I Do!: Erin Vecchi and John Cronin of Wantagh

Erin Vecchi and John Cronin’s wedding represented a triumph of true love — and a bit of creativity in pandemic-era dating.

Their romance began when they swiped right on each other on the Hinge dating app in July 2020, then chatted for three months before finally meeting face-to-face, Vecchi said.

They had their first date in early October over a cheese plate and a bottle of Moscato at Vintage Wine Bar and Bistro in Farmingdale. Cronin, 39, an attorney, said he hated the sweet white wine but “for the right girl,” he said he “would drink the wrong wine.”

“We had a lot of laughs, and John got approved for a second date before the evening was over,” said Vecchi, 33, an advertising projects manager.

In the dates that followed, social distancing required meeting outdoors, often wearing face coverings, said Vecchi, who was then living with her parents in Levittown. “We went to see a lot of Christmas lights, got hot chocolate and walked around,” she said.

On their third date they went house hunting for Cronin, who was living in Manhattan at the time but grew up in Lindenhurst and wanted to move back to Long Island.

After their fifth date, Vecchi caught COVID, but recovered in time for a critical sixth date on Dec. 3 at a restaurant at 70 Pine in Manhattan’s Financial District. “I essentially asked him what was the trajectory of our relationship,” she said.

“I said, ‘I’m in,’ ” Cronin recalled. They got engaged on March 31, 2023, at the rooftop restaurant of 70 Pine. “John asked my family’s blessing to marry me,” Vecchi said, “and proposed by getting down on one knee with the city skyline behind him.”

She was so taken aback, she recalled, that her first response was “thank you.” She quickly recovered her composure and said, “yes.”

They were married on March 9, 2024, at St. William the Abbot Roman Catholic Church in Seaford. At the rehearsal dinner, Vecchi’s brother, Michael, gave her a necklace fashioned from their mother’s engagement ring and their late father’s wedding ring.

Personal touches also flavored the reception at Westbury Manor, such as napkins printed with fun facts about the couple. And Cronin said his godson “performed a rap about the two of us and our families.”

As for that house they checked out at the start of their courtship? Cronin wound up buying it.