For Valentine’s Day 2026, we made a map of local places where our readers have made memories. We asked for your help compiling everything from proposals to making friends. You did not disappoint.
Here are the love stories that we just had to share:
- “I met Andrew at Footnote Coffee and Cocktails for our first date in November of 2023. I was super nervous and waited in the car for him. I even brought the Oregon Trail card game in case I was too awkward, but it was perfect. I got a lavender tea, and he got coffee. He told me about the ArT-o-MaT machine and how he always enjoyed getting pieces from them throughout the city. We walked through the alley where vendors were selling art. Two years later, we’re planning our wedding for October of this year. We’re so excited for a beautiful life together, which started at a cute coffee shop in Winston-Salem.” — Veronica L.
- “We have a bona fide meet-cute. Eric came into our store to read a book... all day. He came in, bought a book, sat in his chair with a cup of tea, and read all day long. He did this twice a week; obviously, as the responsible proprietor that I am, I introduced myself. We began a beautiful friendship. He graciously stepped into my and [my daughter] Adele’s lives. In November 2024, we took a seemingly normal walk on the trails of Reynalda Village. This is something we did on a regular basis, but on that day, Eric surprised me by proposing. We were married on a beautiful day in May 2025 at Medalloni Cellars. We are so blessed to be able to call him ours.” — Tara G.
- “My husband and I met in law school so Wake Forest has always been an integral part of our love story. In 2022, we were preparing to go to a football game and he asked to stop by the quad beforehand—ostensibly to visit the campus bookstore. Unbeknownst to me, he had planned the most beautiful proposal and asked me to marry him in front of Wait Chapel. A year and a half later, we are happily married and have a little free library replica of Wait Chapel in our front yard to commemorate our special day.” — Charlotte + Mac D.
- “Danté and I met on a casual Remedy evening — which usually involved some remote work, a glass of wine, and mingling with the amazing baristas. When suddenly, a sexy voice to my right starts vibrating the room as he was having a conversation with someone else. Naturally, I inserted myself into the conversation… and the rest is history.” — Brittany H.
- “First date [at Cugino Forno on North Patterson Avenue] and now we’re engaged almost two years later.” — Anonymous reader
- “After 16 years of being separated by a family move when I was 12, my childhood sweetheart reached out to me on Facebook. He had spent weeks looking for me and had almost given up when he saw my picture and knew it was me. Over the years, I had looked for he and his sister who had been my neighbors and best friends as kids but had no luck. We began chatting and we rekindled the spark that had been there as kids. Our whirlwind of a romance happened so fast, within 6 months he had left his job, family, and friends to move down here [to Clemmons] to be with me. We’ve become our best selves with each other and are planning an elopement soon.” — Anonymous reader
Now we’re really feeling the love.
