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For true crime fans, the traditional wedding vow of “’til death do us part” can strike an ominous tone — after all, in countless cases chronicled in podcassts and documentaries, the husband did it.

Writer Sara Runnels captured it perfectly in a 2022 tweet, one of many times she’s gone viral for funny social media posts about dating.

“You want me to get a husband???” she wrote. “The thing that killed everyone on Dateline???”

It even caught the eye of longtime “Dateline” correspondent Josh Mankiewicz.

“That was too good not to repost, so I did,” the extremely online Mankiewicz told HuffPost.

The two became friends on social media, and after she became engaged, she made a proposal of her own, asking Mankiewicz if he would officiate her wedding. He said yes, then flew out earlier this month for the ceremony in Seattle.

Mankiewicz and the bride told HuffPost the story of how he ended up waiting for her at the altar alongside her then husband-to-be, Adam Zack — who, by the way, is not a fan of true crime.

How did this all come about?

Josh Mankiewicz: I realized that she was a clever writer and a true crime fan, and very obviously a member of the “Dateline” audience. So I followed her, and I read a couple of articles that she had written in a couple of different places, including a very poignant and sweet one about losing her mom. But we were only social media friends.

And then out of the blue, she asked me if I would officiate at her wedding, which struck me as either a very bad idea or a very good idea. I decided it was a good idea. So I thought about it a little bit. And then before I said, yes — of course, I had to check with [“Dateline” executive producer] Liz Cole. Who said, “Yeah, go ahead. Why not? If you want to.” So I did it.

Sara Runnels: Josh had shared/retweeted a couple of my fun tweets in the past — after seeing a viral “Dateline”-related post of mine — including the viral one about my second date with my now-husband.

I thought it would be a fun feature to have Josh officiate, but wasn’t sure he’d go for it. I DMed him to ask if it was possible, and he said he’d think about it. I told him we’d keep in touch as I started to wedding plan, saying, “When I have a date, I’ll drop you a line.” And when I knew it was going to be Oct. 12, 2024, we talked through logistics and made it happen!

Had you officiated a wedding before?

Mankiewicz: Never. I’ve been asked to do this a couple of times before, similarly, by fans of the broadcast. But the timing was never right, or it was a destination wedding in the Azores — you know, like, it was stuff I couldn’t do.

Did you have to get special credentials?

Mankiewicz: I did. I got ordained online at the Universal Life Church. Let me just say they’re not just giving those credentials out.

Oh, no, wait, they are! You have to pay about $50.

What was the most “Dateline” thing to happen at the wedding?

Mankiewicz: Without question, it was when, in the middle of the ceremony, I helped move some candles away from the bride’s dress. Because when she “lit up a room,” I did not want it to be like that. Literally, it was distracting me how close to the candles her voluminous dress was. I kept stopping what I was saying and looking down at the candles. I thought this is not good. So I finally said, “Look, we have to just stop a second and actually move these over there.” And then we moved a couple of feet away. And that was fine.

Were you nervous at all?

Mankiewicz: You know, I never officiated at a wedding before. It did sort of strike me that this is a moment in their lives that Sara and Adam are going to remember forever. And I wanted very badly not to screw that up. I really wanted to deliver for them and not make any mistakes.

Did the wedding guests know who would be officiating the wedding?

Runnels: I told a handful of guests beforehand who were so excited to meet him and hear his “Dateline” voice in an element outside of their screens. For those who learned [the] day-of, they could not believe it was real.

Can you share a highlight of what you said to them during the ceremony?

Mankiewicz: I began by saying, “I don’t know if you’ve seen ‘Dateline,’ but husbands kind of get a bad rap there. And when Sara invited me to perform this service, I thought it would be an opportunity to say something positive about marriage for a change.”

I think the thing that I kept in mind the most was to sort of not make the obvious joke, like to not say to them, “OK now, don’t make me come back here!” I said that I was going to be officiating, and I explained how Sara and I had gotten to know each other. I was very impressed by Adam because he’s obviously not the “Dateline” fan that she is. I’m not sure anyone is the “Dateline” fan that she is. I said he was very tolerant already in his marriage and accommodating of allowing a crime reporter to be the officiant.

They’re both absolutely charming and delightful and sweet. And I didn’t have the slightest question as to whether or not they’re going to have a long, happy marriage. So I did talk a little bit about how Adam’s agreement to have this guy that he had never met, and I think wasn’t nearly as big a fan of as his wife is, as the wedding officiant was a sign of the kind of discussion and agreement and compromise and accommodation that is necessary in any marriage.

It’s not like he doesn’t know what “Dateline” is. But this was her idea, not his idea. That’s all. It’s not like he didn’t know who I was or anything like that. But she was the big fan because she’s the one who tweeted that stuff.

Runnels: Adam doesn’t take an interest in true crime the way I do, but he does take a sincere interest in my wild ideas, so he was all about it.

What is your advice for the newlyweds?

Mankiewicz: Money spent on good criminal defense is rarely wasted. That’s my advice to everyone.

Look, I predict a long, happy, harmonious life together for these two. The only advice I gave to them was to continue doing what they’re already doing, which is, clearly, you know, connecting with each other all the time, every day. I talked about how I did not settle, how I waited a really long time to get married until I found the right person. And that I sensed that Sara — who, you know, describes herself as like a dating expert or a dating veteran — had done the same thing: She waited until she found the right guy. And I thought that spoke very well. I got married when I was 60.

So, yeah, I was. I didn’t really give them advice as to say that I just thought that they were already on the right path of communicating, talking, accommodating.

The best news of all is that they’re not taking a cruise on their honeymoon. I can make that joke now — not at the ceremony!

Do you think you’ve opened a door here for future officiating? Will this be a side gig?

Mankiewicz: I think this was a wonderful thing, and I was really delighted and thrilled to do it. But I think the future is probably talking about marriages that didn’t work, not starting off one that does.