Together, they work on their garden. Participating in a city tree-tending course years ago yielded free cherry and hazelnut trees for their now leafy front yard, to which the squirrels they feed added a mulberry, an oak, and some hollies. They spend time with the cats and do crossword puzzles.

What they do has never really mattered that much though, Dmitrii said. Dates are simply “wherever we can be together.”

A very surprised Ben joyfully said yes. Caitlin gave him a $20 gold-plated ring that was meant to be a placeholder, but Ben has grown too emotionally attached to trade it in. At Thanksgiving, he gave her a ring made with diamonds that had belonged to his grandmother.

There was never really a question about children; Eli, an only child, wanted to raise siblings, and Abby, who is one of three, yearned to replicate her family’s warmth and closeness.

Frank handed her their special packet of hot sauce — they found it at Taco Bell right after he moved in and have been randomly hiding it around their home for the other to find ever since. It said, “Marry me.”

Neither had a lot of money then, but they would share the food they cooked and give each other inexpensive but thoughtful gifts. “We were very caring toward each other,” said Adam.

“Hopefully, by January, this will be something everybody can look forward to,” Amy said.

The protest along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway briefly turned into a wedding party Saturday afternoon, as Kerry Anne and Michael Gordon joined the march on their wedding day.

Denial crashed on March 15 when their wedding venue called about a backup plan. Within four hours, Mary replanned the entire event, rebooking every vendor for June 5. But as the COVID-19 situation worsened, those plans were also canceled.

It was all so romantic and gorgeous and … a bit sad. Traveling together wasn’t enough; they wanted a life together.

The new study indicates the pandemic may not be as bad for romantic relationships as originally feared. Said a researcher: "When the world feels uncertain, having your partner there to be your rock is assuring.”

Walter, now 51, and Mary Jane, now 55, married that June in Walter’s mom’s backyard. They wrote their own vows – his romantic and poetic, hers delivering love, but also some practical advice.

The week before the previously scheduled April 17 wedding, Adam noted with disappointment that their marriage license would soon expire. At work the next day, Jessica sent Adam a text: “Let’s do this. Let’s get married.”