I Met My Best Friend on Bumble BFF (seriously)
And now she’s a bridesmaid at my wedding….
NYC, 2018 (our first picture)
Bumble has already proven itself as a tried and tested, female friendly way to meet your significant other. One question we have always asked ourselves at The Modems is does Bumble BFF, introduced by the dating app in 2016 as a way to make friends, actually work? Our contributing editor Mallory Stempfley tells the tale of a true friendship, forged online.
The Back Story
After moving to NYC in 2018, I quickly realized how difficult making friends as an adult was. There’s no more sitting next to someone in class, or bumping into someone at a sorority event. Making friends is completely up to you and how extroverted you want to be. I came in with a mission to make a great friend in the city, someone I could do “girls night with”. I thought to myself “I’m a normal girl, this will be so easy” (whatever that means). Quickly I realized it was in fact, not easy. Striking up a conversation with a girl in my pilates class was cringeworthy. Let’s also keep in mind, girls in NYC are not the friendliest of creatures.
So at what point did I reach for Bumble BFF? After about five months. I remember vividly it was a Friday night and my boyfriend was going out for a “guys night” (jealous). I was left sitting on the couch drinking wine alone. Slightly buzzed, I felt almost angry that I was sitting in New York City alone on a Friday night. The city that never sleeps! I needed to do something drastic, so I made a Bumble BFF profile.
Nantucket, 2020
The Bumble Experience
Making a Bumble BFF profile was a little difficult, to be honest. I had to decide how I wanted to “come off” to other people. Did I like to party? Did I like to stay in and cook? I decided to write a mixed bio, trying to explain that I like to stay in but also go out on occasion because I’m a “normal girl” (again...whatever that means). I began matching with a few girls, some of which were promising and others, not so much. There was a wide variety of girls on Bumble BFF, such as ‘the models’, ‘the travelers’, ‘the college girls’, ‘the girls who are going through a breakup’, etc.
I finally stumbled upon my (now) best friend’s profile and I remember a line in her bio saying, “I don’t get on Bumble much so feel free to DM me on Instagram”. I took her up on the offer and sent a DM (after creeping her insta of course). She didn’t respond for two days, and I thought, “Oh, she’s probably already matched with someone else,” because we can’t have more than one BFF (apparently).
New Years Eve, 2021
The Friendship
When she finally responded to my DM, we immediately hit it off. There were so many odd parallels in our life, such as the same sorority in college, younger sisters the same age, similar boyfriends, same interests, etc. The weirdest part was when we found out we lived one block away from each other. This is when her boyfriend actually thought she was being CATFISHED. We planned to meet up for a happy hour glass of wine during the week, and her boyfriend begged her to let him stand around the corner to make sure it wasn’t dangerous. This is hilarious to think of now, as we’re all best friends, but finding a BFF online could be a little risky in a new city.
Long story short, a glass of wine turned into a bottle, and then into margaritas and tacos. We’ve been inseparable ever since (like literally every single day), and our boyfriends are now best friends as well. We’ve traveled together, laughed together, cried together, hosted a joint birthday party together, and everything in between. She is now a bridesmaid at my wedding this fall, and I couldn’t be more honored.
At the end of the day, stepping out of your comfort zone could mean finding your ‘person’ or your ‘BFF’. I would never peg myself as someone looking online for friends, but I am so glad that I mustered the courage to do so (with a little help of some wine). Would I do it again? Yes. Am I planning on it? No. Because I’ve already found my BFF.
Inspired to find friends in a new city? Download Bumble BFF and start swiping.