Mariana Rangel-Marcki & Bernardo Matos

Bernardo and I met in Brazil, where we are both from. At the time, I was living in NYC and vacationing in Brazil, and he was living in Brazil but applying for schools in the US, where he wanted to get his Master’s degree.

We became exclusive, but I lived in NY and he lived in Brazil. When he was about to move to the States, I had to move to London for work. For the next two years, we missed each other all the time. We saw each other only once a month until I moved back to New York. Bernardo was still going to school at the University of Michigan, but we were only an hour flight away from each other. We were finally in the same time zone, which changed our lives!

We became exclusive, but I lived in NY and he lived in Brazil. When he was about to move to the States, I had to move to London for work. For the next two years, we missed each other all the time. We saw each other only once a month until I moved back to New York. 

Bernardo was still going to school at the University of Michigan, but we were only an hour flight away from each other. We were finally in the same time zone, which changed our lives!

I was wearing pajama bottoms and a Michigan sweatshirt when he knelt down in front of me and proposed. I broke into tears. I was so happy and so relieved that we had made it and that he wanted to marry me!

After graduation, he got a job in NYC, and we moved in together and started planning our big day. We had a beautiful intimate ceremony at Central Park, just the two of us and the friend who married us. We flew to Brazil for our religious ceremony and reception with the 250 people we love the most. We had a blast and being married is amazing.