Our Story...

Back in 1976, in La Victoria, Estado Aragua, Venezuela, a unique story began to unfold. Marcia was just two years old, and Carlos Quinto was eight when Carlos Quinto's grandmother found a special affection for Marcia upon seeing her with her mom in the playground of their building, Invica.  

Marcia and her family lived on Invica’s 12th floor, while Carlos Quinto and his family resided on the second. The encounter between Marcia's mom and Carlos Quinto's grandmother led to a deep bond between the two families.  

Marcia and her younger sister, Karla, affectionately called his grandmother "Abuela Rosa" (Grandma Rosa) for two reasons: one, because she spoiled them with affection, singing lullabies to them on her rocking chair, always having an open door, and sharing her delicious meals. Two, with their grandmothers residing in distant countries, Abuela Rosa filled a void with her warmth and affection. 

Abuela Rosa and Carlos Quinto's mom, Beatriz, became two of Marcia's parents' closest friends, and Marcia’s mom’s two best friends.  

Despite the strong bond forged in childhood through shared family meals and outings, life took them on separate paths. Marcia and Carlos Quinto lost touch when he went off to college in 1984, and Marcia and her family left Venezuela, arriving in California in 1985. 

Over the years that followed, Marcia's father visited Beatriz and Carlos Quinto many times when he traveled from the US to Venezuela, yet Marcia and her mom were not in touch with them.  

Marcia and Carlos Quinto hadn't seen or talked to each other for 38 years until…God intervened, as Carlos Quinto moved from Venezuela to North Carolina in January of 2022. 

As soon as he arrived, Carlos Quinto called Marcia's mom (who had reconnected with his mom about a year earlier) to tell her he had just moved to the US. Marcia happened to be sitting next to her mom during that call, which produced the first "hello."  

They talked to each other for the first time in almost four decades, and in homage to the cherished relationship their families shared in their childhood—especially Carlos Quinto sharing his grandmother with Marcia and her sister—on that first phone call and many to follow, they fondly referred to each other as "primo" or "prima" (cousin).  

As they got to know each other in this land, the memories of La Victoria and the ties of a shared past came flooding back. Their reconnection was not just a chance encounter; it was a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the unpredictable journey of life; a plan God had set forth almost five decades earlier. Somewhere along the line, they stopped calling each other “primo” and “prima” and fell in love.  

On December 19, 2022, Carlos Quinto moved from Pennsylvania to California to be with Marcia. On December 25, 2023, Carlos Quinto proposed to Marcia in front of her family. And on January 2, 2024, their civil wedding took place with Marcia’s immediate family as the only guests and with Marcia's parents, Brenda and Roberto, as their witnesses. 

Carlos Quinto's grandmother, Rosa, was honored at that wedding, as they exchanged vows in a city that bears her name, Santa Rosa, California.  

They are holding their wedding in the Lord on Abuela Rosa's birthday, August 30th, to honor her. They believe God used Abuela Rosa in their childhood to unite their paths for life.  

And they chose to have the wedding at Dominican University of California because it is a place near and dear to their hearts, and where Marcia earned her BA and MBA, volunteers on several boards, and teaches throughout the year. 

Carlos Quinto and Marcia want their marriage to be a fragrant offering to God, always walking with Jesus and honoring and loving each other.