In 1998, David Weinlick, a 28-year-old politician from Minnesota, was sick of people asking him when he was going to tie the knot. In an interview, he jokingly told the press that he was getting married on June 13, 1998. Although it was just an innocent prank at first, David actually grew to like the idea of getting married on that specific date. David’s close friend, Steven Fletcher, came up with the idea of holding a contest where the winner would become his bride. After weeks of campaigning for the big event, the friends received hundreds of applications from potential brides. It became so well-known, that the Mall of America even offered their space as a venue for the wedding ceremony, free-of-charge. David’s close friends and family chose the final 28 contestants on June 28, 1998 and picked a winner, 28-year-old Elizabeth or “Bethy” Runze, who was at the time studying to become a pharmacist. Only an hour after she was selected, she was fitted into a wedding gown and sent down the aisle. The couple got married in front of thousands of bystanders overlooking from the multiple floors of the mall. The wedding was aired on national television and became quite the phenomenon.
While most people thought the whole wedding was nothing but a publicity stunt, the Weinlicks proved everyone wrong. They fell madly in love with one another and 19 years later, are still married and have four children. Even though arranged marriages are pretty foreign in the Western world, David and Bethy were able to show everyone that if you put enough effort into the relationship, arranged marriages can actually be a better alternative to dating.
Unfortunately, the couple’s fairytale might be coming to an end, as the couple has received some heartbreaking news. Continue reading to find out about the tragic news the Weinlicks recently heard…
[post_page_title]June wedding[/post_page_title]
David Weinlick was introduced to his wife of 19 years, Elizabeth “Bethy” Weinlick, in a very unconventional way. David was a 28-year-old politician at the time, and was under pressure to get married. David was sick of people asking him when he would find a wife, he jokingly told the press “June 13,1998.” As the date neared, Weinlick actually decided that he would indeed like to get married on that day.
