Woman marries step-brother despite ‘judgement’ from friends

It's a tad complicated

A woman's love story has turned heads after she shared how she met her husband. Matilda Eriksson, 23, said she never considered marriage until she met Samuli, 27, who became her step-brother when her mum and his dad tied the knot in 2019. Their three-year friendship took a turn in 2021 when her step-brother went in for a kiss. "I responded right away with passion," Ms Eriksson, who is from Espoo, Finland, said. Speaking to Yahoo, she added: "It took us two weeks to start dating after that and he basically moved in with me right away. It felt good and natural immediately." "I was confused and in love at the same time and honestly I really didn't know what to do. Thinking about the fact that he still is my step-brother and also I thought about other people's opinions," she said.. [caption id="attachment_366558" align="alignnone" width="644"] Erikkson with husband Samuli. (Picture: Instagram/@matildaeriksson_)[/caption] Their parents were the first people they told about their love for one another and they were "very happy for us from the start," she said. "I think Samuli's dad even kind of hoped that something like this would happen." Thankfully, their parents were always ‘very happy’ for the couple, but some friends proved to be ‘a bit doubtful’ and were "kind of judging". "Some of our friends were first a bit doubtful and [were] kind of judging. I think it was because of the confusion that someone I had been calling step-brother has to now be called my boyfriend," she said. At first, her friends' judgment bothered her and she started having doubts. But it was Ms Eriksson's mum who helped her "get my thoughts in order" and take a stab at love. However, Eriksson’s mum told her to do whatever she felt was right ‘in that moment’ and to follow her heart. [caption id="attachment_366559" align="alignnone" width="636"] Erikkson with husband Samuli and their parents. (Picture: Instagram/@matildaeriksson)[/caption] Eventually, her friends came round to the idea too after they saw the ‘connection’ and realised that the pair were ‘100 percent’ a ‘match made in heaven’. When they first got together, the couple began researching if step-siblings were legally allowed to marry in Finland. "First we found some false, old information that it would be illegal, but gladly one of my sister's closest friends is a law student and she told us that there would be no problem if we wanted to get married," Eriksson said. After getting engaged in October 2021, they got married in July this year, with Eriksson saying they had "proposed to each other at the same time and cried". After Eriksson shared a video explaining their story on TikTok, one user wrote: “At the end of the day, you guys were full adults when you met. No one forces older kids to act like siblings so why should you guys? True love.”