Regal in Green Romance - Featured #LoveWins Wedding in Maryland -Munaluchi Bride

Featured in the Winter 2019 issue of MunaLuchi Bride Magazine!
View the digital magazine format here, and click here to order your print copy today – while still available!

What began as an internet crush would prove to be fate in action, bringing two souls together as one. Renee’s heart skipped a beat when while scrolling through Instagram Latoya appeared on her screen. After requesting to follow her account, an adoration for Latoya began to grow within Renee following every new picture posted. Over the next year those feelings continued to deepen but Renee remained apprehensive about directly reaching out aside from liking Latoya’s photos. It wouldn’t be until the summer of 2014 that both of their lives would forever change…

Wedding Couple: Renee & Latoya
Wedding Location: Frederick, Maryland
Wedding Date: September 6th 2018
Photographed by: Kenneth Clapp

While enjoying some poolside time with her family in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Renee recognized the familiar face of Latoya entering the pool area. Wanting to casually capture her attention, Renee posted a photo of herself by the pool on Instagram, serendipitously, at exactly the same time Latoya happened to be scrolling through her account. Latoya, realizing the woman in the photo was the same person who was currently, unbeknownst to Renee, “taking her breath away,” approached Renee to introduce herself.

Feeling like a high school kid with a crush, Renee was elated to finally be directly communicating and even more so when learning that their feelings were mutual. Though it was the perfect step in bringing them together, the timing was off, and their happily ever after wouldn’t begin just yet. Seven months later, when the waters of life had finally settled, Renee reached back out to Latoya in hope that she wasn’t forgotten. In Renee’s words, “the conversation sparked instantly, from that day on Latoya and I have been inseparable, we just fell in love and knew we could not be without each other.”

Latoya, knowing that she had found the person to forever share her life with, was dreaming of their future proposal, and so with the assistance of Renee’s father, began planning. But tragedy struck when he suddenly passed away. Time for healing was at hand, but Latoya knew with even more certainty the importance of this proposal, wanting to make sure it incorporated the significance of family in honor of Renee’s father. Integrating the timeframe of his birthday into the date, Latoya also knew that one of Renee’s closest Aunts had a birth-date only a few days from that. Reaching out to her for assistance, Renee’s Aunt agreed to throw a dinner party under the guise of celebrating her own birthday, hosted at a winery. Once everyone was seated they went around the table reading the preplaced quotes in front of them, each on the topic of the significance of family. When it was Latoya’s turn to speak, she looked to Renee, taking her by the hand and speaking from the heart told her, “you know how I always say I can’t live without you,” before getting down on one knee and asking for her hand in marriage.

Best Memories: Our best memory from the wedding was honestly when we first saw each other and the connection, it was like everything faded out and all we could see was each other, while I was walking down the aisle, I was replaying our lives up until this moment. I broke down just thinking…man I am lucky, she’s up their waiting for me.

Advice for Engaged Couples: Focus on the love, that’s what got you to this point! everything else will fall into place. Always stay true to each other, even when its hard.