Is it possible for two people to connect solely by their voices and become engaged before ever meeting in person? That is the question posed by Love is Blind: Sweden, the matchmaking reality show that was started in the U.S.

We got to follow five couples that got engaged, went on a honeymoon, and lived together, before deciding if they wanted to get married. Krissy-Le and Rasmus, Meira and Oskar, and Amanda and Sergio all said yes to each other at the altar, Emilia said yes to a future with Lucas but Lucas was not ready to commit to Emilia and said no, while Catja and Christofer decided to part ways ahead of the wedding.

Q&As after the Reunion episode

The Reunion – where we meet the participants for the first time since the altar – has been released, giving us an update on what has happened since the cameras went out.

We’ve spoken to the participants again, where they share everything from what it was like to take part in the experiment, special memories or unseen events, and their thoughts on the future.

Christofer

What have you learned about yourself through the experiment and what are you looking for in your next relationship?
I was reminded that love does exist. Sometimes it feels hard, almost like I had it and lost it – like I will never find love again. I found that feeling again when I thought it was gone.

I really want to find my soulmate, but it takes time and I will give it that time. Hurry up slowly. In a future relationship, the most important thing for me is that it is built on mutual respect, humility and humor.

If you had to do something different, what would it be?
There’s really nothing I would have wanted to do differently. But with hindsight – and if there was a time machine – I might have dated others more and seen where it would have led. But Catja has a wonderful soul and is pleasant to talk to. She was responsive but still cheeky. I think humor is one of the most important things in a relationship. She had that.

How does it feel that your expression “The joy and eternal longing of my heart” has gone viral?
I love that it has gone viral – it’s great that such a beautiful phrase is on everyone’s lips right now. I’ve noticed there’s a bit of a love-hate relationship with the phrase, but deep down I think everyone loves saying it and wishes someone would say it back. The sentence has such a strong meaning and it says so much.

How did you feel when you found out that Catja had met Adde?
I found out about a month after we broke up. The news that Catja had started seeing someone new was very hard on me. I tried to process our relationship in my loneliness. I felt like she moved on very quickly, which made it feel like our relationship was in vain – my heart was broken. The fact that the person she met is my absolute opposite also made me very confused and I had so many questions. Questions I realized I will never get answers to. It hurt my heart at first when I found out they were dating, but I have given it time and have moved on and let it go. I wish them joy and happiness in life.

Catja

Thanks to the experiment, you actually met Adde. How does it feel? What did you fall in love with?
That’s correct, thanks to the experiment I met Adde and it feels so amazing! I believe that everything happens for a reason and maybe our paths were meant to cross after the experiment, not during. I found something in him already from the first date but after that there was nothing more – for what reason only the gods know. At the end of the capsule period, I asked for a second date, but by then I think we were both so engrossed in our own journeys that neither of us dared – or wanted – to move on. Once we met in the Stockholm nightlife at a day party, it was like lightning struck and it was love at first sight.

I usually describe him as “old money love” and that is exactly what I need in my life. A gentleman who takes the initiative, listens and dares to challenge my way of thinking from time to time. He is incredibly caring, loving and always puts me first. He has his life in place, is confident in himself as a person, driven and gives me the greatest security I have ever felt.

If you had to do something different, what would it be?
I wouldn’t have done anything differently at all. I was always honest with myself and I always followed my gut feeling. It really says it all and if there’s one thing you should go by, it’s your gut – it’s never wrong.

What have you learned about yourself through the experiment?
Mainly that I do not become less independent just because I let myself be taken care of. I’ve always had my mother’s words in the back of my mind that you should always be able to stand on your own two feet, which I have basically always done, but becoming single and realizing that “oh, I can handle adult life on my own” is an incredible confirmation that anything is possible if you just want it. Thanks to the experiment, I found what I was looking for. It was just on a different path and I am incredibly grateful for that. You have to dare a little to win.

Sergio and Amanda

What are you most looking forward to in your married life and how do you feel about becoming parents together?
We look forward to sharing an everyday life together and having each other as support in all the ups and downs of life. Right now it’s extra exciting as we are having a child together – this shortly after the wedding. It really is a new chapter. It will be wonderful to go through this journey – from pregnancy, to childbirth, and then to carry home a little baby that we will raise.

If you could do something differently, what would it be?
A: I don’t have any regrets but I think it would have been good if I had taken a leave of absence and focused more on the experiment and thus felt less stress during the period of filming.

