We're all on a journey to find love and acceptance. It doesn't matter if what your heart desires is not the exciting rush of a romantic affair but the soothing acceptance of a platonic relationship. Everyone out there is just looking for someone to welcome them with open arms, flaws and all.

Unfortunately, many end up bullied into believing they'll always be unloved and undeserving of finding true happiness because of how the world perceives them. So when two people chose to ignore all that hate and negativity and focus on their happily ever after, we decided it was a story worth telling.

What Is Beauty?

For as long as humanity has existed, we've been trying to coin a phrase that perfectly describes beauty. We've got Shakespeare saying beauty it's down to the judgment of one's gaze, and Benjamin Franklin compared it to supreme dominion.

But what we arguably remember best of all is Margaret Wolfe Hungerford saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder in her 1978 novel "Molly Bawn." And for the main characters of this story, that quote couldn't be more accurate. They looked at each other and saw the stars, but everyone else was blind to their romance. They labeled them as delusional.

Who Decides These Standards?

This should be the story of two people who were excitedly preparing to spend the rest of their days together. But instead, it's about the lengths people would go to discount others' perceptions of happiness. Who gets to write these rules? Who gets to decide what standard a person must meet to be qualified as beautiful?

This man and his beloved wanted the answer to those questions. Because maybe then, they wouldn't have to feel so hurt whenever they stepped out in public or revealed to the people around them that they were in love. It's a good thing they got to say "gotcha" in the end!

Just a Happy Bride

Is there anyone more beautiful than a bride? Every marriage begins with a proposal. And from that moment on, it's just a rollercoaster of planning and preparations until D-Day arrives and the magic happens. So it's no surprise that this woman was excited to begin this beautiful journey.

But it can be challenging to enjoy what should be a happy moment when people are constantly making judgments about how you look. People often say nothing matters as long as we've got someone in our corner. And luckily for the heroine of our story, she had her husband-to-be drowning out the negativity.

The Weight of People's Expectations

Yes, she finally got to prove everyone wrong in the end. But what about the period before? No one can deny how hard it is to live life carrying the weight of people's expectations because they'll constantly make impossible demands.

In this case, the bride faced criticism ranging from how she looked to what she wore and why she was contemplating getting married. But the critics came for the man as well. Everyone was convinced he was making the biggest mistake of his life and that he ought to call an end to the whole shebang. They couldn't have imagined just how much things would change in six years.

Backlash From Friends

Someone once said that true friendship is when the silence between two people is comfortable. But there was no comfortable silence for these love birds. When it seemed like the rest of the world was against their getting together, they thought they could count on the support of their friends.

Well, they thought wrong. Judgments and criticisms came from every corner. Friends and family had some idea or the other about why the wedding shouldn't even be taking place in the first place. They all thought the couple didn't go well together. The man and his beloved simply couldn't get a break.

The Internet Weighs In

Did you think we were getting to the good part yet? Because we're not. If a person cannot find peace and respite from those closest to them, imagine how much more negativity they'll get from people on the internet.

Somehow, photos of the bride-to-be and her fiance made it online, and the story blew up! People came up from every corner of the world wide web to weigh in and share their two cents. It was a battle of who could come up with the most offensive jokes. And no one stopped to realize how wrong it was that they were being so cruel.

Staying Devoted

But like the fictional "Romeo and Juliet," this devoted pair refused to let hate and mockery get in the way of their love. The more people tried to make fun of them and convince them they were wrong for each other, the tighter their bond grew. It turns out adversity strengthens love like nothing else.

So the couple put the hateful and offensive comments to the back of their mind, trusting only in their love of each other. "It doesn't matter what they all say or think." They must have said to each other. "All that matters is that we see each other and want each other."

A Wedding for Just Us

The saying true love conquers all really came to pass for this couple. It took a tragedy for the insurmountable affection between Romeo and Juliet to finally be accepted by their family and society. But thankfully, this man and his better half didn't have to suffer a similar fate.

Despite what everyone else thought, they decided to go ahead with the nuptials. The ceremony went on as planned, and they exchanged vows, promising to be kind and be true, to stay together through sickness and health and good times and the bad. It was the stuff of fairytales and the perfect day because they had each other.

Two People in Love

Most people often mistake physical interest and attraction for love. But so many factors come into play to make one realize when they are truly in love. When people recognize the flaws in each other yet don't allow them to overshadow those shiny bits of perfection, that's love.

Love is having a friend, best friend, lover, and partner in one beautiful package. And this is how the groom and his lover felt about each other. So much so that they were willing to take the plunge and ignore what everyone else thought. And, deep down, they knew a change was coming.

