Is this a wedding announcement?

Many, many years ago I worked at a local newspaper and the one type of story I was not trusted to do just right was the wedding announcement. The managing editor, who was a woman and wrote all of them herself, said that these articles were too precious to the people involved and had a very specific style. Now I happened to see the announcement for Amanda Kahn and Mason Kirby in the NY Times and I am scratching my head in wonder. Two key quotes that illuminate:

– “The relationship took off and continued for four years, until Ms. Kahn mentioned marriage. Then, she said, Mr. Kirby ‘freaked,’ and said he wasn’t able to make that commitment, she remembered.”

– Kirby got appendicitis two years later (apparently they stayed together after his freakout) and Kahn “nursed him back to health.” Coming to his senses, Kahn said “The realization of my own mortality added a sense of urgency. I completely realized what I wanted and that what I had with Amanda was more than I could have expected.”

I’m sorry but this just isn’t the level of discretion and decorum one expects in a wedding announcement, especially one in the New York Times.