Strangers who wed in mall TV stunt still together 11 yrs later

David Weinlick's friends chose his bride after 300 applications

Strangers who wed in mall TV stunt still together 11 yrs later

David Weinlick's friends chose his bride after 300 applications

The only trouble was that Weinlick didn't have a girlfriend, much less a fiancee.

Kya love story hai! After an engagement that lasted just an hour in 1998, David Weinlick and Elizabeth Runze got married. The Weinlicks with two of their three children now

A week before the big day, Weinlick and his buddies gave Cupid a little push.

Launching The Campaign to Elect Mrs David Weinlick, David'su00a0 friends decided to elect their friend a bride. It attracted worldwide attention and 300 would-be brides to a mall.
u00a0
Three children

Weinlick's friends and family nominated Elizabeth Runze on the second ballot. After an hour spent picking out a gown and gussying up, the wedding took place.

Life has changed a lot for David and Elizabeth Weinlick. Back in '98, the Weinlicks juggled media requests. Today they juggle three kids Emily (4), Charlie (3) and Zoey, born this January.

They claim they consummated the marriage "within a day or two".

"We said we were going to do this, and I'm curious as to why people are so shocked that it lasted," Elizabeth said.

Watching them now, it's hard to imagine David picking a better match for himself than the one his friends picked for him. Even though they went into their marriage knowing very little about each other, David and Elizabeth have very strong feelings about what makes a marriage work.

How it works

David feels romantic love is overrated. "Marriage really ought to be more about committing to being together than it is about how you feel at a given moment," he said.

The marriage that began as a long shot now appears to be a pretty sure thing. "We really work to make life enjoyable," explained David.

His wife has no regrets about that quick leap into matrimony. "I'm married to a really awesome guy," she said.

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