This New York Times Wedding Story Lives Up to the Hype
It's not every day that a New York Times wedding announcement takes off, but when you notice a bunch of people urging you to read a story about a professional juggler and an artist who sets things on fire for a living falling in love, well, it's hard to resist clicking.
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The reviews over Saturday night, when the story was first posted, and Sunday morning were all enough to tantalize even the most jaded Internet veterans. "This is definitely one of the best NYT wedding stories I've ever read," Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch said. "His 'single comma' text is sumpthin else," Atlantic Wire contributor Jen Doll added. "In the NYT Vows column, is the bride ever NOT a professional juggler?" asked one person. "Weirdest NYT vows ever," said another. "Best. NY Times. Wedding Story. Ever. EVER!" screamed one reader. "Just your typical love story about a professional juggler and a man who sets giant sculptures on fire," said Uproxx writer Danger Guerrero. OK, OK, OK, you have our attention.
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Today, the Vows section brings you the story of how Lindsay Benner, a 31-year old professional juggler who has appeared on The Tonight Show, and Dan Das Mann, a 43-year-old artist who makes "monumental sculptures set ablaze, and capped by fireworks and explosions, including 900 gallons of jet fuel that blew up into a mushroom cloud," first met.
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It's a classic tale of star-cross'd lovers who met at a party one half was attending with someone else. But there was an instant, undeniable connection the two couldn't deny. Eventually they started dating, despite Benner having another boyfriend, and they fell headfirst into an intense relationship. But, unfortunately, eventually something had to give:
For six weeks, she juggled the weight of the two relationships — a precarious feat. She and Mr. Das Mann exchanged more than a thousand texts, and then, overwhelmed, she asked for a complete break. Mr. Das Mann, impressed by her kindness and integrity, respected her wish, but then he broke the silence with a single text of one comma.
“The comma was to signify that in my opinion, we were just on pause,” he said.
The break was short lived. It is the Weddings/Celebrations section, after all. This story does have a happy ending that includes fireworks -- both physical and spiritual -- and "gold-and-purple faux fur coveralls cut like tuxedos." Read the whole story, and make sure you all the way to the very bottom. Read every word because the kicker is, well, explosive.
