EX-MISS ARGENTINA, EX-MISS PUERTO RICO MARRIED IN SAN JUAN
Former Miss Argentina Mariana Varela and ex-Miss Puerto Rico Fabiola Valentín turned a pageant friendship into a San Juan wedding, and they kept the romance private until the big reveal.
Varela, then 26, and Valentín, then 22, married on October 28, 2022, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, NBC News reported. Varela was Miss Argentina 2020, and Valentín was Miss Puerto Rico 2020.
The women met through the Miss Grand International competition while representing their home countries, PAPER Magazine reported. NBC News said the pageant was held in Thailand.
They shared the news on Instagram with a joint message, which NBC News translated: “After deciding to keep our relationship private, we now open our doors to a special day.”
The video that told the story
The announcement was a montage of the couple’s travels, their proposal and the wedding itself. They had posted photos together before, but never confirmed they were a couple.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the proposal scene showed a “Marry Me?” balloon message.
There was also a courthouse kiss, with the brides in coordinating white outfits, PAPER reported.
The Los Angeles Times also reported that the pair posted an Instagram Stories photo of a mug reading “The best wife in the world.”
The video drew more than 2.6 million views in its first three days, NBC News reported.
Same-sex marriage became legal in Puerto Rico in 2015 after the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, PAPER reported.
Pageant world cheers them on
Congratulations poured into the comments. Arena Akuaba, whom PAPER called the first Black woman to win the Miss Grand International crown, left a message for the couple. So did Alyssa Hunter, a RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, along with fellow pageant competitors.
Valentín had already written publicly about what Varela meant to her. “One of the great gifts in this experience was your friendship, walking this process with you was a special and real one,” she wrote in an Instagram caption quoted by PAPER.
Varela thanked fans for the love, saying she and Valentín felt happy and blessed, CNN reported.
“Thanks for all the love! We are very happy and blessed. I wish you that the love you are giving us is multiplied! Endless thanks,” she said.
