Katie Sturino and John Forkin were married June 19 at the Cooper Hewitt Museum’s Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden in Manhattan. Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City and the father of a friend of the bride, officiated.
The bride, 38, writes “The 12ish,” a blog that pushes for a body-positive outlook; she also has an Instagram account for the same purpose. She is the founder of Megababe, a line of beauty and personal care products for women. She is a volunteer, focusing on stopping puppy mills, with the Humane Society of the United States She graduated from the University of Wisconsin.
She is a daughter of Nancy Sturino and Santo J. Sturino, of Whitefish Bay, Wis.
The groom, 36, is taking his wife’s name. He is a law student at Hofstra. He graduated from the University at Albany.
He is a son of Eileen Conmie and John Joseph Forkin, of Canton, Ga.
The bride’s first marriage ended in divorce, as did the groom’s.
Ms. Sturino and Mr. Forkin met on the Bumble dating app in February 2017. At the time of their meeting, Mr. Forkin was living in Astoria, Queens, and working as a UPS delivery driver, and Ms. Sturino was living in Manhattan and already an entrepreneur. Their first date, Mr. Forkin’s idea, was a screening of the Disney movie “Beauty and the Beast” in Manhattan, on Valentine’s Day.
“I was shocked that he was into that, but I love Disney movies, so I was like, ‘You know what? O.K., we can go,’” Ms. Sturino said.
Though she had initiated a conversation with him on Bumble because she thought he was cute, she was not impressed with his appearance when they met.
It was his outfit. “He was wearing jeggings,” she said. “I definitely was not thinking, ‘This is the man of my dreams.’”
Still, the evening ended with a kiss. And though Ms. Sturino wasn’t sure she wanted to hear from Mr. Forkin again, she did. Sooner than she expected. The day after their date she left for a trip to Antigua with a friend. Mr. Forkin texted constantly.
“He would just tell me what was going on with his day. And that’s the thing about John — he’s so comfortable just being himself,” Ms. Sturino said. She was charmed.
On her return from Antigua, Mr. Forkin arranged a second date at an Italian restaurant, Forno Siciliano, in his neighborhood.
“It’s the best Sicilian restaurant ever,” he said. “It really worked out.” This time, he dressed more carefully. “I felt the vibe that my jeggings were no good, and I made an adjustment.”
A few weeks later, a nor’easter hit New York. Ms. Sturino had a moment of reckoning. “I was thinking, I don’t want to be in my apartment alone,” she said. “But the only person I wanted to come over was John. That’s when I knew there was something there.”
Mr. Forkin had decided long before that Ms. Sturino was more than just good company. “Not only was she beautiful, I was really inspired by what she does to advance women and for puppy mill awareness,” he said. Now in his second year of law school, he too hopes to inspire others, by becoming a civil rights or public interest lawyer.
He had no qualms about taking his wife’s last name. “I thought, why not be progressive about it?” he said.
Mr. Forkin added that his personal style has changed “dramatically” since Ms. Sturino entered his life. “I now have an extensive collection of button downs,” he said. “It makes me feel special that she loves me enough to make sure I look good.”
