then Michael sent that message and literally landed in my life," Dahlbeck added.
"My story gives hope to everyone: never give up," she added.