Relationships
A last-minute microwedding, nostalgia for slower communication, and a fresh conversation about the language people use for love.
This image released by FX shows Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr., right, and Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in a scene from “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.” (FX via AP)
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Let’s start with some links.
It’s been a rough snow season on the East Coast. This is a Big Day wedding story about what happens when everything shuts down right when you’re supposed to get married. I love this tale of Colin and Abigail who seem to see the best in every part of their big event, even though it was a wintery mess.
“That morning, my expectation was that if we could get 50 percent of the things we planned for done, then that’d be pretty good,” says Colin. “But 100 percent of everything ended up going as perfect as it possibly could have gone.”
Watertown newlyweds Abigail Brown and Colin Wong wed Jan. 26 2026 at Dearly Studios in Somerville. When a blizzard cancelled their plans, the Bow Market mini chapel helped the couple organize a last-minute microwedding to fit Colin’s, an active-duty service member, schedule. (Bella Wang Photography)
This is a Kara Baskin story about FX’s “Love Story,” the show about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s romance. Kara’s takeaway from the series is actually about communication in the 1990s. She writes, “You could talk to someone over dinner without looking at your phone.” It was a beautiful thing, from what I remember. Read this column and get nostalgic about a slower form of communication. Perhaps some of you are old enough to remember listening to messages on your answering machines.
This image released by FX shows Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, left, and Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. in a scene from “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.” (FX via AP)
This is a Love Letters question from yesterday that had me wondering if too many people are using the word “partner” too quickly. If you’re 23 and have been dating someone for eight months, mostly long-distance, are they your “partner”? Are the words “partner” and “boyfriend” interchangeable? I take the word “partner” very literally, because of my history with the word (as in, my cousin’s partner was her life-partner-of-decades, and they didn’t have the option of getting married because it wasn’t legal yet).
In 2026 I think of “partners” as people who might share caregiving responsibilities, a future plan, perhaps a utility bill. Curious to know what you think. Maybe if you call a new-ish boyfriend a partner, it’s harder to dump him. (I think that’s the case with this letter writer.)
Have your own question for Love Letters – about a partner or, let’s say, a significant other? Send an anonymous letter.
Meet Yowei. She was embarrassed.
Today is Part 2 of 2 of the Love Letters podcast’s Flashlight Team™ investigation into women being embarrassed about having a male partner.
Last week we interviewed Chanté Joseph, who wrote a viral essay about a new trend of women hiding the men in their lives online.
This week we hear the gripping, funny, cringey story of a woman who was embarrassed she had a male partner, and what that shame taught her about herself.
The guest in question is Yowei Shaw, former host of NPR’s “Invisibilia,” who now hosts the podcast Proxy.
I’m not going to say more because Yowei tells a great story and I don’t want to ruin it.
You can find the episode here and wherever you get podcasts.
Another kind of ghosting
I, a huge fan of the books of Tom Perrotta, will be interviewing Tom Perrotta onstage on April 29 to celebrate the release of his new book, “Ghost Town.” For those who don’t know, Tom wrote books like “Election,” “The Leftovers,” “Mrs. Fletcher,” “Little Children,” and … many more. His latest novel is about a suburban kid in New Jersey who loses his mom and plays with a Ouija board (that’s a very loose summary).
For many reasons, I am the perfect person to moderate this event. I was born in New Jersey, my mother died, and I am convinced a Ouija board killed my friend’s hamster in the mid-1990s. The event will be hosted by Harvard Book Store. Ticket information is here.
Justin Theroux in a scene from “The Leftovers,” based on the book by Tom Perrotta. (AP Photo/HBO, Paul Schiraldi)
Find me a find
Usually on St. Patrick’s Day, somebody says to me, “Meredith, do you know that there’s a place in Ireland where they have a massive matchmaking festival every year?” I do know this, and while I have been to Lisdoonvarna, I did not go during the matchmaking event. Maybe I’ll return someday to see it all go down.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a photo of my last visit to Lisdoonvarna. It was 2019. I was there with writer Sara Faith Alterman, who took this photo. I believe the man whose portrait I’m leaning in to kiss is Willie Daly, the matchmaker.
— Meredith
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