"Love is strange," according to a popular song from the '50s love stories. And true love, like truth, is often stranger than fiction. The following stories, some old and some new, show the weird, wacky and sometimes wonderful sides of love.
The R.P. Salazars
From a typo to true love
The couple: Not every error is a mistake, especially when it comes to love. Just ask Ruben P. Salazar of Waco, Texas.
Their story: In 2007, Ruben found an email message intended for Rachel P. Salazar, who lived on the other side of the world and who had an email address almost identical to his. A typo mistakenly sent the message to Ruben, who then forwarded it to Rachel. Soon they spent hours a day chatting online. She visited him, and they got engaged.
Ring recovery
Waste not, want not
The couple: Some romances end up in the toilet, while others last a lifetime. Consider Donna and Terry Claver of Montana.
Their story: As a young bride-to-be in the '70s, Donna lost her engagement ring when it accidentally fell into a toilet drain. Though long gone, the ring was not forgotten.
Photo revelation
Coincidence or kismet?
The couple: If you've ever wondered whether you and your soul mate have passed each other without ever knowing, consider the story of Alex and Donna Voutsinas.
Their story: While Donna was gathering family photos for their wedding video, she found a picture of herself at age 5, posing with her brothers and a Disney character at Disney World.
Trash heap heroics
In sickness and in filth
The couple: After accidentally tossing his wife's 1.5-carat diamond ring into the trash, Brian McGuinn showed up at the dump the next day to get it back. Outfitted in protective gear, he pawed through nine tons of garbage.
The outcome: Incredibly, in just a few minutes he found the ring. After taking a hot shower and having the ring professionally cleaned by a jeweler, Brian drove to his wife's office and slipped it onto her finger
Love breaches TSA
Baby, come back
The couple: Sometimes a love affair has consequences — even for other people. China native and Rutgers University grad student Haisong Jiang wanted to give his beloved just one more kiss before she flew home. So he ducked under a rope at airport security when TSA officers weren't looking and walked her to the gate.
The outcome: TSA discovered the security breach and shut down Newark Liberty International Airport for six hours, delaying or canceling 200 flights and forcing thousands of passengers to be rescreened. Later arrested, Jiang was found guilty of defiant trespass.
Head over heels
Falling for you
The story: One young woman got a shock along with a wedding proposal. She and her boyfriend were on a rooftop deck with a group of friends when he hopped up onto a low wall that bordered the roof and started to propose. At one point, he asked a friend to toss him the ring. He fumbled the catch and, while trying to grab the box, fell off the roof.
The outcome: You'll have to watch for yourself . She still said yes.
Bridge crew saves fumble
Hard to hold
The couple: The long-distance romance between Trey Turner, a Florida man, and Kelsey Kramer, his Brooklyn girlfriend, could have gotten a lot longer after he tried proposing as they were walking across the Brooklyn Bridge— and he dropped the engagement ring.
The outcome: Fortunately, the slippery ring landed on metal scaffolding and not in the East River. A bridge worker spotted it the next day, and city officials contacted the anxious couple to let them know.
Robo-vows
I do, robot
The couple: The Japanese are well known for being on the cutting edge of technology. Not to be outdone, bride Satoko Inoue and groom Tomohiro Shibata exchanged vows with a 4-foot-tall robot named I-Fairy acting as officiant.
The story: Inoue is an employee at Kokoro Co., which built the robot. Her groom is a professor of robotics at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan. Both the robot and the bride wore flowers.
Nude nuptials
Something old, something nude
The couple: Every couple wants a memorable wedding, but not many would be willing to go as far as Phil and Ellie Hendicott to get one.
The story: The Brisbane, Australia, couple entered a competition sponsored by a radio station and won the grand prize: a nude wedding in front of 250 fully clothed guests, with hundreds of thousands of Aussies listening on the radio
Vigil for lost love
God is love
The couple: When Patrizia Masoero decided to take religious vows and become a nun, she broke off her relationship to Daniel Briatore, a lifeguard she had been dating for several years.
