Ring pop weddings bring levity and love to STU during midterm season

Mariana Veneziani and Sarah Sprague getting married in JDH. (Brianna Lyttle/AQ)

As part of the St. Thomas University Students’ Union (STUSU) Sex Week, on Feb. 11 in the student hub of James Dunn Hall, students could “marry” their friends and partners, obtaining a certificate and bestowing upon each other marriage ring pops, later becoming lollipop exchanges once the former ran out.

STUSU members Sade London and Olivia Brown took the responsibility of officiating the weddings.

“We’re both aspiring sex educators,” London said. “So as part of Sex Week, [I thought] let me get as many activities as we can … we know nothing about marriage, but we know how to make people smile and giggle and give out ring pops.”

Amid midterm season and midwinter, London said that students tend to remember the fun, lighthearted events on campus.

“I'm seeing a lot of people get really excited, of course, for candy, but also to just be able to have something silly … during what can often be a lonely season in February and also a very stressful season with midterms. So bringing a little extra joy is great,” they said.

Brown added that she enjoys being able to make more connections with the student community through events such as these.

“Getting our faces out as student union members in the community, making connections with people that maybe we pass by in the hallways but don't stop and talk to …  being able to engage with the community is really awesome,” she said.

The marriages were inclusive of polycules, with Zina Glowacki, Heidi Lagace and Maelle Jacques partaking in a union.

The trio of friends, who have known each other for two months, first came together in the on-campus meal hall.

“Maelle came up to me and was just like, ‘I like your outfit, let’s be friends.’ And then she sat down and then Zina came over,” said Lagace.

One particular ceremony saw Sarah Sprague and Mariana Veneziani, who have been friends and roommates since last September, getting married as a way of announcing to their friends the next step in their relationship. 

The couple are newly together, having been official since the beginning of February.

“My feelings have been way longer than this, but [we] just made it official,” Veneziani said.

When asked what they loved about each other, Sprague said to Veneziani, “I love that you always make me laugh and smile,” while Veneziani responded, “I love that you always say yes to my stupid ideas and you will throw snowballs at people's windows and play your guitar for me.”

When asked if Valentine’s Day was important to the two, both responded, “Now it is.”

Coming to STU from Brazil, a country where Valentine’s Day is not widely celebrated, this marks the first time that Veneziani has celebrated the holiday.