Love and Marriage - but not necessarily in that order

Ok, I am an idiot. I just learned about “Cuffing season” and how the whole process has been on steroids during COVID19. If you are as uninformed as I am, let me explain. Rather than spending the winter alone, singles seek out (and often settle for) someone they could co-habit with during lockdown. Sometimes people decide to live together after one or two socially distanced dates.  How sad is that? But, then…how logical, too? I know if I had to face this winter alone, I would fall apart.

Although I didn’t know that this practice existed, I must admit that Bill and I often discussed how grateful we were that both of our kids were already ‘hitched’ to awesome partners well before COVID19 struck.   

Our son, Will, is an extraordinary man. He met an equally extraordinary woman while studying in Michigan and they decided to get married. No date was set, but they figured sometime in 2020 or 2021. We were thrilled.

However, Clare (his partner) was offered a position at Dartmouth in New Hampshire, necessitating a major move. It also accelerated the wedding date. They decided, last June 2020, to have a civil ceremony, officiated by their pal and attended by their immediate family members… all on Zoom. It was both horrible and lovely at the same time. Horrible because Clare got cheated out of a real wedding and all that it entails- flowers, a dress, all the fun preparation, speeches, dancing, a champagne luge (ok that’s what I got cheated out of)  … AND a real ring. It was lovely because, well, these two are sooooooooo in love.

Falling in love and marrying during COVID19 necessarily means things have to be adjusted and some things may have to wait.  Clare and Will were technically married but they didn't have the ring to 'prove' it.  So, after the ceremony, Clare and Will worked on finding the perfect ring. The design and shape and stone – they put real thought into it. It all culminated in a beautiful setting. Reeds Jewelers sourced the stones and made the ring a reality. It was delivered to the happy couple in New Hampshire this week.

Consequently, Will proposed to his wife this week. On a snowy lake, right outside their cozy cottage in New Hampshire, he got down on one knee. And, if this photo doesn’t make you smile, perhaps you need to find someone with whom to cuff.