7. The perfect wedding announcement
The New York Times weddings announcements can cause even the most sentimental of readers to gag on occasion. But the coverage of senior citizens Ada Laurie Bryant and Robert Mitchell Haire's wedding in Hockessin, Del., managed to charm the cynicism out of most journalists' copy. The article was endearing not only because it was dedicated to a couple in their twilight years, but also because it followed The Times' standard announcement procedure, including family history, education, jobs, and, oh yes, lines like this: "The bride, 97, is keeping her name." The couple, who met at a retirement community where, Bryant, a widow, became friends with Haire's wife. After Haire's wife died, the two survivors grew close. They went on regular lunches together, and Haire, who is about a decade younger, even wrote Bryant a sonnet. Eventually, he proposed, on Valentine's Day, no less. But Bryant refused. "I didn't think it was the thing to do because I don't have that many years ahead of me, but he said, 'That's all the more reason.'" Eventually, Bryant accepted. "I love him," she said, "So we're going to be married."
