Mini-Vows

Stephanie Fleischman expected to become engaged when Zach Kuperman planned a trip to Italy, but there were several other surprises along the way.

Lucie Lott and Lalo Fabregas did a triple take the first time they saw each other. He almost canceled their first date for fear of falling in love.

Eric Rothman had a funny way of asking Courtney DiGia to prom. Ultimately, it worked out for them.

When Jim Dolce and Ashley Tyrner met in 2019, they talked business over tacos. It would take several more meet-ups for things to turn romantic.

Elise Nikolaisen was seeking professional advice when she reached out to Bailey Carlin on social media. She got it, along with a relationship.

Marc Rofsky surprised and delighted Jon Kay on their first date with two sweet treats in a crumpled bag that he had brought back from Portugal.

When Kana Abe and Jack Seemer got a second chance in the cafe car on St. Patrick’s Day, 2012, they recognized their good luck.

Dianna Mateos and Edgar Angel met over 10 years ago at a quinceañera. The two have grown together ever since.

Tyler Eyre and Yasmin Khorram, whose family fled Iran four decades ago, describe the connection on their first date as “like lightning.”

Their families have been close for years, but Katie Brownlie and Brian Nagy didn’t truly connect until after college.

Ally Moreo and Matthew Gutierrez met as student reporters. It was on a cross-country road trip that she knew she wanted to marry him.

Newly elected Mayor Phillip Jones of Newport News, Va., proposed to Dr. Jamila Wynter on the balcony of second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s office on her birthday.

Once Timothy Murray landed a date with Michael Bullard, the two were inseparable — except when they were separated by their work as actors.

Dolly Meckler said that she and Jordan Cohen got along right away because they “speak the same language.” Both work in social media and connected nearly four years ago on a dating app.

Jen Tullock and Marie Ronn met through a dating app, but didn’t start dating until months later when they saw each other at a film premiere.

Mitchell Karr met Veronica McCracken on her first day of work at an architectural firm, but it was at an interior design fashion show a year and a half later when sparks began to fly.

Nora O’Neill and Gabriel Grand began dating in 2014. Ms. O’Neill’s twin had an inkling then that the relationship was going to get serious.

Bryan Braswell knew crab curry could get a little messy on his first date with Caroline White at a Sri Lankan restaurant. So he came prepared.

Matthew Burroughs and Diana McDermott married on May 4, which the bride referenced in her vows by saying, “May the force be with us.”

Alexandra Voyatzakis was initially reluctant to connect with Pontus Henriksson, but a few months later, when she had the opportunity again, she took it.

Rober Lawrence and Shawna Rodrigues, high school crushes, waited until the third act to make their love story official.

Megan Lerchenmuller and Glenn Josey, who worked together on a construction project, had drinks and dinner as colleagues. They soon began dating.

Sabrina Marzaro took a break from dating apps after relocating to Paris in 2020. When she returned to them, at the start of 2022, her first, and final, match was with Jorge Ruivinho.

Andrew Matt met Kayla Dye six years ago at an indoor cycling studio in Dallas after signing up for a class she was teaching. Both instructor and student were immediately smitten.

Wiktor Freifeld lived in Tusia Dabrowska’s apartment when she left Warsaw for New York. A deep friendship soon followed.

Maddie Whittle and Charles Bramesco met through the New York film scene, connecting over a shared sensibility (and an affinity for the horror genre).

Asiah James and Gerald Cannon II initially went with the flow, but after years of balancing professional ambitions and quality time together, decided to join forces forever.

Elaiza Ramos and Marc Reyes, high school sweethearts in the Philippines, broke up after graduating, but reunited several years later at a reunion with some classmates.

Ben Krauss flew to Athens to propose to Shana Mansbach, with the help of her State Department colleagues, on the last stop of a European tour.

As Deborah Yarchun and Benjamin Parr traveled across the country during the pandemic, their bond became stronger at each stop.

Alex Zhou and Eddie Kay met on a plane heading to Boston from Los Angeles. After going their separate ways, the two reconnected on social media.

Caroline Franklin, a teacher, and Kevin Wilkes, an architect, dated in high school, and then again 49 years later.

Sarah Wood was not interested in a long-distance relationship with Gustavo González. That changed after they met at a cafe in Spain.

Elena Bauer and Joshua Fagel weren’t looking for anything serious when they first met at a fraternity party at Stanford. A month after meeting, they had a change of heart.

Ten years after meeting at a party at Harvard, Svetlana Dotsenko and Fabián Poliak reconnected while both were traveling in Europe.

When they met at the wedding of two good friends, Alexandra Dale and Patrick Kohout discovered they had been born at the same hospital.

Tanya Sareen met Joel Adolphson, a former squadron mate of her brother Taj, who had been killed while serving six years earlier.

Krystle-Jayne Ng said she was a “serial dater.” Hanna Rinderknecht-Mahaffy was new to online dating. They hit it off instantly.

After seeing Joelle Gamble’s “Lord of the Rings” tattoo on her dating profile, Zachary Copeland believed he had found his soul mate. But he would have to wait more than a year to find out.

Arnim Kaiser and Pamela Grace were both out-of-towners dining alone in Arles, France. Their waitress was watching in the wings.

Maxwell Da Silva, who is from Brazil, and Jane Satsuk, who is from Russia, immediately connected over their “very humble beginnings.” But it was Mr. Da Silva’s cooking that won her heart.