S: I came back to Sweden the same day that Love is Blind started recording – I went straight from the airport to the location. In retrospect, it would probably have been good to go back earlier and land a bit before taking part of the experiment.

What have you learned about yourselves through the experiment?
S: That it is scary to make yourself vulnerable.
A: That you should always trust your gut.

Amanda: How do you feel about the initial criticism of Sergio after the first episodes aired?
It was hard to see so much hate and that people who don’t know us were basing their opinions on what they saw. I wanted to be defensive – even for my own sake – as I was portrayed as having accepted everything. Something that it felt like others were upset about. When episodes 5-8 were released, things got much better. It felt like people could relate to Sergio’s development and understand that people deal with emotions in different ways. To be able to build a safe environment together and look past the initial – to really get to know a person deeply is a beautiful thing. It was really a turnaround.

Emilia

How did it feel to get a no at the altar? How did you move on after?
You’d think it would feel like a slap in the face, but to be honest, I stayed strong and was able to take Lucas’s “no”. After all, I had gotten to know him and was aware of his insecurities, so I knew it was going to be a no. Based on our previous dialogues, I trusted that there was a chance to explore our relationship under less stress and pressure even after the wedding – even though he said no. Many were probably surprised that I answered yes, and believe me I thought long and hard about my answer, but ended up saying that my yes is a yes to Lucas as a person and to dare to grow together as a couple. I couldn’t say no just because he might say it.

We stayed together for a few weeks after the wedding because I was willing to give Lucas the time he had asked for – because I had so much love for him and the good we had in our relationship. Maybe I was naive, but at least I can’t be blamed for having hope and faith in love. And that I am not the first to give up.

What have you learned about yourself through the experiment and what are you looking for in your next relationship?
I have learned a lot – mainly about myself and my strengths. But I have also learned that sometimes I have to see things for what they really are and dare to prioritize myself. The experiment reminded me that actions speak louder than words and that I shouldn’t have to give so much of myself without getting as much in return.

I have never been particularly superficial and I like to give people a chance based on their personality. I also know that nobody is perfect. I went into the experiment thinking that love could be blind. This time it turned out not to be, but regardless, I want to believe in the expression. There is proof that love is blind and that feels beautiful. In my next relationship, I’m looking for exactly the same thing I was looking for when I started the experiment: a loving relationship, with lots of humor and adventure, but also a best friend relationship. I want a relationship where you can share everything with each other. Where you dare to communicate and be honest, no matter how dark it is. I am a humble but also fearless person, and I would like to have a partner who appreciates that. I want a relationship where all the love I have to give is reciprocated.

If you had to do something different, what would it be?
I rarely regret anything and I wouldn’t say I regret my journey in Love is Blind. I am disappointed with the outcome but feel that there was probably a reason why it had to go this way. It’s easy to have hindsight – the only thing I can say I could have done differently was to listen more to my friends. It’s a difficult balance when you listen to your heart as hard as I did – I should have trusted my gut more and I should have put myself first much earlier than I did.

Lucas

You didn’t find love in the experiment – are there any lessons that you have taken into your current relationship?
I have learned many things from this experiment, that I will take into the next relationship – above all, I’ve found out what I’m looking for in a relationship and what kind of person I want by my side. I have also become much better at communicating my feelings.

What have you learned about yourself through the experiment?
I really got to know myself on a deeper level. This experiment force you to search within yourself, because how are you going to convey who you are through a wall, if you don’t know who you are. And how can you choose the “right” person for you if you don’t know what you are looking for?

If you had to do something different, what would it be?
I wouldn’t have done anything differently if I were to do it all over again. It was with Emilia I would make this journey with or none at all. By completing the whole experiment, I think we gave our relationship a chance, and we didn’t give up. I am incredibly grateful for getting to know her and sharing this experiment with her.

Krisse-Ly and Rasmus

What are your most looking forward to in your married life?
K: I am most looking forward to starting a family and investing in a happy future together. We still have so much to discover about the world, life and each other – I look forward to doing that.

R: I look forward to an eventful life. That now, together, we can begin perhaps the most important journey of our lives. This could include everything from acquiring our dream home and designing it with Krissy’s incredible interior design skills. Starting a family and perhaps expanding from 4 to 5. Traveling even more and experiencing our dreams and goals together. All this is welcoming!

