Maidel, a Chiropractic Assistant/Office Manager for the Miami Heat Basketball Team, and Erica, a Senior Manager at a parking firm, were both born and raised in Miami with Cuban parents. They shared a mutual friend but never met each other, despite working only two blocks apart. When they finally did meet they were immediately inseparable.
The couple has been together nearly 4 years and they have a Boston Terrier rescue named Frankie. Travel is a big part of who they are as a couple, and they feel that their decision to do so much traveling together was the best choice for their relationship. Both Erica and Maidel acknowledge that traveling can “make or break” a relationship, and they feel its enriched theirs. “You’re literally with the other person 24 hours a day and you really do get to know each other on a deeper level. There is no hiding who you really are. We know it can be tough for some, but our traveling experiences have only made us stronger.”
The couple describe themselves as adventurous souls with nomad hearts. Much of their relationship involves exploring new cities together. Says Maidel, “She’s my anchor and I’m her sail. We balance each other.”
Both women share a love for all things nautical, so when Erica proposed in July on a cruise to the Bahamas, she did it at a nautical themed martini bar. The couple were in the bar and some of the friends they’d made on the cruise came to join them.
Says Maidel: “The pianist/violinist happened to be a lesbian and an amazing musician. We are all drinking these gourmet martinis, with beautiful music in the back ground, when she started playing Somewhere over the Rainbow on a ukulele. It’s my dream ‘down the aisle’ song. Erica got down on one knee holding a box I had given to her on our travels years before. I was so confused. I didn’t move. She asked me to marry her and for the first time ever I was speechless. I finally found my voice and said ‘Yes!’ The whole room erupted with cheers. It was perfect. Erica pulled off the surprise of a lifetime.”
In October Maidel planned a counter-proposal during a road trip that began in Boston and took them up the coast to Bar Harbor, Maine. The proposal happened on October 11th 2015 at Eastern Point Light House in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Says Erica: “Maidel told me we were going to a fancy dinner near a lighthouse. On the way there we passed signs that read “Private Road” and I was concerned. Where were we going? We got into a little dispute and when we arrived the lighthouse was closed. It was almost sunset. I was frustrated, hungry and cold at this point but Maidel suggested we set up the tripod and take a photo while we were here. A woman approached us and asked if we wanted her to take the picture. I thought it was strange and said, “No thank you.” When Maidel sat down on a rock and pulled a small box from the camera bag it all made sense. She was proposing back, and the camera lady was our photographer. The surprise proposal turned into a two-hour engagement shoot. (I was eventually fed.)
The brides have set a wedding date for August 17th 2017, with a honeymoon in Maui to follow.
Says Maidel: “I’m so lucky that I’m not only marrying my best friend but the best travel partner anyone can ask for.”
Highlights from their shoot with Cassandra Lauren Photography below.
Erica with the ring box that Maidel had custom made and branded with their initials. “Gotta love Etsy.”
Because she was wearing a dress, Maidel sat on a rock to propose, rather than kneel.
The couple shares a sweet kiss by the picturesque lighthouse.
Maidel and Erica show off their rings during their engagement shoot.
Say the brides: “While it looks like perfect weather in the photos it was actually in the low 50’s. FREEZING for two Miami Girls.”