Love, Money, Sex, Cheating: The Real Stories of 10 Philly Marriages

An unfiltered, unvarnished look at what “till death do us part” means now.


relationship stories

Philadelphia married couples share their relationship stories. Photograph by Andre Rucker

For better or worse, marriage looks a whole lot different than it used to. Couples are getting married older, they’re remarrying more, and they’re divorcing less. They’re living in different states, dating other people, blending families, and separating their money. On the following pages, 10 Philly couples let us peek into their marriages — and into their finances, living arrangements and sex lives — for an unfiltered, unvarnished look at what “till death do us part” means now.


I Was Married to Two Men — and Now I’m Married to Another Woman

“I think the most surprising thing for me is that I like sex. I never knew I liked it.” Read more here.


separate finances marriage

Inside a separate finances marriage. Photograph by Andre Rucker

We’re Married, But We’re Keeping Our Finances Separate

“I have no idea how much is in his account. I think he told me like a month ago, and I remember being like, oh, really? It was way more than I thought.” Read more here.


Every Five Years We Decide if We Want to Be Married for Five More

“My girlfriends are always like, ‘Did you decide yet?’ It’s like, no, we’re working on it.” Read more here.


secret marriage

Inside the story of one couple’s secret marriage. Photograph by Andre Rucker

We Had to Keep Our Marriage a Secret From Our Families

Finally getting their parents’ blessing was like “pulling off the biggest heist.” Read more here.


die from alzheimer's

This is what it’s like to watch your partner die from Alzheimer’s. Photograph by Andre Rucker

I’m Watching My Wife of 71 Years Die From Alzheimer’s

“I know there’s no relief for Norma. I just pray that she dies a happy death.” Read more here.


We’ve Been Married 10 Months, and We Haven’t Stopped Seeing Other People

“We have a very active Google calendar. And we are good at finding moments to hook up with people that don’t take time from the other.” Read more here.


long-distance marriage

Inside one couple’s long-distance marriage. Photograph by Andre Rucker

My Husband Lives 3,000 Miles Away

“We try to see each other at least once every three months. I think it almost allows us to live really great lives, because we have to be present.” Read more here.


My Husband Was Diagnosed With MS a Year Into our Marriage

“I remember Peter called me from a conference and said, ‘Something’s wrong with my leg. It feels numb.’ ” Read more here.


We Both Became Super-Successful — and It Almost Broke Our Marriage

“We were one-percenters. It’s kind of addictive at first … but then we started to lose ourselves in the process.” Read more here.


marriage survived affair

A Philly couple shares how their marriage survived an affair. Photograph by Andre Rucker

He Had a Two-Year Affair With Someone Who Knows Me

“I was mad at his family, because his family has a lot of adultery in it, so I was like, Oh, thanks a lot for giving me this dude. And I was mad at myself for knowing that and accepting him anyway.” Read more here.

Published as “Marriage Stories” in the April 2020 issue of Philadelphia magazine.