Names: Marla Aranda and Melony Burman
Ages: Marla is 30 and Melony is 31
Professions: Marla is a Regional Makeup and Brow Artist Trainer and Melony is a Manager at a local Farm to Table restaurant.
City, State: Baltimore, Maryland
Date of Wedding: Still in the process of planning.
The Big Day: For us the wedding is all about celebrating with our closest loved ones. 20-25 people max. We want to keep it relaxed and intimate. We want to merge our love for nature and pops of vintage glamour. Ideally, we want our ceremony amongst lush greenery. For the reception, we want to keep it dark and sexy with good food and crafted cocktails, of course! Then we dance the night away. Drag queens, anyone?
The Firsts:
First meeting: Well, believe it or not, we met when we were about 12 years old. We briefly lived across the street from each other and Mel tried so hard to get me to play basketball. She failed miserably. And I failed at getting her to love the Spice Girls as much as I did. As we grew up, we lost touch. Then when were in our early 20s, I randomly saw Mel out and didn’t realize it was her. Later a friend of mine pulled up Mel’s Facebook page and was like, “Hey here’s that girl!” I immediately remembered her. Terrified she wouldn’t remember who I was, I messaged her anyway. She did in fact remember me…and my love for the Spice Girls.
First date: Marla invited me to a friend’s birthday party—keep in mind this is the first time we re-met as adults. It was an unintentional first date, if you will. We were both very awkward and secretively telling our friends how cute we found each other to be. I remember seeing a guitar in the corner and I started quietly playing and singing thinking no one could hear me. What I didn’t realize was that Marla and her friends were listening. After the serenade, we warmed up quickly around each other, and the rest is history.
Marla: She’s right. After hearing her sing, I melted. And that’s all she wrote.
First kiss: Remember how shy and awkward we were? Our first kiss just so happened to be on our first “unintentional” date.
When They Knew: I don’t know if there was one specific moment, but everything just always felt right, and still does. We’re very ying and yang. We’re best friends that also happened to fall in love with one another. Who knows, maybe we’ve been in love since we were 12, and didn’t even realize it.
The Proposal: Mel: I first asked both of her parents’ permission. After their approvals, the next person to talk to was Marla’s Aunt, whom I hadn’t met yet. Her Aunt lives in California, and together, we planned a secret beach proposal for when we were to fly out there in October. The issue was, once I got her ring it was just burning a hole in my pocket. I knew I couldn’t wait another minute to give it to her, and the California trip was weeks away. I took her to a gorgeous garden in the woods, but there were just too many people around. We ended up taking our pups to a local park where I nervously confessed my love for her and then got on one knee. Most importantly, she said “yes.”
Marla: The proposal was perfect. It was just us, surrounded by nature, on the blanket with our dogs. I couldn’t ask for a better scenario.
The Ring(s): Mel’s is just a band, until the big day. Then she will get an upgrade. Mine is a custom ring that far exceeds my expectations. I love all the attention to detail that Mel spent on my ring and I will forever cherish it.
Honeymoon: We fantasize about Bora Bora in a bungalow in the water. Completely disconnected and just us.
Looking into the Future: We’re pretty cliché…. Buy a home, maybe start a family, and rescue some animals! With lots of travel sprinkled throughout the journey. Truthfully, as long as we have each other, we’re ready & down for anything life brings.
