Meet a couple who, when presented with the option of waiting a year to get married due to the pandemic or celebrate virtually, opted for the latter. Here’s Tiffany and Wadih’s story.
Names: Tiffany Lorente & Wadih Pazos
Occupations: Tiffany is a Legislative Assistant at the Florida Senate and Wadih is a Principal at MBAF and Sr. Vice President of WhiteOwl (MBAF’s technology subsidiary)
Ages: 25 & 43
Tell us the CliffsNotes story of how you met:
We met at his mother’s house during a family BBQ she invited me to. His nephew was my student and she was my coworker at a local school here in Miami. We began talking at the event and have been inseparable ever since. We have so much in common.
What was the “aha” moment when you know he/she was the one?
Tiffany: Wadih’s mom invited me over to her house for a BBQ and when I walked in and saw Wadih I made the joke to his mother, “Wow. I want to meet him. Who is that?!” She smiled and said, “My son.” Forever hooked from there on.
Wadih: For me it was on our first date, which was a dance party. We danced all night. She has some moves let me tell you. I looked into her eyes toward the end of the night and knew then that one day I will marry this woman. She is gorgeous on the outside but it was the inner beauty that I had experienced through our talks since we met that I was truly mesmerized with. That night just sealed it for me because I also realized how much fun we can have. We love hanging out together, dancing, traveling, and overall living.
Have you been planning your wedding for some time? Or is this a spur of the moment change of plans? How did it all come together?
We have been planning our wedding in Maui for about a year now and we had to postpone it until 2021 because of the pandemic. A friend mentioned to us that Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens was launching Garden of Love and we felt it was the right fit for us so we could have our 2020 ceremony.
Fairchild is such a classic Miami wedding venue. Was it always on the shortlist?
Fairchild was always on our shortlist if we did not end up having a destination wedding and when we discovered the Garden of Love option we just knew it was meant to be.
How did the idea of a virtual wedding come about? Were you both game from day 1?
A friend mentioned the Garden of Love program to us because she thought of us when she heard of the program. The photos of the spots really intrigued us and the more we read the more we knew the universe was trying to tell us something.
I think we would have been open to it even without the pandemic because it was so seamless.
How did your families react to a virtual wedding plan?
No one was upset about watching a wedding in their pajamas and they were thrilled for us because they knew how devastated we were to have lost our wedding this year.
How many people ended up watching? 100 people tuned in live and the video is now at 796 views.
When you look back at your wedding, what will you remember most about your wedding day?
How appropriate this spur of the moment and unorthodox our ceremony was. All of our best moments are the ones we never even dreamed of having.
Will you have a follow-up reception once things open back up fully? What’s the plan for something like that?
We still plan on having our wedding in Maui next year with our family and friends. Hoping no masks will be needed by then and it will be safe enough to travel.
How has the pandemic impacted your outlook on the wedding and marriage in general?
The pandemic has really been a shock to the world. We never would have imagined that what we are going through was going to happen. We have been home together now for over 60 days and it feels great to know that we have been able to make up for a lot of lost time.
What do you say to other couples going through the push and pull of pandemic wedding planning?
If the love is there, the wedding can be anywhere. You’re healthy, happy, safe, and together. Everything else is a bonus.
All in all, MAZEL to the happy couple. Have a pandemic love story you want to share? Let us know [email protected]