Matilda Eriksson never expected to fall in love at her parents’ wedding—but that’s exactly what happened.
The 25-year-old from Espoo, Finland, met Samuli, now 29, when her mom married his dad in 2019. At first, they were just step-siblings, two strangers brought together by their parents. But as time passed, something unexpected happened.
Speaking to Yahoo News, Matilda recalled the exact moment she realized her feelings for Samuli weren’t just platonic—or familial.
She had seen him at family gatherings, but they had never spent much time alone. That changed when they started hanging out more, and one night, she found herself locked in his gaze.
“Sitting across from him, I suddenly noticed his beautiful blue eyes,” she admitted. “I got lost in his kind smile. Then it hit me—what am I doing? What if someone notices? That’s so weird! He’s my stepbrother!”
She tried to push the feelings away. But weeks later, Samuli placed his hand on her leg. That small moment sent her into a panic.
“Whatever this is, it can’t go any further,” she told him.
Samuli agreed. They both knew how complicated things could get. But the heart doesn’t follow logic.
One week later, the two found themselves at their parents’ cottage, unwinding in a hot tub. As they sat in the bubbly water, Samuli’s hand found hers. This time, she didn’t pull away.
That night, they shared their first kiss.
“It felt so natural,” Matilda recalled. “Within two weeks, we were officially dating, and he basically moved in with me right away.”
But falling in love was the easy part—dealing with other people’s opinions wasn’t.
Some of their friends were skeptical. “A few were doubtful and judgmental,” Matilda admitted. “I think they just couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that someone I called my stepbrother was now my boyfriend.”
Even she struggled with it at first. “I was confused and in love at the same time,” she said. “I kept thinking—he’s still my stepbrother. And what will people say?”
But her mom’s advice changed everything.
“She told me to forget about everything else and follow my heart,” Matilda shared. “That’s exactly what I did.”
With their parents’ blessing, Matilda and Samuli proposed to each other and tied the knot in July 2022. Despite the initial shock, their friends and family came around, realizing that love doesn’t always follow traditional rules.
Now, Matilda and Samuli are happily married, proving that sometimes, love finds you in the most unexpected places.
Would you have followed your heart in her shoes? Let us know your thoughts!
