After a short time has passed, the imposter unmasked, the secret uncovered, the transformation complete, our lovers are reunited and the world is set aright. With their reunion we are reassured that an immutable forever, one in which our cast of characters remain untroubled, young and beautiful through the rest of time, is possible. Of course we all know this is a fantasy, but every once in a while, a fairy tale is fashioned not in the foreground, but in the marginalia, true love flourishes in the wings, rather than on center stage, and thus our little story, like so many that have come before, finds its closing act in a wedding.

Cullen ~ McCarty

Jasper Whitlock Cullen, the son of Esme Cullen and Dr. Carlisle Cullen of Simsbury, Connecticut, was joined in civil union on Saturday, August 19, to Emmett Aloysius McCarty, the son of Mary and Liam McCarty of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Father Peter Riley, a friend of the couple, performed the ceremony with special dispensation from the Catholic Diocese in an outdoor ceremony held at Crescent Farm, which Mr. Cullen manages.

Mr. Cullen, 27, graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and is one of the chief architect's of the local food movement in Southern New England, which endeavors to bring chefs and local growers together.

Mr. McCarty, 30, is the President and CEO of Cope & Benjamin, an advertising agency based in New York City, which was recently awarded Grand Prix at the Cannes Lion Awards for its work in the insurance sector. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, and earned a masters' degree in Graphic Arts from the Yale School of Art.

A second reception in New York City was hosted at the home of Isabella Swan, the novelist, which she shares with her fiancé, Edward Cullen, a satirist for this newspaper.

The couple met when Mr. Cullen's parents mistakenly introduced Mr. McCarty as the boyfriend of his brother. Says Mr. Cullen, "My mother's reaction to Emmett was highly amusing, given the fact that she had her heart set on Edward marrying him. She has, however, come around to my way of thinking." As for his part, Mr. McCarty notes, "I think Jasper and I were obvious from the first time we met."

Mr. Cullen and Mr. McCarty will maintain homes in both Connecticut and New York.

And, in fact, they all did live happily ever after.

The End.