At an ‘Apocalyptic Wedding’, Love (and Smoke) Was in the Air

Ms. Arthur proposed in July 2021 in Daddy’s Plants, a plant shop in Buffalo. After she went down on one knee, Mx. Cohen read out loud a poem that they had written for Ms. Arthur and had kept in their wallet for months. The two framed the poem in their apartment in Park Slope, where they moved to in April 2022.

The couple were wed by Madeline Plasencia, a city clerk, in front of two witnesses, Mx. Cohen’s mother, Tina Cohen, and Ms. Arthur’s father, Don Arthur. The elopement had come together in the span of seven days. Mx. Cohen said that their L.G.B.T.Q. community helped the couple throw their last minute wedding, including Lucas Dean, Ms. Arthur’s makeup artist, and Miriam Bloom Designs, the florist.

Much of the couple’s relationship has been about finding joy in difficult times, Mx. Cohen said. Ms. Arthur’s mother passed away in March 2021, and Mx. Cohen, who came out as transgender a year into their relationship, said it was a difficult time given the prevalence of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation.

“Having the day we end up married be a day when this sky is on fire is nothing new to us,” Ms. Arthur said.

That evening, they had a celebratory dinner with five friends at the Fly, a restaurant in Brooklyn. Afterward, they went to Ginger’s Bar, a lesbian establishment. While several friends had canceled to avoid exposure to the poor air quality, the couple was unbothered that their wedding ceremony happened to be on a historically chaotic day.

“That care, compassion and deep, deep love that we have for each other can take on anything — even if the world is on fire — because we’ll always have each other,” Mx. Cohen said.