Best Meet-Cute Stories

A Year of Meet-Cutes: Celebrating the Magic of How Love Begins

This week on Weddings-ish with Jove, we’re doing something a little different — and a little magical. We’re looking back at the moments that start it all: the meet-cutes. Those unexpected, unscripted, heart-thumping beginnings that make you pause and think, Oh… this might be something.

Throughout the past year, the show has welcomed an extraordinary lineup of guests — couples, creators, actors, Peloton instructors, reality TV personalities, Broadway performers, and storytellers from every corner of the wedding world. Each episode brought a new love story filled with energy, vulnerability, humor, and honesty. But no matter how different their paths were, every story had one thing in common: a moment where life shifted. A moment where two people noticed each other, really saw each other, and everything changed.

This special episode gathers those beginnings into one joyous, emotional, wildly entertaining retrospective.

We revisit Jacob and Samantha, whose story unfolds like a novel about soulmates who didn’t look like soulmates on paper at all. Their connection began with deep emotional resonance — a pull they couldn’t categorize. What they first labeled as friendship became something seismic, something that asked both of them to rethink who they were and who they could become together. Their meet-cute reminds us that love doesn’t always announce itself with fireworks; sometimes it arrives quietly, building strength over time until the truth can no longer be ignored.

Then there’s Peloton icon Jess King, whose story feels like it came straight out of a neon-lit play. She recalls walking into rehearsal at The Box — New York City’s famously provocative cabaret — and instantly locking onto Sofia. Jess’s boldness led to a hilariously honest first line, and even though she was swiftly rejected, the moment sparked a connection that would evolve into a life-changing partnership. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most powerful beginnings come from the most imperfect introductions.

We also dive back into the whirlwind story of Taylor Hastings and Daniel from Love Is Blind. From the second Taylor walked into the pods, she felt something electric about her next date — a feeling she didn’t have with anyone else. Moments later, Daniel was on one knee. Their story is a masterclass in trusting intuition, even when the format is unconventional and the timing seems impossible.

From there, we shift to a moment that feels straight out of a fairytale: Rachel Martino and Leo Camacho meeting on a Disney Cruise. Both creators, both invited on the trip separately, they didn’t connect until they found themselves — naturally — in a hot tub after all the families went to bed. When Rachel mentioned she had packed her Little Mermaid costume, and Leo revealed he often cosplays Prince Eric, the universe practically shoved them together. They recreated an iconic scene from the film the next morning, and even though they were just having fun, the spark that moment lit ended up shaping their future.

The episode continues with some of our most dramatic meet-cutes — including actress Jessica Zohr’s unforgettable Coachella encounter with hockey player Brad Richardson. What began as reluctance (“I’m not going into that hot, sweaty tent”) became an unexpected conversation, followed by a twist straight out of a movie: her ex showing up at the festival at the exact same moment she started to vibe with Brad. The chaos, the timing, the tension — it all made their connection feel even more charged, ultimately leading to the relationship she’s in today.

We also revisit Roxanne Kaiser’s story from The Ultimatum, which is a testament to timing and growth. After meeting someone briefly at a party nine years earlier, she found herself thinking about him again almost a decade later. A single text reopened the door, proving that sometimes love arrives when both people have finally become the version of themselves who can embrace it.

And of course, there are the quieter yet equally meaningful beginnings — like Liv Schreiber accidentally meeting Kyle in an elevator while holding a bag of smelly garbage. Or Tom and Benton’s fashion-week flirtation that unfolded between press interviews, misunderstandings about the word “trade,” and a late-night DM that changed the trajectory of their lives.

Or Jason and Carson meeting through mutual friends during Pride weekend in NYC, spending the entire long weekend together, and trying (unsuccessfully) to convince everyone — including themselves — that they weren’t in a long-distance situationship.

Together, these stories form a tapestry of modern love: unexpected, imperfect, hilarious, bold, messy, and full of heart. They remind us that love isn’t about doing things “right” — it’s about being open. It’s about showing up exactly as you are and trusting that the universe has a plan even when you don’t.

At the end of the episode, Jove and Sloan take on a deeply resonant listener question during Ask Jove, exploring how to lovingly navigate a wedding when grandparents struggle to see a queer marriage as valid. It’s a conversation rooted in compassion, clarity, grief, and joy — one that underscores the importance of showing up fully as yourself, especially on your wedding day.

This episode is a joyful, emotional celebration of beginnings — of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that bring two people together and begin a love story worth telling. These meet-cutes remind us that love can strike in elevators, hot tubs, rehearsal rooms, backstage, in the desert, across DMs, or even across a crowded Pride parade. You never know which moment will become the moment.

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