Valentine’s Day in Times Square

Couples migrated to Times Square this week for the annual Times Square Valentine Heart celebration. Some got married, others made surprise proposals or renewed their vows.

The event, in its 11th year, started in 2009 with a giant heart sculpture, and now includes a design competition. This year’s winner was Reddymade, founded by Suchi Reddy. The firm created an 18-foot-tall “X” that is on display until Feb. 28 at Duffy Square, at 46th Street and Broadway.

The very first installation was a giant heart by Gage/Clemenceau Architects.

“The Valentine’s Day sculpture was originally an attempt to have an alternative to the Rockefeller Christmas tree,” said Tim Tompkins, the president of the Times Square Alliance. “The focus was really Times Square as a place of design. We also wanted to draw attention to it being a great place to have a date.”

Once the sculpture was showcased, alliance staffers spotted people kissing or getting married in front of it. Others saw wedding photos taken on the nearby ruby-red stairs.

In 2012, the event was expanded, and selected couples were offered a Times Square wedding, with some expenses paid by the Times Square Alliance. Soon, surprise proposals followed, then group vow renewals entered the mix.

As of today, according to the alliance, 33 couples have been married in Times Square since its Valentine’s Day event began, and there have been 22 marriage proposals.

“Some want quiet weddings, others want the whole world to share, record and transmit these moments to our millions of Facebook followers,” Mr. Tompkins said. “Fifteen years ago there wasn’t this instant transmission of these intimate things. People’s tolerance for publicly sharing their love is very much of our time. This is a mixture of intimacy, privacy, love, exhibition and sharing.”

Planning for a Cupid experience starts two days after the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. Within the first two weeks of January, a link goes up on the alliance’s website, inviting submissions from those who want to win a wedding or proposal spot. (This year the alliance said it received 10 to 20 for each of the two categories.)

“We look to see what’s special about a couple’s relationship and what’s their compelling connection to Times Square,” said Joe Papa, the events manager at the alliance. “We get a lot of first dates were here, or they saw a show or had a chance encounter.”

The 10- to 15-minute, alcohol-free, no-rice-throwing ceremony includes up to 24 chairs for guests and confetti favors for them to hold. Travel and transportation, flowers, balloons and photographers are the couple’s responsibility — along with providing a marriage license. Couples walk down a red carpet to the “Wedding March.” Many are dressed in white gowns and black tuxedos, though some are concealed under wool or down coats.

The first couple to wed on Valentine’s Day, at 11 a.m., were Theresa Shepard, a pediatrician, and Ryan Broderick, who works for Coca-Cola. Ms. Shepard, an Illinois native, and Mr. Broderick, who is from Massachusetts, met in 2017 at a mutual friend’s birthday party. The couple, who are both 38 and currently reside in Chesapeake, Va., each have children from previous marriages.

Thirty minutes later, Bernard Barrett, 39, shocked Sylvia Condon, 37, by getting down on one knee and proposing. The couple connected in 2010 at Murphys Rock Bar, a bar in Cork, Ireland, where Mr. Barrett was bartending. Two weeks later they were dating. The couple flew here from Ireland.

At noon, Rosa Torres, 56, a social worker who grew up in the Bronx, and Randell Alston, also 56, a general contractor from Queens, tied the knot in front of fans, strangers and family.

The two met in 1982 at a local rally for worker’s rights in New Brunswick, N.J. Mr. Alston, a student at Rutgers University at the time, said he saw Ms. Torres and thought, “I’m going to marry this woman.” And he did: The pair wedded in 1991. After two decades, however, they called it quits, and divorced in 2013. Then life took a turn for both, and they decided to reconcile.

“We’ve both had some health issues and we lived together during the divorce,” Mr. Alston said. “We realized we have something special. We have always loved each other. We are soul mates who offer unconditional, transformative and healing love. So we decided to get married again to unify our relationship.”

Ms. Torres entered the contest and the couple were selected to be the second marriage of the day.

“It’s a dream come true,” Mr. Alston said. “This Valentine’s Day is not just a card, or flowers or candy. Having our wedding here is part of the magic of our love in the most unique and fantastic way. This is a second chance.”

Another popping of the question occurred at 2 p.m. Oscar Macias, 37, a police officer, proposed to Elisa Camacho, 30, a sales executive for Travelers Insurance. The couple, based in Dallas, met through a mutual friend at a party. Months later they were a couple.

“We came here in 2013 — it was our first trip to New York, and our first trip together,” Mr. Macias said. “Both of us were in awe of Times Square. The lights and people and vibe was incredible. I never expected to be picked, and when you are, you just want it to be perfect.”

Although Ms. Camacho knew something big was planned, she was in the dark about the specifics.

Hollis Kam, a vice president for human resources at Times Square Alliance, has been marrying couples since 2013. He is also a licensed New York State officiant who received his ordination through the Universal Life Church.

“It’s a great honor to be there at the beginning of their life and commitment,” he said. “They’re making a choice to be with each other, and in some cases, they have made that choice to be with me.”

Mr. Kam also officiates the vow renewals, which will happen at 6 p.m. at the red steps on Times Square. Between 200 and 300 couples were expected to participate.

Mr. Kam uses an existing script, but isn’t afraid to ad-lib.

“Many people come back year after year, as well as newcomers,” he said. “Some people come from across the street and some from all over the world.”

Mr. Kam’s favorite moment? “When each person is looking into their partner’s gaze, followed by the kiss,” he said. “You see many forms; a quick one on the lips, a longer one, or bending someone down. It all happens at once. It’s very powerful.

”It’s New Years Eve all over again, but on Valentine’s Day. Instead of celebrating the New Year, they’re celebrating love.”