If you had to do something different, what would it be?
K: I wouldn’t have done anything differently, because it wouldn’t have turned out the way it did.

R: I wouldn’t do anything differently either. We have had to go through what we have gone through to build the solid foundation we have together today. I believe that going through adversity and challenges has strengthened us as a couple – all in the first year of marriage.

What have you learned about yourself through the experiment?
K: I have learned to love and accept myself more than ever before, which has also taught me to love others, especially Rasmus, better than I could before.

R: I said early on in the pods that I’m a guy who is close to emotions and I meant that I’m close to laughter, crying and feelings of love. The whole idea of being close to emotions has taken on a whole new meaning for me since I met Krissy. I’ve learned that Krissy is the definition of being close to emotions – I’m suddenly light years away from that. It’s one of the many things we’ve had to discover about each other, and even though we clicked on it in the pods, we’re completely different in real life.

Meira and Oskar

What are your most looking forward to in your married life?
M: I am first and foremost looking forward to starting our lives for real and not having to be as careful not to accidentally spoil etc. in the same way. Oskar and I are both people with great ambitions who love to discover and develop and I look forward to building our new lives together, reaching new heights, traveling and seeing what life has to offer us next.

O: We are looking forward to building a life together on the strong foundation we created during the experiment. It might seem like our road to marriage was constantly full of obstacles. We did have a few, but quickly overcame them through strong communication and a willingness to be understanding of one another. We therefor feel like we can overcome most things life might throw at us in the future. But right now, we hope to finally be able to relax and decompress a bit while enjoying life as a married couple without cameras. To start – we have a long trip planned to Thailand and the Philippines in March.

Are there any memories from your trip that we didnt get to see that you would like to share?
M: Unfortunately, you don’t get to see much of how our relationship developed in the capsules. We had many wonderful and deep conversations that lasted several hours. We bonded over our similarities but also how clearly we could actually see a future life together, and even though we never saw each other, the picture of the future was very clear. The strong connection we created in there could then take us through the entire journey, and even when things got scary and the fear of getting married so quickly kicked in, it was our strong start to the relationship that got us through it. We always knew what was ahead of us because we had already seen it in the capsules before. Of course, I also wish that you could have seen a little more of our beautiful and hopeful dates that we had in Stockholm. We understand that not everything can be included, but still want to emphasize that there were actually many of them as well. It was not only uncertain between us all the time, then we would not have said yes to each other of course.

O: Meira and I shared some beautiful moments in the pods and during the weeks out in the real world leading up to our marriage, which the viewers unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see. The strongest and most emotional moment for me was without a doubt when Meira gave me a gift inside the pods, before I gave her my ring in the same episode. The gift consisted of a small elephant in gold with a hidden compartment. And inside there was a note hidden, where she expressed her feelings towards me and also said she couldn’t see herself doing this journey with anyone else. At that moment, I knew my feelings for Meira had been answered. The elephant with the note was what kick-started our love story and carried us through the entire experiment all the way to the alter. This is something that was never shared with the viewers.

What do you appreciate most about each other?
M: I appreciate Oskar’s warmth, joy and positivity. And his love, of course. He is incredibly attentive, supportive and someone who really goes the extra mile for everyone around him. I am grateful to have found someone who is so kind, can offer himself but at the same time is straightforward and direct when needed. Simply put, a walking green flag.

O: Meira is a genuinely warm and caring woman, despite what others might think. She is a very smart and ambitious person who don’t back down from a challenge. She is also calm, great with communicating her thoughts and feeling and very family oriented. All great qualities I truly cherish.

What have you learned about yourself through the experiment?
M: The main thing I’ve learned is what I’m really looking for in a partner, and it wasn’t at all what I thought I was looking for before. I have dared to open up my heart in a way I didn’t think was possible. Then, with the help of Oskar, I have learned to dare to face my fears, to dare to throw myself into the unknown. I guess I always knew I was brave, but never knew I was capable of doing something as crazy as this experiment. My and Oskar’s relationship would never have been as strong as it is today if it wasn’t for the experiment and all those lessons and challenges we faced.

O: I have always been a patient guy, but after this experiment I have come to realize that patience truly is a virtue – given the obstacles Meira and I faced. Also, I have found that you don’t necessarily have to fall in love or marry a copy of yourself – something I used to believe. Opposites do indeed attract!