South Jersey couples renew their vows on Valentine’s Day
Each couple was socially distanced and wore face masks — except when they kissed.
Wendy and Mike Coffman renew their vows during the annual "I Heart Haddonfield" event on Valentine's Day Sunday in Haddonfield. They've been married for 19 years.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
Twenty-four married couples renewed their vows and celebrated their love on Valentine’s Day in downtown Haddonfield on Sunday evening, as the borough hosted its third annual “I Heart Haddonfield” event.
The celebration was co-sponsored by the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust next to the “Low-Poly Open Heart” sculpture in Kings Court.
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Each couple was socially distanced and wore face masks — except when they kissed — for their individual ceremony, officiated by the mayor and borough commissioners in the South Jersey town.
Celeste and Ernest Merriweather, Jr. renew their vows. They live in Voorhees and have been married 20 years. Celeste said that “because this is a milestone anniversary year, we figured why not?”Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
The Merriweathers in front of the welded diamond laser-cut aluminum sculpture by artist M.L.Duffin, that has been in downtown Haddonfield at Kings Court since 2018.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
Mary Mondatsos surprised Costas, her husband of 16 years, by signing up for the event. They live in West Collins Heights and last year for their 15th anniversary took a cruise to the Caribbean.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
Debbie and Frank Troy of Haddonfield have been married 22 years. They didn’t sign up for the event, but didn’t have any dinner plans, “and we had to walk the dog anyway,” Celeste said. They came downtown with their 4 year-old boxer, Jetty, figuring another couple might have canceled. Their hunch was correct, and “we just swooped right in.”Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
Cara Arter takes off the face mask of her husband Chris so they can kiss after they renewed their vows - on their first anniversary. The couple live in Haddonfield and were married during the same ceremony last February.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
Cara and Chris Arter pose for a photo by relatives after the ceremony.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
Adam Puff with the co-sponsor Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust (HOST) waits with a rose to hand to couples renewing their vows.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
Twenty-four married couples renewed their vows and celebrated their love on Valentine’s Day in downtown Haddonfield Feb, 14, 2021, as the borough hosted its third annual “I Heart Haddonfield” event. The celebration was co-sponsored by the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust next to the “Low-Poly Open Heart” sculpture in Kings Court.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
For one couple, Cara and Chris Arter of Haddonfield, the day was extra special: It was their first anniversary. They were married during a ceremony at the same event last year, after getting engaged just a few months earlier at Christmas.
They had planned on a January 2021 wedding but read about the Valentine’s Day event, and last year Cara said to Chris, “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if we got married in three weeks?” So they did.
Wendy and Mike Coffman, who also live in Haddonfield, have been married 19 years and wanted to do something special during the pandemic. They’re hoping COVID-19 won’t prevent a bigger observance for their 20th anniversary in May.
