How We Met

Every little and not so little girl dreams of a knight on a white horse who’ll come to sweep her away, put his jacket over a puddle so she doesn’t get her precious feet wet, tell her how unbelievably beautiful and wonderful she is. For some, the modified version actually comes true, and in fact, it’s better that way… taking care of a horse is time consuming and expensive (plus, I hear that they are as dumb as they are beautiful). If you ever browse the New York Times online edition, skip the intellectually-stimulating editorials, gloss over the news worthy articles, and head straight for the Weddings/Celebration section (http://www.nytimes.com/pages/fashion/weddings/index.html), you will be led to believe that the knights on white horses are all around you and lovely maidens, well, they are beautiful, charming, and fresh, even if they are, ever so slightly, past their prime.

The featured “human interest” stories usually showcase a lame romance between John and Jill (who, being that we are in New York, often end up being Rachel and Jonathan). Amy Dickinson’s and Bruno Schickel’s story particularly touched my heart. Looks like high school sweethearts reunited a few decades and marriages later. I could not be more thrilled for them! Their completely unstaged photo permeates my screen with total bliss. However touching the stories in the Vows section are, they cannot compete with the pearls of cinematography in the “How We Met” section. The section editorial staff asks the lucky couples to submit home videos: “We ask that these videos focus on the story of how the couples met and ultimately decided to make the relationship permanent.” If your video is selected, you may have the good fortune of having a loser like me make fun of its every aspect while on the clock. Thus far, my favorite video is about some “marketing executive” (whatever that means) and her circus clown husband. Terrific.

I must say that I am most interested in “How We Met” – 5 years later section. I’d love to hear about how those couples fared. If I appear judgmental and critical, it’s because I am. :) But don’t worry, I expect a surprise “How We Met” video for when we renew our vows.