To fill the Johto Pokédex, she needed one Corsola. Sandra posted in a local Pokémon GO group, and Les stepped up and said he'd trade one. That promise turned into a date.
The two met in August 2021 in Ontario, Canada. Sandra thought it was a get-together of friends playing a game, but when they parted, Les tried to kiss her, and it effectively became a date, she says.
Even before they met in person, Les's attitude of saying he'd help her fill her Pokédex had left a good impression on Sandra.
The First Date on a Rainy Day
Sandra was exhausted in body and mind, working as a nurse around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She needed a reason to go outside, even briefly, so she started Pokémon GO, and by walking around the neighborhood looking for raids and chatting with other trainers in the local community, she says she slowly recovered her daily life.
Les, on the other hand, was a veteran who had played since the game's launch day. Even after moving to Windsor, Ontario, for a new job, the game was a channel for Les to get to know new people, they say.
It rained the day the two first met. When it suddenly poured during their walk, Les handed Sandra his own jacket and got soaked himself. Sandra recalled sensing from that small act what kind of person he was. The day stayed vivid for Les too.
Under the bus stop lights, Sandra, drenched in rain, looked especially radiant, and when he heard she had hardly ever traveled, he made up his mind that someday they'd go far away together and catch every Pokémon.
A Date That Became a World Trip
✦ Pokémon They Went Looking For
Each trip had a target
Walking together naturally led to travel. The two went looking for Klefki in France, Maractus and Heracross in Florida, and Hawlucha in Mexico.
With Pokémon you can meet in a particular region becoming the goal of the trip, there was one more reason to walk through an unfamiliar city.
Some days they found Pokémon in new places or did raids back to back, and other days, while watching a movie at home, they spun PokéStops with Pokémon GO Plus+ and traded the Pokémon caught later.
Les said the two still take about a 15-minute walk together every day, walking the game's routes. For people who love games and want to meet a partner in a game, wouldn't this be a beautiful, dreamlike daily life?
A Wedding With Pokémon GO Too
✦ Sandra and Les's Timeline
From first meeting to honeymoon
The two used to joke about holding a Pokémon-themed wedding in Japan. In 2024, Sandra applied for an event offering a special proposal opportunity at a Pokémon GO event, but wasn't selected.
Then the following year, the operating team contacted them saying they wanted to support their wedding. It started when Sandra submitted their story along with photos, they say.
The wedding was held on June 6, 2025, at Maritime Parc in Jersey City, New Jersey. The two were special invited guests of Pokémon GO Fest 2025, and after the ceremony they took photos with Pikachu and headed to the event site at nearby Liberty State Park.
There were 34 guests, including some who flew in from Europe. The preparation period was just 5 weeks, they say.
✦ Pokémon-Themed Wedding Props
From decorations to vows and rings
The wedding props were also themed to Pokémon. The rings came in a Love Ball, and the two read their vows from a tablet modeled after the Pokédex.
Sandra walked in to the Pokémon anime theme song, and guests left congratulatory messages on Pokémon Energy cards. On top of the cake were Chansey and Squirtle figures dressed to evoke the couple's jobs, nurse and firefighter.
They also engraved the familiar Pokémon battle phrase "I choose you" on the wedding rings. The taste for Pokémon carried through from the wedding decorations to the vows and the rings.
The honeymoon was with the game too. The two attended the Pokémon GO Wild Area in Nagasaki, Japan, in November 2025.
They traded Pokémon with local trainers, and even without speaking each other's languages fluently, they could communicate through the game, they say.
A Structure That Gets You Meeting People in Real Life
Pokémon GO uses real-world locations as its play space. You walk around finding PokéStops and Gyms, and in raids you team up with other trainers. Sandra and Les's first meeting also came from a trade request to fill a Pokédex.
A goal in the game became a concrete reason to meet in real life.
✦ When Your Friendship Level Rises
From friend activity to benefits
Pokémon GO has no feature for registering a romantic partner or spouse. Instead, you can add friends, send and receive gifts, and raise your friendship level by doing raids and battles together.
As your friendship level rises, real benefits come too, like extra Premier Balls in raids or battle bonuses. From December 2025, limited remote trading also became possible with friends who reach the 'Forever Friends' tier.
There's also a way to find local meetups. The Community Ambassador program supports running public offline meetups, and since event schedules are posted on Campfire and the Community Day map, other trainers can check them too.
A community registered as an ambassador community is a public group in which at least 10 trainers take part. Regular raid meetups and Community Days create chances to meet the same people again.
✦ Results From 449 Users
Recruited at Pokémon GO events and on social media
In an academic study published online in 2023, among 449 users recruited through Pokémon GO on-site events and social media, 88% said they had actually met someone through the game, and 78% said they had visited new places. 35% said they had also used a new shop because of the game.
It's not a game you enjoy shut up in your room; bonds naturally form with other people in the course of getting out of the house and being active.
In Korea, Pokémon GO began official service in January 2017. On September 5 to 6, 2026, an on-site event marking the Pokémon GO Fest 2026 Mega Finale was also held in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
At the site, a community hub, play zone, and photo zone were set up so trainers could gather and enjoy the game together.
Even when there's no big event, you can take part in local communities' raid meetups or Community Days, and events run by Community Ambassadors are also open to the public.
In Pokémon GO, which uses real places as its game board, a road you went out on to catch Pokémon can turn at some point into a road you walk with someone. For Sandra and Les, one Corsola was the start. Who knows?
Maybe on a path you stumble onto while playing Pokémon GO, you'll meet your soulmate too? hehe♡
That's all for this post. See you next time.
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🌐 Korean version: 《포켓몬 GO 페스트》 에서 결혼한 부부, 첫 만남은 포켓몬 '코산호' 교환이었다
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