Love is strange, especially in the middle of a pandemic, but a kind stranger was able to give a New York City newlywed a photograph to remember their untypical special day.
Nevona Friedman was on a bike ride on the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend when she took photos of a couple getting married under the sunset. But she had to track them down because she didn't want to interrupt the couple's intimate and private ceremony.
Karolina Kovalenko and Stephan Ponova said "I do" on Sunday, exactly one year after the day they met backpacking through South America. A night of spontaneous salsa dancing turned into them climbing mountains, scaling glaciers and navigating suspension bridges over steep ravines together.
"The second we found each other we just realized that it's home," said Kovalenko.
The adventure-seeking couple got engaged last month but they knew the limitations of COVID-19 make it impossible for them to have a regular wedding. So they decided to get married in a city they loved with only an officiant as their witness.
"They were so invested in each other so like they were looking at each other so I didn't want to be like, 'Here, I took a photo of you,'" Friedman said.
The couple had no idea Friedman was their other witness until she posted their wedding photo on Twitter in the hope to find them.
"We are very happy that she found us," said Kovalenko. The photos Friedman took were the only ones that captured the couple's once-in-a-lifetime moment.
The couple has no plans for a honeymoon yet but they do plan to hold another ceremony with friends and family when they can. For now, they're focused on spreading love.
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"We wish everyone to find a person who makes them feel this way," Kovalenko said.
