Haley Messner and Tanner Cemper do not disagree that 2020 has been a difficult year. But for them, it’s a tossup on whether 2019 might have been worse. Ms. Messner said she was “pretty homeless” for a while that year. Mr. Cemper, too, spent a solid part of it feeling he had skidded off the…
On a Friday evening in October 2015, Amol Somnath Naik wanted to head home for the day. He was working for Google at the time, and had spent the week accompanying an out-of-town executive to meetings in Atlanta. The final event of the week was a dinner to discuss diversity in the city’s tech industry.…
When Anthony Sauler messaged Michael Chertok on OkCupid in July 2016, they were both mourning the loss of a beloved pet. Mr. Chertok had just lost Java, a Rottweiler he had for 11 years. For Mr. Sauler, it was Ash, a formerly feral cat who had wandered into his backyard and he had for seven…
Cynthia Bailey didn’t know what to expect after her friend Steve Harvey set her up with Mike Hill on a “Dating Game”-style segment of Mr. Harvey’s talk show taped in January 2018. Longtime fans of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” had already watched her date, get engaged, marry and divorce one man before she…
Kitchen gadgets and accessories are usually high on the list of most wedding gift registries, but they’re especially in demand these days as couples spend more time preparing meals at home during the coronavirus pandemic. We asked four experienced chefs across the country to share some of their go-to wedding gifts. Here’s a sampling. Molly…
Losing a loved one is always devastating, and those feelings of loss are heightened at a time when many have been forced to say goodbye through a screen. In this week’s Modern Love essay, Jared Misner, a writer in Charlotte, N.C., grapples with the complexities of socially distanced mourning following the loss of his best…
When Peter Moon saw Helen Kim’s profile on the dating app Hinge on Jan. 8, 2019, he swiped right immediately. The answer she had provided to an app-generated question about the one word her mother might use to describe her — “disobedient” — had stopped him cold. “That was the thing that got me, other…
Alongside veils, tiaras and spiffy neckwear, brides and grooms getting married during the coronavirus pandemic have added face masks to their must-have wedding accessories. Top wedding designers and artists on platforms like Etsy released a slew of masks made specifically for couples and their attendants. Some match dresses and suits while others incorporate something blue.…
Black bridal designers have been at the forefront of innovation in the bridal fashion industry for years, yet many of them have failed to receive the recognition that they deserve. Most famously, when Ann Lowe, a Black woman who created gowns for debutantes and society brides, designed Jacqueline Bouvier’s gown for her wedding to John…
The coronavirus has forced many couples to abandon their 200-plus guest lists and opt instead for a virtual wedding ceremony or micro wedding. And with these changes also comes a shift in attire — somehow that elaborate ball gown you envisioned wearing before the pandemic seems out of context. So what would be more appropriate…