Charanna Alexander is paid to read love stories. As The New York Times’ Weddings editor, she sifts through submissions from couples across America who want their nuptials to be immortalized in print, a custom that began in September 1851 when the newspaper published one single-line wedding announcement in its first-ever edition. Traditionally considered the preserve of high-society figures with enviable lives, the paper’s Weddings section has served as inspiration for comedy sketches, a parody Twitter account and Sex and the City dialogue (Carrie Bradshaw described it as “the single woman’s sports pages”). In recent years, however, there’s been a shift away from an emphasis on social standing to a focus on diverse relationships and less traditional love stories. 

Ellie Aust...