Matthew Fleming and Robin Coe lived more than 2,000 miles apart. Their love story began with the push of a “follow” button.
Three years ago, they only knew of each other as “@matthewjay” and “@robinmay,” but today, they are fortunate enough to be known as husband and wife.
“I joined Instagram in 2011 and quickly began following a pretty diverse and inspiring group of people,” Robin said of the popular photograph-based social media app. “If I found someone really great, I’d simply look at who they were following, add a few of those people, look at who they were following, and on it went.”
Robin, a native of Canada, explained in that process she stumbled across Matthew’s sunny Californian Instagram account.
“I was living in Toronto, and he was in Oakland, worlds apart!” Robin said. “It was the start of winter, and his dreamy, sunny bicycling photos were a fun escape from Toronto’s gray slushiness. Meanwhile, he was enjoying getting lost in my winter pics.”
Photographs courtesy of Matthew and Robin Fleming (@matthewjay and @robinmay). See more of their photos at www.instagram.com/robinmay and www.instagram.com/matthewjay.
According to the couple, Robin’s wintery photographs reminded Matthew of his childhood home in Wisconsin.
“For a while we just enjoyed each other’s photos and left the occasional comment,” Robin said, “no different from anyone else I was following or followed by, really. But, I did immediately trust him. He just seemed like a very kind, sincere human.”
In January 2012, Matthew asked Robin in a comment to email him, and she didn’t hesitate.
In their first electronic conversation, Matthew, a graphic designer, requested to use a photograph of a woman in a parka who was walking a small dog in the snow for an illustration. The artist also described his Wisconsin upbringing, mentioning he felt homesick occasionally, despite his love for the West Coast. Robin said the “Poodle Party!” photo captured a scene Matthew had been wanting to put on paper.
“I’d been quietly admiring your photos,” Matthew said of Robin’s account, “and you seemed like somebody that would be nice to talk to and somebody that I wouldn’t feel embarrassed reaching out to out of the blue.”
According to Matthew, he liked the “Poodle Party!” photo so much he worked up the courage to tag Robin in a comment. The designer admitted he still has yet to finish this illustration, three years later.
Photographs courtesy of Matthew and Robin Fleming (@matthewjay and @robinmay). See more of their photos at www.instagram.com/robinmay and www.instagram.com/matthewjay.
Matthew noted it is easier to look back on photos as landmarks for the couple than remember exact timelines. Photos of Robin that stick out to him include the famous poodle picture, one featuring Robin in a train station, and ginger cookies with icing drizzled on top that he would later get to enjoy.
After the first few messages the couple exchanged, communication became constant.
“From there we just emailed furiously for days,” Robin said. “I’d stay up late pouring out paragraphs of small talk, eagerly anticipating his replies, but it didn’t feel like small talk. It felt very sweet and comfortably intimate, and we got to know each other very quickly.”
After email, the two progressed to phone calls, text messages and Skype video chats.
Matthew traveled to Toronto, Canada, two months later, and Robin said she was incredibly anxious about their first in-person meeting, despite their close friendship.
“I thought it could go one of two ways,” Robin recalled. “There’d be no chemistry at all, and our friendship would be ruined, and I’d miss him terribly. Or, we’d hit it off romantically, and it would all fall apart because who can maintain a fledgling relationship across 2,500 miles?”
Luckily for the two, neither of those scenarios played out.
Initially, the two were shy when they met at the airport, but after eating at a pub, they quickly reverted back to being “Robin and Matt,” she said.
Photographs courtesy of Matthew and Robin Fleming (@matthewjay and @robinmay). See more of their photos at www.instagram.com/robinmay and www.instagram.com/matthewjay.
“That was the longest, shortest week of my life,” Robin said of Matthew’s first visit.
Robin mentioned the next year was spent traveling back and forth between Toronto, Oakland, California, and even Wisconsin, for Robin to meet Matthew’s family.
“Through it all, I posted daily to Instagram, sharing our ups and downs with hundreds of people,” Robin said. “Collectively, they offered us so much encouragement.”
Robin credits her Instagram community for offering the couple encouraging comments and good vibes while the relationship was long distance.
“When Matt proposed, I couldn’t wait to share it with them!” Robin said. “But, I didn’t anticipate the incredible outpouring of well wishes. People all over the world were cheering out loud for us! It was amazing. It still is amazing.”
Only ten days after Matthew’s proposal and after a consultation with an immigration lawyer, the two were married in California.
“In the span of less than two weeks, I found myself married and in the process of applying for permanent residence in the U.S.” Robin said. “Needless to say, I lived out of a suitcase for a while, but it was all worth it.”
This May, the Flemings will celebrate their two-year wedding anniversary.
“I never would have guessed that just looking at somebody’s photo online would lead to getting married,” Matthew said with a laugh.
See more of Matthew and Robin’s love story in a video produced by Driftwood Visual: vimeo.com/driftwoodvisual/matthewlovesrobin
About Allison Terry
