How We Met Stories

Because I’m always eager to hear how couples met – it’s an opportunity to add the story to the ceremony – I make it a practice to ask. Customization and humor are, after all, what set me apart as a wedding officiant.

Of course not all couples have glorious stories. Many meet online via dating sites, at work, or through a mutual friend. One groom made regular deposits at his bank and fell in love with the teller to whom he handed his money. Another couple came together because the lady wanted “Ready for Love” tattooed on her back and the tattoo artist took her at her word. I’ve served more than one pair that dated in middle or high school, dated, drifted apart, married, divorced, ran into each other and fell in love all over again.

Any of these kinds of hook-ups are fun to share with wedding guests. Weddings are joyous occasions and those in attendance, guests of the bride and groom, deserve some entertainment. But the best stories have an extra twist, either a happenstance of fate or something that reveals an admirable quality about at least one of persons whose wedding it is. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Joe was at an arcade when he spotted an attractive lady with a quarter in hand hesitating between two games as though undecided which to play. As she made her move toward one of them, he hastened forward and put his own quarter in for her. She thanked him, played the game, and then reciprocated the courtesy. They chatted a bit while playing more games, all of which Joe won. “I’ve beaten you every time so I think you owe me your phone number,” he told her. Ashley complied, and you know the rest.

Mark, Amanda, and joined family.

Amanda subscribed to a dating site and got a “Hi” message from someone named Kevin. In texting him a return “Hi,” she missed his number by a single digit. Her “Hi” went to a man named Mark who responded with a “Hi” of his own. A series of text exchanges followed, leading to phone calls and, in time, dates. Next was their wedding, with their combined five kids in attendance.