Congratulations are in order for former Miss Argentina and former Miss Puerto Rico. After first meeting at the 2020 Miss Grand International competition in Thailand and keeping their relationship out of the public eye, Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentín are married! The happy couple shared the exciting news of their nuptials on Instagram on Thursday, Oct. 28, giving fans a glimpse into their love story.
The couple announced their marriage in matching Instagram Reels posted to their accounts, sharing in the caption, “After deciding to keep our relationship private, we opened the doors to them on a special day. 28/10/22.” The accompanying video was a sweet montage of their relationship that captured candid moments of the pair at the beach and on a boat ride. The video also included their candlelit marriage proposal, as well as a kiss outside a courthouse in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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The nuptials came after Varela and Valentin represented Argentina and Puerto Rico, respectively, at the 2020 Miss Grand International competition in Thailand. Per its website, the competition, founded in 2013, has a mission to “send out a message to give love and peace to the world” and to promote “the knowledge and understanding of mankind to campaign to stop war and violence.”Both Varela, who also represented Argentina in 2019’s Miss Universe pageant, and Valentin made it to the pageant’s top 10. After the pageant ended, though, the two appeared to have remained close, with Valentine writing in an April 2021 Instagram post alongside a photo of herself and her new wife, “One of the great gifts in this experience was your friendship, walking this process with you was a special and real one. I miss you, my girl.” The couple had not revealed they were dating, however.
News of their nuptials was met with an outpouring of love, support, and congratulations. Samantha Bernardo, Miss Grand Philippines 2021, commented, “Omg! Congratulations sisters! Lovelovelove!” The Miss Grand International competition also celebrated the news, sharing, “Congratulations to both of you. MGIO always support ‘LOVE’ without boundaries.” Ghanaian singer and beauty queen Abena Akuaba, who won Miss Grand International 2020, wrote, “Congratulations. MGI brought together a beautiful union.” Responding to that comment, Varela wrote, “Thanks for all the love! We are very happy and blessed.
