Matt and Anna Cherry, an urban planner and an environmentalist, respectively, met in 2005 while working to develop a new downtown rail system for Atlanta—a city notorious for its horrendous commuter traffic. And whereas most people’s eyes would glaze over at the thought of transit debates, Matt was immediately impressed and charmed by Anna’s passion for public transportation. (You could say she had him at “tax allocation districts.”) Besides, talking shop helped them “forgo a lot of the awkward silences that accompany first dates,” she says. Within two months, they were engaged—and planning an eco-chic wedding. At their reception, the couple served locally grown food and partied the night away without aid of electricity, relying on candles and lit pumpkins (carved by friends) for light. Then, at evening’s end, they bequeathed each of their guests a baby cherry tree.

Forget Paris: For their honeymoon, Matt planned a surprise two-week “transit adventure” in the Pacific Northwest. The intrepid twosome traveled by train, streetcar, ferry, bike, and kayak, making only one four-wheeled exception—to take a hybrid taxi.