Demetre and Lindsey Makratzakis met in 2016 while they were undergraduates at WSU. Six years later, they got engaged.

The couple said they met on Tinder. Lindsey said her roommate had put her onto the app after Thanksgiving break that year.

Lindsey was not expecting much from her swiping on Tinder, she said. Then Lindsey stumbled upon Demetre, she said, and they talked for a while.

Demetre and Lindsey talked about basic stuff, Demetre said, like what they were studying, where they were from and their years in school. Demetre said that he “wanted to close the deal,” so he then asked her to brunch.

On their first date, Lindsey said she was very nervous, but Demetre said he was in awe and thought she was more beautiful in person than in the photos. Demetre said he told Lindsey that she was being modest with the photos because she was super cute.

Lindsey said that on the first date, they felt like they had known each other forever.

“Our mutual values lined up, everything about our families matched up, we chatted until the restaurant closed,” Lindsey shared.

They started officially dating about a month and a half later.

Lindsey and Demetre said they bonded more over Cougar football games and other activities at WSU, and that they also took trips to downtown Pullman and visited places like Rico’s Public House, The Foundry and more.

“I can’t imagine being with someone that didn’t go to WSU,” Lindsey said. 

The couple also said they loved exploring and traveling together. On one of their travels, they said they went to Greece to spend time with Demetre’s family.

Lindsey said she and Demetre got two puppies just after they started dating. When they got the puppies, Demetre said, “just because we have puppies does not mean we would be official boyfriend and girlfriend, and definitely doesn’t mean we’re getting married.”

Lindsey said it became an inside joke among their families, as she and Demetre did eventually develop plans to get married.

Six years later, Lindsey and Demetre still have the two dogs.

Lindsey said that being with Demetre feels like being with your best friend, someone that understands you.

“We don’t have to force it,” Demetre said.

Demetre graduated from WSU in 2019, and Lindsey graduated in 2017.

The couple moved to Oregon together, where Lindsey pursued her master’s degree while Demetre worked at an engineering company. Two years ago, they moved back to Pullman, and Lindsey is now doing her Ph.D. at WSU while Demetre works as a civil engineer in Moscow.

“We are back in Pullman for round two,” Lindsey said.

The couple said they loved Pullman. They are so much in love with Pullman, Lindsey said, that she and Demetre are planning to start a family here.

“It feels just like home,” Demetre said.