Maria Bun and Mench Antopina downed shots together in Singapore or via FaceTime when they were apart while watching the reality TV show.

Just a few weeks after meeting, Tiffany Langlinais and Michael Graves evacuated New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Ida. A tumultuous two weeks on the road solidified their relationship.

Colton Elliott went to great lengths — including a same-day trip from Memphis to New York — to make Allie Hill his wife.

Ben Cohen wanted to make sure Lexi Tobin, a wedding influencer and proposal planner, got the proposal of a lifetime.

Jared Jones and Caroline Darmody’s political differences contributed to a split. Eventually they were able to appreciate all they had in common.

Amanda Cook and Drew Anello breezed through each other’s nonnegotiables. She won his heart, as well as his grandmother’s.

Chris Marazzo fell for Rose Minutaglio across the crowded backroom at Forlini’s Italian restaurant.

Luke Robinson was rendered nearly speechless as he grabbed takeout from Gustavo Lopes, whose first impression was a little less romantic.

Ilana Maier and Scott Berlin first connected via email while working on a campaign. Sparks flew when they met in person during a snack run.

Talia Bernstein and Kristen Zublin became friends after meeting at an improv class in Los Angeles, but their relationship shifted after Ms. Bernstein invited Ms. Zublin over for homemade pizza.

As Angie Lucas floated on a raft in the pool at Dennis Weisse’s home, she recalled thinking, “I wish I could live here.” Her wish came true.

Alison Eggert and Raylynne Perez met through a dating app last June, and just two months later they were engaged.

Jenna Wynne met Conor Cahill during SantaCon more than eight years ago. After singing at countless weddings, Ms. Wynne surprised guests with a memorable performance at her own wedding.

Dr. Regina Liu was a medical student at U.C.L.A., and Dr. Justin Park was in residency training there, but they did not meet until they matched online.

After a trip to promote her best seller “Mostly Dead Things,” Kristen Arnett detoured to meet Kayla Upadhyaya in person for the first time.

Melissa Cuc begrudgingly went to a Halloween party in Miami. That decision would change her life when she met Alexander Witkoff.

It took a couple of fleeting viruses for Victoria Voos and Corey Buresch to “hard launch,” she said, into becoming a very committed couple.

Before Alan Harbron even knew Kate Tsyrlin, she had set her sights — and Hinge settings — on him.

Carissa Bauman volunteered to hand out fliers for one of Dylan Jakobsen’s music gigs. She later became his best friend and manager.

Kavi Packiam and Stephanie Rodriguez met at a Manhattan nightclub and became official less than three months later. However, the pandemic and distance got in the way.

On their third date in Houston, Dr. Daniel Vener asked Andrea Allen if she could picture moving to New Zealand with him in about a year. She said yes.

“I wanted to shoot my shot,” Chip Dizárd said of his courtship of Connie Gilmore.

During the coronavirus lockdown, Joseph Caneco and Layne Hilton were both willing to step outside their comfort zones, if not their homes.

After Pamela Dillon and Stephen Dillon split in 2008, they became business partners. Over a decade later, they realized they were still in love.

When the Rev. Peter Manning learned that Garth Wingfield had also completed the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, he thought, “Don’t screw this up.”

During a night of stargazing, Ali Angco was trying to be a wing woman for a friend who liked Ian Chua. But she accidentally charmed him instead.

Eric Graves is a self-proclaimed dog person, but Julia Tiller, and a few of her feline friends, brought him to the other side.

After Molly Hunt matched with Harry Rimalower on Bumble, they went out to a bar — Mr. Rimalower’s first date since his separation.

Once Kelsey Kiyota and Elliott Lin discovered a love of the same movie franchise, there was no looking back.

When Leslie Marshall and Tamar Malloy began dating, Dr. Malloy was just weeks away from relocating to Colorado for a teaching job.

Shoshana Heerter, who is Jewish, and Rahul Boga, who is Hindu and from India, met online and bonded over their differences. But they had to get creative about convincing their traditional families.

Julia Gerard and Adam Romund began dating their senior year of high school. And after each had both earned an undergraduate degree, it was clear that an engagement was imminent.

Garrison Rufa and Theodore Lavoie grew up in New England and were both avid snowboarders, but they didn’t meet until they matched on Tinder.

Pavol Roskovensky, who once worked at the museum, deepened his relationship with Claire Anderson-Wheeler while giving her special tours.

When Corey Mach and Marco D’Angelo first met, Mr. D’Angelo had only ever seen three musicals, the tip of the theatrical iceberg. Then he fell in love with a Broadway actor.

Hayley Hitchcock met Brandon Brown on Hinge while waiting out the Covid-19 pandemic with her parents in Bozeman, Mont. Before their ceremony, Mr. Brown took an icy dive in the Gallatin River.

Matthew Vella and Joel Kimling met more than six years ago during an internship at the Virginia Repertory Theater. When they were assigned to the same apartment, it wasn’t quite love at first sight.

Maxwell Dubler, who competed in downhill skateboarding, and Carl Cade, a real estate developer, seemed like opposites. But as they got to know each other, they realized they had much in common.

Britton Wehmeyer and Lexi Smith met at a University of Texas “nerd” party. Six years into their relationship, a yearlong break and couples therapy helped them heal and reflect.