When They Met
Marianna met Juan when she was 11 years old and he had just turned 12. While it wasn’t love at first sight (she had eyes for Harry Styles and Juan was crushing on her best friend), they became best friends. While the timing was off (her best friend dumped him and well, girl code) they knew they were meant for each other.
In 2015, Marianna moved to the United States to pursue her education while Juan remained in Venezuela. The two remained connected throughout the years as long distance friends.
In 2017, Juan became involved in a political group that fought for justice and democracy in Venezuela and unfortunately was targeted as a threat and kidnapped by the government. After being held hostage for a few days, he managed to escape and fled to Spain. It was then when they reconnected and felt the same spark from when they were kids.
As crazy as the circumstances were, they knew that they needed to give their love a fighting chance so Juan moved to the United States. They reunited in Miami, Florida and the moment they laid eyes on each other, they felt like no time had passed. He spent a year in Miami with his family before he moved to Dallas to be with Marianna.
The Proposal
In the summer of 2021, Marianna planned a family vacation in Miami with her cousins. She kept begging Juan to go, but he made random excuses and soon let it be. Little did she know, Juan and Marianna’s family began planning a proposal in February.
Before her flight back home, her family made dinner plans as a final send off. On her way to the dinner, her cousin informed her that they would be dining at a restaurant by the beach.
The moment they pulled up to the parking garage by the beach, there was no restaurant in sight. Though she was alarmed, she started making her way down to the beach and eventually noticed her family hiding behind some palm trees in the corner of her eye.
Before she reached them, she turned around and saw Juan walking towards her, dressed in all white. He grabs her hand, the sun is setting behind him, and she notices a beautiful set up with white flowers and candles. Her heart was going about 800 miles an hour and they’re both crying (literally a moment people write poems and love songs about).
Juan took her back to the place where they were reunited for the first time in years. With their song playing in the background and having her family there to witness this special moment, it was everything she could have ever wanted. She told me, “That has been, so far, the most special day of my life.”
The Engagement Shoot
When I was asked to do Marianna and Juan’s engagement shoot, I knew their love story was deserving of something extra special because of how long they waited and how much time they spent apart.
We shot in Downtown Dallas, as a nod to reuniting here after all these years. It looked like an urban fairytale because we incorporated the architecture around the city as much as we could.
Marianna and Juan were just so into each other and you can FEEL their love. It was seriously so incredible. They were the couple who also won my free wedding giveaway and I can’t wait to shoot their wedding in August of 2022.
