Marriage

Fiona ten Have and Patrick Phiri pose for a wedding portrait in front of the same hedge where NPR photographed them during his first visit to the Netherlands (see photo, below).

Health & Safety

Whatever happened to ... the pandemic-delayed wedding dreams of Patrick and Fiona?

7:54am August 28, 2022

by Nick Schonfeld

They finally came true! He's Malawian. She's Dutch. They fell in love and hoped to wed but the pandemic got in the way. Here's the story of the happy day — and the latest challenge in their lives.

Politics & Government

North Carolina Is Child Bride Destination; Bill Could End It

12:00pm August 17, 2021

by Associated Press

Known for its coastlines, mountains and the state that was "first in flight," North Carolina has also developed a more dubious reputation recently: as a regional destination for a

Malala Yousafzai is the subject of the cover story in the new issue of British Vogue. A comment she made about marriage has prompted social media outrage in Pakistan.

Malala Yousafzai's Interview In 'British Vogue' Sparks Anger In Her Native Pakistan

6:14pm June 04, 2021

by Diaa Hadid

The Nobel Peace Prize winner posed for a cover portrait and spoke openly in an interview. One of her remarks about marriage has prompted vitriolic responses on social media in her homeland.

Politics & Government

Lawmakers Seek To Raise Legal Age For Marriage In North Carolina

11:18am February 03, 2021

by Neal Charnoff

State lawmakers are advancing efforts to raise the legal age for marriage. North Carolina is one of two states in the country that still allow children as young as 14 to get married.

Marion Austin used to visit her husband John Austin every day at The Pines, a nursing home in Rutland, Vt. Now, the couple of nearly 70 years is keeping in touch via FaceTime.

National

Elderly Couple Uses FaceTime To Stay Connected During Coronavirus Pandemic

7:00am March 21, 2020

by Nina Keck

An 88-year-old Vermont woman is using FaceTime each day with her 92-year-old husband because his nursing home has barred visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic. She worries he'll forget her.

Essex Farm differs from many large modern farms that focus on one or two cash crops. Instead, the Kimballs raise everything from sheep to cabbages, selling their food directly to customers. They've become national evangelists of the small farm, local foo

Author Kristin Kimball Wants To Persuade You To Become A Farmer

5:06pm November 27, 2019

by Brian Mann

Kristin Kimball's second book — published nearly two decades after she left New York City to start a farm upstate — explores the ways in which farming has shaped her life and marriage in middle age.

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Augustine of Hippo was among those in the Catholic Church who championed its eventual rejection of intrafamily marriages, which researchers say may have paved the way for a breakdown of extended family networks in Western Europe.

Western Individualism May Have Roots In The Medieval Church's Obsession With Incest

6:15pm November 07, 2019

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Researchers combed Vatican archives to find records of how ancient church policies restricting whom one could marry shaped Western values and family structures today.

Kevin Biely, 37 and Kat McClain, 28, on their wedding day in Las Vegas. In 2017, NPR documented their first date, which was set up by a matchmaker.

National

A Love Story That Began With A Matchmaker And A First Date On NPR

1:15pm April 24, 2019

by Laura Roman

In 2017, NPR documented the first date of a couple paired by a professional matchmaker, for a story about modern dating. A year after their first date, the couple got engaged, and they recently wed.

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Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions by Briallen Hopper

Books
Arts

'Hard To Love' Offers Tribute To Life's Many, Varied Relationships

11:48am February 06, 2019

by Rhaina Cohen

Author Briallen Hopper takes us into her unusually expansive love life, complete with knotty familial relationships, deep friendships, and emotional investment in the fictional and material worlds.

Newlyweds Saumil and Zarina Shah stayed at a safe house in New Delhi run by the Love Commandos, a group that rescues interfaith and inter-caste couples from potential violence and helps them hide from their families.

When India's Interfaith Couples Encounter Threats, 'Love Commandos' Come To Their Aid

7:24am November 22, 2018

by Lauren Frayer

Couples who marry against their parents' wishes sometimes risk their lives in doing so. That's where the Love Commandos come in. They run 500 safe houses and help couples elope or hide from relatives.

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