Should Appearances Really Matter?

But here's the big question. Should a person's worth truly be determined by how they look? One of the best things about our world is diversity. No two persons look precisely the same. These differences also play out in nature, the cities we live in, and the structures we frame to build our societies.

So while the duo doesn't exactly fit in with the standard that the world's beauty industry seems to endorse, does that make them less worthy of love? Should their appearance determine their standard of living or the level of respect they receive from those around them?

Dealing With Trolls

Cyberbullying is one of the worst menaces in the world today. And one other problem these newlyweds had to deal with. Just a man and a woman in love, trying to create a life for themselves, but these nasty trolls just wouldn't let them be.

Anyone who's ever been a victim of cyberbullying can attest to how terrifying it can be. But there are a few ways to deal with the situation. It's often advisable to tell a trusted person about the situation. Then as impossible as it may seem, merely ignoring the naysayers and starving them of attention can do wonders. That's what they did!

The Internet Moves On

Once the wedding photos surfaced on the internet, everyone considered it fair game. Imagine the kind of abuse that people receive every day when they attempt to live their lives outside of the ideals imposed on them. Yes, that's precisely the kind of response those photos got.

But one thing about the internet is that it always moves on. There's too much happening in the world for people to remain interested in one story for too long. So once this happy couple decided to ignore all the hate that kept coming their way, soon enough, the trolls online moved on to a new obsession.

Choosing to Stay Above the Hate

In the heat of the moment, choosing to face the issue head-on may seem like the best decision to make. But nothing good ever comes of such a move. The worst this woman or her husband could have done was delete the mean comments or reply to the haters by insulting them in turn.

But either of those options is bound to take a mental toll on the persons involved. So it's good that our main characters chose to direct their time, efforts, and energy on something much more productive–loving each other. They had their whole life in front of them, and they weren't going to waste their time.

Life Goes On

The story doesn't just end there. This woman and her husband had a plan to get back at everyone who had laughed at them or made rude comments about their appearance. But they kept it under wraps—no use letting the cat out of the bag before it was time.

So life went on. The internet forgot, and the pair got to enjoy a peaceful honeymoon. The sweetness of marriage begins from that moment when the newlyweds go on a holiday somewhere peaceful. Of course, tropical locations are a worldwide favorite. But what comes next after those few days or weeks of romantic bliss? They were eager to find out.

A Forgotten Story

While they tried figuring out how to build a family and home together, the world soon forgot about them. Everyone was too busy chasing the next top story or prying on what celebrities were getting back together, releasing new music, or coming out with new projects. No one had time to remember the innocent wedding photos that had taken the internet by storm just a while ago.

It's often this way with bad situations. At the moment, it feels like that's all that matters in life, and it's always as if nothing good will ever happen again. Then the storm ends, and sunshine peeks out. Those troubles are then forgotten.

A Snap of Curiosity

But one person couldn't forget. The woman's unexpected change would have gone without notice if not for the curiosity of a burnt-out journalist. So while curiosity might have killed the cat once, this prying columnist lived to write another day, as you'll soon see.

It all started when Mr. Paulson hit a nasty case of writer's block. There comes a moment in every creative's life when they have trouble finding inspiration or even attempting to create something new. It's always a terrifying place to be, and Paulson knew it well. He even wondered if he'd maybe come to the end of his career.

A New Story

Many experts have come up with multiple solutions to help creatives overcome writer's block. Some say eliminating distractions and having a laser focus on writing could help. Others believe doing something simple like going for a walk, a jog, or swimming could help those creative juices to start flowing again.

We have no idea what method Paulson employed. But he certainly did something to jog his memory. In a second, he remembered the couple whose controversial photos had set the internet ablaze. He wondered what had become of them and figured it was up to him to find out.

The Journalist Goes Seeking

Now one might wonder why this journalist decided that the only thing to get him out of his funk was going in search of the two-some who had disappeared from the world about six years ago. Some may even ask why he couldn't have written about the many trending stories that were happening right then.

Sadly, we don't have any of the answers. But we're happy Paulson decided to write a follow-up story. Because if he hadn't, we would have never discovered that the woman had undergone a transformation and was now different from how she used to be six years before.

Small-Town Sweethearts

When it's time to run away from the loudness of the world, you can't do better than moving to a small town. Yes, the city is where everything seems to happen. But many people are getting sick of city life's constant hustle and bustle. So they opt for a more slow-paced way of life.