The story: Heartbroken, Briatore traveled 300 miles from the couple's hometown of Alassio, on the Italian Riviera, to the Franciscan convent at Monte Cassino Abbey, south of Rome. He set up camp, erected a banner declaring his love for Masoero and vowed to stay in place and do "whatever it takes" to win her back.
Ring sipped away
All shook up
The couple: Reed Harris thought he had come up with a really sweet marriage proposal for his girlfriend, Kaitlin Whipple, when he hid the engagement ring in Whipple's milkshake at their favorite Wendy’s.
The outcome: Friends tried to move things along by challenging Whipple to a milkshake race, but when her cup was empty the ring still hadn't appeared. An X-ray later confirmed that Whipple had swallowed it.
Double take cake
Confectionary replica
The couple: When Innocent and Chidi Ogbuta of Texas renewed their wedding vows after 10 years of marriage, they hosted an unusual guest: a life-size wedding cake made in the bride's image.
The story: Standing more than 5 feet tall, the cake was an exact replica of Chidi in her wedding dress. The mother of four said the look-alike cake was a lifelong dream come true. The original plan was for Chidi's perfect wedding to feature giant clones of both the bride and groom, but the bakers just didn't have enough time.
A walk down the aisle
Retail romance
The couple: Back in 2010, Lisa Satayut and her fiance, Drew Ellis, became the first couple ever to be married in a T.J. Maxx store. Why? Well, according to the bride: "The one constant in my life, no matter what, has always been T.J. Maxx."
The story: Prior to the wedding, the couple predicted they would save about $150 by having their wedding at the discount department store, and on their way back down the aisle, they could invest the savings on some bath towels and a discount trousseau for the bride.
Grieving bride weds dead fiance
Undying love
The couple: Michelle Thomas of Liverpool, England, was busy planning her wedding to Kevin Lavelle, the father of her two children, when she was notified that Kevin had been murdered in Oxford, where he had been working double shifts to save money for the ceremony.
The story: Devastated, Michelle decided that "till death do us part" wasn't long enough. She arranged to express her undying love for Kevin by marrying him in the morgue. A priest performed the ceremony, which was not legally binding.
From a typo to true love
The couple: Not every error is a mistake, especially when it comes to love. Just ask Ruben P. Salazar of Waco, Texas.
Their story: In 2007, Ruben found an email message intended for Rachel P. Salazar, who lived on the other side of the world and who had an email address almost identical to his. A typo mistakenly sent the message to Ruben, who then forwarded it to Rachel. Soon they spent hours a day chatting online. She visited him, and they got engaged.
Waste not, want not
The couple: Some romances end up in the toilet, while others last a lifetime. Consider Donna and Terry Claver of Montana.
Their story: As a young bride-to-be in the '70s, Donna lost her engagement ring when it accidentally fell into a toilet drain. Though long gone, the ring was not forgotten.
Coincidence or kismet?
The couple: If you've ever wondered whether you and your soul mate have passed each other without ever knowing, consider the story of Alex and Donna Voutsinas.
Their story: While Donna was gathering family photos for their wedding video, she found a picture of herself at age 5, posing with her brothers and a Disney character at Disney World.
In sickness and in filth
The couple: After accidentally tossing his wife's 1.5-carat diamond ring into the trash, Brian McGuinn showed up at the dump the next day to get it back. Outfitted in protective gear, he pawed through nine tons of garbage.
The outcome: Incredibly, in just a few minutes he found the ring. After taking a hot shower and having the ring professionally cleaned by a jeweler, Brian drove to his wife's office and slipped it onto her finger
Baby, come back
The couple: Sometimes a love affair has consequences — even for other people. China native and Rutgers University grad student Haisong Jiang wanted to give his beloved just one more kiss before she flew home. So he ducked under a rope at airport security when TSA officers weren't looking and walked her to the gate.
