What Is the Gray Rock Method?

Take a moment to imagine a small gray rock sitting in the palm of your hand. It’s silent, smooth and otherwise unremarkable. Are you bored yet? If so, that’s kind of the point. Most people will eventually lose interest in a dull piece of granite. So there’s a theory percolating online that if you adopt…

An Engagement Ring, but No Fiancé

I was flying from Boston, where I grew up, back to Michigan, where I had moved five years earlier to live with my boyfriend, Steve. As I reached for a packet of pretzels from the flight attendant, she grabbed my left hand and said, “Oh, your ring is beautiful. Are you engaged?” “Yes,” I said.…

They Swiped and Immediately ‘Clicked’

The main character at Dolly Lana Meckler’s wedding was probably her dress: a theatrical, reconstructed Pucci gown that was more than two years in the making. Her parents, both “eccentric” artists, first spotted the dress at a Pucci store at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Woodbury, N.Y., in February 2022, Ms. Meckler said. They sent…