This happy duo was no different. After exchanging their vows, they moved away from the expensive city to a small town where they could enjoy their lives to the fullest. At least there, they would never have to fear being recognized by random people on the street.

Away From the Spotlight

Not only had the characters of this story stayed away from the city, but they'd also maintained a relatively low profile on social media. So no one could learn anything about them by typing a few keywords into a search engine. To everyone, it was like they were practically nonexistent.

Mr. Paulson had a hard time finding them when he first began his search. And he definitely wasn't expecting to discover the duo living in a rural area. But that turned out to be one of the best decisions they ever made because no one from their past was around to witness the woman's transformation.

Reeling From Shock

It had been six years, so, of course, the reporter wasn't expecting the couple to look just as they had six years before. But he also wasn't expecting them to change drastically either. Boy, was he in for a shock.

The once-viral couple had been away from the spotlight for just six years. Compared to a decade, that seems like a small chunk of time. How could so much have changed within those few years? Nothing could have prepared him for such a dramatic shift. Not even the most astute psychic could have envisioned it. Believe us when we say that Paulson didn't know how to handle it.

How Did This Happen?

Paulson knew he had the scoop of his life in his grasp. It's funny how a short while ago, he was worried about not being able to write, and now, he had found the juiciest story ever—the story of a woman who transformed her entire life, all within six years.

Many things could have motivated the change. It is obvious our heroine just wanted to feel more confident in her skin. Whatever it was, she had made a complete turnaround. No one who had seen her on the internet six years before would even be able to recognize her now.

The Metamorphosis

When asked, the woman revealed that she had made several lifestyle changes to reflect her new mindset better. Life was only worth living if she made healthier choices every day. And the better she looked and felt, the easier it would be for her to walk through life with confidence.

The change was unexpected, no doubt. But something about a lady who takes matters into her own hands and turns her life around makes us want to give a standing ovation. Because at the end of the day, positive change only comes with a single decision. She not only made that decision, but she also stuck with it.

A Word to the Wise

One can tell a great deal about a person by how they interact with the people around them. A person who always has something negative to say about those around them, unprovoked, is a sad person who has some deep-seated insecurities to work through.

If everyone who had said something cynical and hateful about that woman could see her now, would they still feel confident about the choices they made, or would they be ashamed? Paulson realized that he could write a story about love and acceptance using the couples' unique experiences. But they still had a lot more to say.

I'd Love You Either Way

From the very beginning, people had stood against the man's decision to marry the love of his life. They believed he could do better or find someone who would look better standing beside him. Of course, he wasn't swayed by any such remarks. He knew what he wanted, and he wasn't going to change his mind.

So when his wife decided to adopt a new and healthier lifestyle, he assured her that he loved her no matter what. He also supported her every step of the way and even motivated her to keep going. And we love us a supportive king!

What Else Has Changed?

Paulson asked the husband if anything had changed about their relationship during those pivotal six years. But it turns out nothing major had. Yes, his wife was looking different than she had in the beginning. And she had adopted wholesome living. But she was still the same woman he had fallen in love with all those years ago.

The way he looked at her or felt about her never changed. The vows they had exchanged six years before on their wedding day were still as crucial to their relationship, and their bond was still as strong. The only thing that changed was the way his wife looked.

Unrealistic Expectations

The changes this woman underwent show how much society has deteriorated in terms of expectations of beauty and appeal. Many people choose to prioritize physical appearance so much that they discount so many other qualities that could make a person worth knowing.

We see this play out in platonic relationships and friendships, with people being ultra-selective of those they let into their friend groups. But it's also worse in romance because sometimes, we end up with an attractive partner that doesn't essentially have our best interests at heart. So when the allure of their physical appearance fades, we're left with nothing.

The World Should Change Its Heart

The beautiful thing about this story is how this duo did things the right way. They both found someone who could see past the physical and find a soul worth loving. And once they had that in their grasp, nothing on earth could shake their faith in each other.

So when the world said no, they marched forward with a resounding yes. And because of the foundation of trust and acceptance they had built early in the relationship, the wife was comfortable enough to spread her wings and choose a better path. Alessia Cara was right in saying the world should change its heart.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The couple had one more piece of wisdom to dish out before Paulson ended his interview. They encouraged everyone, including you, the reader, to avoid basing their opinion on a person's appearance. Because while Hollywood pushes this illusion of perfection, it doesn't count for much.

What matters the most is how a person makes you feel. This is a couple who could always find each other even in a crowded room because their souls have become inextricably linked. Before and after the metamorphosis, the husband saw his wife as his beautiful butterfly. Show us better proof of love. We'll wait.