Christian and Meghan first ran into each other on a street corner in Geneva, Switzerland. And when I say ran into each other, I mean they literally collided with one another as they each rounded the street corner. It was early morning, and the two had just wrapped up an evening of dancing and revelry with their respective groups of friends. Christian was on his way to find a breakfast with strong hangover prevention properties, while Meghan was en route to the nearby lakefront for an early morning dip.

I don't know the origin of the term meet-cute – I just know that it makes me cringe every time I hear it. But I have to admit... Jake and Cara met, and it was pretty damn cute. It was August 10th, 2018. All Time Low was playing Jacob's Pavilion. Cara, along with her mom, Kelly, and siblings, Mia and Oliver, sat down behind Jake, who was there alone, and the show began. Both had noticed the other. Jake assumed a girl as stunning as Cara was spoken for, and vice versa. The romantic tension was running high.

Four years ago, Nick and Amanda were strangers that found themselves, by invitation of previously undiscovered mutual friend, at the same house party. It was here that they first made each other’s acquaintance. And while there was a spark – at least, from his perspective if not hers – it did not ignite the romance that brought them here today. Fate, it seemed, had decided that it was not yet their time.

As many of you well know, we stand here today in the presence of rock and roll greatness. In front of me and to my left stands one half of the rock outfit known as The Missing, with one Rick Ksiazka on bass and one Christopher Marinin on guitar and lead vocals. And in front of me and to my right stands, inarguably, The Missing's biggest fans – the lovely Tarra and Christopher's sisters Julie and Jill. It was amid this group that Rick and Tarra first got to know one another.

Ben and Belles first made each other's acquaintance by way of a mutual friend, shouting words of introduction to each other over the din of a punk band at a dive bar. Their romance was slow to take shape, but it was built on the veritable pillars of every epic romance – illegally launched fireworks, grueling chess matches, nocturnal skateboarding tours and archaeological digs. There is, of course, much more to their story, and they told it to me with a tenderness and reverence that suggests they've known and loved each other for a lifetime, and not merely a decade.

As a culture we tend to imagine the world’s great love stories begin in luxurious or unusual places, like a café in Paris or a white sand beach in the Caribbean. But love isn’t picky about where it chooses to manifest itself. For Nick and Laura, it was downright banal – it was at the office. And while the setting may have been commonplace, the journey that led them here is a fascinating one. They met a decade ago, when Nick's new job and Laura's internship had a brief months-long overlap. And when her internship ended, it took them six years to reconnect at that same office.

Gabe and Andrea have spent a lot of years, they tell me, not really knowing each other. Just knowing of each other. They went to Kent Roosevelt together. Gabe ran track and was pals with Andrea's younger brother Ethan. Andrea's mom Sandra almost bought a house a stone's throw from Gabe's. They made small talk now and again at the Target where Andrea worked. It was 2017 by now, and Gabe was away at college. He FaceTimed a friend back home and guess who crashed the call? They tell me that this was when their romance finally began to take shape.

The date: Australia Day, 2010. The place: a party at Angelo State University, thrown by Jason's American baseball teammates in honor of his Australian heritage. Jaci arrived and Jason, fairly full of liquid courage at that point, began chatting her up. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history. As their romance unfolded, setting the stage for the happy occasion we celebrate today, Jason's college studies took him away for several months this year and last.