In addition to the thrill of being married in the "Sweetheart Bistro," the couples were awarded prizes. Each received a goodie bag of swag that included a reusable lunch bag from Denver Water, an ice scraper from Denver Partners Against Graffiti and a "robot claw" from who-knows-where. There were also gift baskets with donated goodies -- chocolates! wine! theater tickets! -- to be awarded based on a couple's attributes. The "Most Bookish Couple" got a basket donated by the Denver Public Library, for example.
The big winners, however, were Fidel and Sonya Ruiz. The fourteenth couple of the day, they walked into the "Bistro" at 10:14 a.m. and were greeted with the news that they'd won two free tickets on Southwest. "We need you to go up to the love wall," a city employee said, ushering the stunned couple to a wall plastered in paper hearts.
There they were handed two giant cardboard tickets while a rep from Southwest gripped and grinned for the TV cameras. The Ruizes looked positively overwhelmed. When asked on camera why they chose Valentine's Day as their wedding date, a wide-eyed Fidel Ruiz said, "We just decided to get married. That's it."Later, when most of the cameras had packed up and left, the couple, who have been together ever since Sonya's sister introduced them seven years ago, exchanged plastic rings while their young son, Alejandro, blew bubbles. When Galchinsky proclaimed, "It's my pleasure to present, for the first time, Fidel and Sonya Ruiz!" the dozen city employees (all dressed in black and red) manning the "Bistro" clapped and cheered. Flip the page for more photos. Flip the page for more photos. Flip again for even more photos. For more photos, flip the page again! Again! More from our Strange But True archive: "Valentine's Day is stupid, says my wife: Just another reason I love her."