Woman Married a Stranger on TikTok for Fun, Planned on Divorcing a Week Later But Fell in Love
How two people went from getting married as a joke to falling in love and staying together.
Like many people Danielle Gross, 26 and Gunnar Michels, 26, found love online. But instead of getting to know each other and dating before taking their relationship to the next step, the pair took things all the way to marriage from the get go. The two got married as total strangers and documented their unconventional way to the altar on TikTok. The plan was to get divorced a week later, but instead the two fell in love and have been going viral for their wild story.
"I Want to Marry Someone From TikTok"
The couple went from unknown to a social media sensation because Michels posted a TikTok looking for his future wife. "I want to marry someone from TikTok," he said as he jumped in front of the camera holding a bouquet of flowers. "I'm going to fly me and you — wherever you are — out to Las Vegas, where we will get married," Michels said in the video. "I think people take life too seriously, and I'm just here to prove that it ain't that deep. Life's a game, let's break some norms."
Michels Got So Many Responses He Had to Do A Follow Up TikTok Requesting Certain Information From His Future Wife
So many people wanted to be considered for Michels' wife that he had to do a follow up video asking for additional information to help him find his future lifelong partner. "I'm so happy that so many people reached out, but I literally got hundreds of DMs and I don't know how to go through all of them. So here's what we're going to do. If you're actually serious about getting married, I need to know these three things: 1. I need to know how old you are. Absolutely not will you be under the age of 18. 2. Tell me where you're from. 3. What sets you apart from the rest of the people here. What makes you the best wife for me?" He then asked people to put all of that information into a video and DM it to him.
He Put a Ring on It
After wedding through countless applicants, Michels found the one. "I know I have to be the one to take this crazy adventure with you because nothing in life has ever been that serious to me and I've always wanted to get married in some crazy stupid way," Gross said, wearing a wedding dress. "Plus, instead of flying to Vegas, we could just road trip down in my ambulance that I live in…and I could even just pick you up on the way. We're only here for a short amount of time in life, so why not do whatever we want, right?"
"Best Decision I Ever Made"
A few days into their marriage, things were going well and Gross shared with followers that she was loving the crazy experience. "A week ago today I married a stranger from TikTok and it was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made," she said in a video. "This whole experience has been so much fun, and honestly a little scary too, but Gunnar was definitely the best person to have alongside me for it all." She added, "I try to live my life by always saying yes and doing whatever feels right in the moment, and I can definitely tell you this is what felt right in that moment."
The Couple Planned to Divorce After a Week
While it was an exciting adventure and unforgettable experience, the couple didn't plan on staying married. However, things quickly changed. "[We] thought let's keep talking as friends and then it became something more," Gross told South West News Service, according to the New York Post. "Gunnar and I never would have gone up to each other in a bar," she confessed. "It opened our eyes to other people."
Michels Wasn't Looking for a Life Partner
Michels wasn't really looking to settle down–he was looking for a creative way to create content, but ended up finding love. "I was looking for a way to make content and meet people," he explained to SWNS, according to the Post "I came up with this idea of getting married to a stranger. It was pretty wild."
The Pandemic Forced Them to Get to Know Each Other
The couple got married during the pandemic and as they were "forced" into quarantine together, it worked to their benefit. "There was nothing to do but talk," Michels pointed out. "We have the same core values," Gross added. "Even though our personalities are different — deep inside we are the same." "My friends can't believe we're still together," Gross told SWNS with a laugh.
"It is something I'd suggest for others to do," she continued. "If you're open-minded, it's a really interesting concept."
Two Years Later the Couple is Still Going Strong
It's been a little over two years since the couple tied the knot and the pair couldn't be happier. In a video posted on their two year anniversary, their love story was retold and Gross explained in a voice over how "surreal" the experience has been. The two drove to Vegas to get hitched in the ambulance she lived in at the time and she recalled driving cross country with a total stranger, but now couldn't imagine herself with her husband. "The following two years we almost never left each other's sides. We traveled all over the country in the ambulance, built a second tiny home and went on so many adventures together."
