A woman who came out as gay later in life and married her partner 19 years her senior has spoken out about their whirlwind romance that saw them say “I do” just three months after meeting.
Olivia Reed, 34, from Maryland, had only dated men her entire life, but when her six-year relationship ended, she decided to venture into uncharted waters and try her luck at romance with women.
He began swiping on the dating app Bumble in February 2023, at which point he matched with Kelly Reed, 53.
The pair soon hit it off and began chatting every day until they decided to meet up: Kelly drove seven and a half hours to Maryland from Massachusetts to finally see Olivia in person.
And just two weeks later, Kelly moved in with Olivia before getting down on one knee in June.
A woman who came out as gay later in life and married her partner 19 years her senior has opened up about their whirlwind romance.
The couple tied the knot that same month, on June 24, 2023, in an intimate ceremony.
Now, they are celebrating one year of marriage and revealed that they couldn’t be happier.
Olivia said: ‘I’ve only had relationships with men before. I’m very happy to be in this situation.
“I never imagined I would get married. It’s been a whirlwind. We don’t take it for granted.”
Meanwhile, Kelly compared their romance to a storybook and gushed about Olivia.
She added: “It’s like a fairy tale. I’ve never been happier in my life. I didn’t realise how unhappy I was before. I wake up every day and I can’t believe I’m here. I’m so grateful for her.”
Olivia wanted to try dating women after getting out of a long-term relationship, so she tried several dating apps before connecting with Kelly on Bumble.
She explained: “I wanted to see if I liked being with women.”
Olivia Reed, 34, from Maryland, had only dated men her entire life, but when her six-year relationship ended, she decided to dive into uncharted waters.
Kelly had been single for 12 years but decided to start dating again and Olivia was the first woman she saw when she downloaded the app.
Kelly had been single for 12 years but decided to start dating again and Olivia was the first woman she saw when she downloaded the app.
“She was the first person that came forward. I reached out to her and we exchanged phone numbers. We were texting for two weeks and I finally got to talk to her on the phone,” Kelly said.
“I liked it so much that I fell madly in love with it.”
Kelly was so desperate to meet Olivia that she made the long trip to see her, after only a few weeks of talking.
“That was totally out of character for me. I told her best friend, ‘I’m going to marry this woman,'” Kelly said.
The couple hit it off right away and since Kelly was allowed to work remotely, she moved to Maryland just two weeks after they first met in person.
Their relationship progressed quickly and Kelly proposed on June 3, 2023.
“We got married at the hotel where we met,” she said.
Olivia added: “It was just Kelly, my friend and I who got married. It was a very private and very simple event.”
The couple have been enjoying being newlyweds ever since and revealed that their families are very supportive of their relationship, despite there being an age gap.
Olivia said: ‘There are some generational differences, like the use of technology, but 99 per cent of the time we don’t really think about it.
The couple is focused on each other and looks forward to spending many years together.
“I was nervous about telling my parents. I’d only been with men before, but they were very accepting of me.”
The couple confessed that they have received occasional comments confusing them with mother and daughter, but they have never been offended.
Kelly said: ‘When I was in Massachusetts I was asked, “Is that your daughter?” The guy was mortified.’
Olivia added: “People on the internet are like, ‘Are you with your grandma? ’ We don’t take offense.”
The couple is focused on each other and looks forward to spending many years together.
Olivia said: “You have to be open to something different – you don’t know what’s going to happen, but it could be a really good change.”
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