Clear Cut Couples Dillon and Marina
Dillon and Marina met on the very first day of college orientation at The University of Scranton in July of 2011. During the student welcome party in the Byron recreation center Marina saw Dillon walking by and he immediately caught her eye and she asked him to join in on the game of pickup volleyball. After about 10 minutes they went for a walk around campus and clicked immediately. After orientation they exchanged numbers and talked all summer until school was back in session.
When they both returned to college for the semester, their friendship blossomed. Dillon always knew Marina was the one and only had eyes for her. After a year of pursuing Marina, who also knew deep down she liked Dillon, they finally decided to become more than best friends and started dating and the rest is history! Since they were best friends before they started dating, they never went on a traditional “first date.” While in college they did everything together: study, get lunch and dinner, had class and even hung out in the same circle of friends.
Dillon and Marina have known each other for 9 years and have been dating for 8 years. They met young and grew up together, supporting each other throughout college and starting their professional careers in different states. When they graduated, Marina fulfilled her dream of moving to and working in NYC and Dillon accepted a job offer in Florida. Their love was strong enough to make long distance work and for two years Dillon would fly up to NYC to visit Marina two to three times per month. After two long years Dillon finally moved to NYC to be with Marina and they’ve been inseparable ever since.
They love to travel and have taken many trips together. They love the Caribbean, Europe and visiting different cities around the U.S. One of their favorite trips was to St. Lucia, a beautiful and friendly little island. They hiked the Gros Piton, went snorkeling and enjoyed a romantic sunset dinner overlooking the Caribbean Sea. “It’s a vacation we will always treasure.” They had a trip planned to the Amalfi Coast in Italy this summer, but postponed to 2021 and look forward to traveling when things are safe.
They love cooking together, exploring the city and finding new restaurants tucked in all the different neighborhoods. They love working out and are big Orange Theory fans. Dillon and Marina both ran their first half marathon together in 2019 and one of their goals is to run in and complete the TCS NYC Marathon.
Dillon originally planned to propose at their five-year college reunion in Scranton, in the very spot where they first met nine years ago. But when the reunion was cancelled, he planned to propose on their upcoming vacation in Italy. Unfortunately, the Italy trip was also postponed so he was back to square one working on the perfect proposal.
To close out the summer Marina suggested a long weekend away in Newport, Rhode Island. Dillon knew the third time was the charm and this would be the perfect place! On Friday August 28, they were cruising around Newport enjoying the gorgeous weather and decided to make a stop at Newport Vineyards. After enjoying oysters and wine flights they decided to head down to the pier to walk around and enjoy the sunset. On the way out Marina asked a group of girls near the vineyard to take a quick picture. Little did she know when she would turn around Dillon would be down on one knee. Marina was shocked and didn’t see it coming, completely overwhelmed with happy tears. They called their closest family and friends to share the happy news. Still on cloud nine, they ended the night with dinner outside at Scarpetta accompanied by lots of celebratory champagne.
It was a total surprise for Marina! They had discussed getting engaged and Marina thought it would happen at one of their summer events or vacations, but due to COVID everything had been postponed. She didn’t think it would happen until the holidays, so when Dillon proposed she was shocked! Dillon knew the style Marina wanted and designed the ring with the Clear Cut team in NYC, Marina never saw it. She was SO surprised and overjoyed with happy tears when Dillon opened the little black box and got down on one knee after eight years together. “I have dreamed of this moment for years and still can’t believe I’m engaged to my best friend and get to wear my dream ring for the rest of my life,” said Marina.
They called their family and friends to share the happy news and are so excited about starting this next chapter of their lives together. They are hoping to celebrate with family and friends sometime in the Fall of 2022 at a winery around the Tri-state area. "We are looking forward to planning our special day and gathering with the ones we love when things are safe!"