The outcome: TSA discovered the security breach and shut down Newark Liberty International Airport for six hours, delaying or canceling 200 flights and forcing thousands of passengers to be rescreened. Later arrested, Jiang was found guilty of defiant trespass.
Falling for you
The story: One young woman got a shock along with a wedding proposal. She and her boyfriend were on a rooftop deck with a group of friends when he hopped up onto a low wall that bordered the roof and started to propose. At one point, he asked a friend to toss him the ring. He fumbled the catch and, while trying to grab the box, fell off the roof.
The outcome: You'll have to watch for yourself . She still said yes.
Hard to hold
The couple: The long-distance romance between Trey Turner, a Florida man, and Kelsey Kramer, his Brooklyn girlfriend, could have gotten a lot longer after he tried proposing as they were walking across the Brooklyn Bridge— and he dropped the engagement ring.
The outcome: Fortunately, the slippery ring landed on metal scaffolding and not in the East River. A bridge worker spotted it the next day, and city officials contacted the anxious couple to let them know.
I do, robot
The couple: The Japanese are well known for being on the cutting edge of technology. Not to be outdone, bride Satoko Inoue and groom Tomohiro Shibata exchanged vows with a 4-foot-tall robot named I-Fairy acting as officiant.
The story: Inoue is an employee at Kokoro Co., which built the robot. Her groom is a professor of robotics at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan. Both the robot and the bride wore flowers.
Something old, something nude
The couple: Every couple wants a memorable wedding, but not many would be willing to go as far as Phil and Ellie Hendicott to get one.
The story: The Brisbane, Australia, couple entered a competition sponsored by a radio station and won the grand prize: a nude wedding in front of 250 fully clothed guests, with hundreds of thousands of Aussies listening on the radio
God is love
The couple: When Patrizia Masoero decided to take religious vows and become a nun, she broke off her relationship to Daniel Briatore, a lifeguard she had been dating for several years.
The story: Heartbroken, Briatore traveled 300 miles from the couple's hometown of Alassio, on the Italian Riviera, to the Franciscan convent at Monte Cassino Abbey, south of Rome. He set up camp, erected a banner declaring his love for Masoero and vowed to stay in place and do "whatever it takes" to win her back.
All shook up
The couple: Reed Harris thought he had come up with a really sweet marriage proposal for his girlfriend, Kaitlin Whipple, when he hid the engagement ring in Whipple's milkshake at their favorite Wendy’s.
The outcome: Friends tried to move things along by challenging Whipple to a milkshake race, but when her cup was empty the ring still hadn't appeared. An X-ray later confirmed that Whipple had swallowed it.
Confectionary replica
The couple: When Innocent and Chidi Ogbuta of Texas renewed their wedding vows after 10 years of marriage, they hosted an unusual guest: a life-size wedding cake made in the bride's image.
The story: Standing more than 5 feet tall, the cake was an exact replica of Chidi in her wedding dress. The mother of four said the look-alike cake was a lifelong dream come true. The original plan was for Chidi's perfect wedding to feature giant clones of both the bride and groom, but the bakers just didn't have enough time.
Retail romance
The couple: Back in 2010, Lisa Satayut and her fiance, Drew Ellis, became the first couple ever to be married in a T.J. Maxx store. Why? Well, according to the bride: "The one constant in my life, no matter what, has always been T.J. Maxx."
The story: Prior to the wedding, the couple predicted they would save about $150 by having their wedding at the discount department store, and on their way back down the aisle, they could invest the savings on some bath towels and a discount trousseau for the bride.
Undying love
The couple: Michelle Thomas of Liverpool, England, was busy planning her wedding to Kevin Lavelle, the father of her two children, when she was notified that Kevin had been murdered in Oxford, where he had been working double shifts to save money for the ceremony.
The story: Devastated, Michelle decided that "till death do us part" wasn't long enough. She arranged to express her undying love for Kevin by marrying him in the morgue. A priest performed the ceremony, which was not legally binding.