Clear Cut Couples: Taina and Rafael
Taina and Rafael met in Buffalo while they were both attending school in 2011. Taina was at attending SUNY University at Buffalo and Rafael was attending Buffalo State College. They started talking shortly after they met and officially got together the following February in 2012. Since then, they have been together for a total of seven years.
The craziest part about them meeting as adults in Buffalo is that they were actually at the same wedding when they were younger. They didn't realize it until after their families knew about their relationship. Taina’s Godfather was getting married to Rafael’s aunt's sister!
They were both at the church and the wedding reception when they were around 12-14 years old. They didn't officially make contact that day, but it was as if the universe was speaking to them. Taina initially never went to school in Buffalo either. She was going to Hofstra, but decided to transfer and ended up choosing Buffalo. Clearly, they were soulmates, bound to eventually find each other!
Rafael proposed on June 3rd, 2019 in the Amalfi Coast, Italy. It was such a nerve-racking morning, he says. He wasn't nervous up until the ring was finally in his pocket and they were ready to leave the Airbnb.
Taina created an itinerary for the entire trip so Rafael was able to plan exactly where he wanted to do it. He told her prior to creating the itinerary that he wanted to go to this garden called Ravello. She made sure it was one of their first stops on their trip. That morning they got ready, left the Airbnb and headed towards the bus which was going to drive them straight to the top of the hill where Ravello was located. Rafael also had to make sure the ring wasn't in the pocket closest to her while sitting down on the bus. They made their way to the top and began to explore. As they were walking through the garden, none of the locations seemed to feel like the perfect spot to Rafael. Taina was tired of taking pictures and was ready to head inside to watch a history video of the garden. Rafael requested to keep walking and explore the garden. She complied *Phew*. They walked into a secluded part of the garden that they had all to themselves. Rafael set up the tripod with his iPhone and pretended as if they were going to take a photo, when really he started recording. He turned to her, dropped down to one knee, pulled out the ring box. Rafael says he wishes he could go back to that moment because it was electric to see and feel the reaction. She knew they’d get married, but she had no idea it was coming then. The moment could not have been any more perfect than it was.
The biggest surprise of all was the ring. She was floored by the whole experience and more so by the ring. She keeps telling Rafael how he got her the perfect ring and how it is exactly what she wanted. She still asks him so many times how he chose the Clear Cut and how grateful she is that he chose Olivia as the jeweler.
They have plans to get married in 2021. They want to enjoy their engagement. They definitely want a destination wedding near a beach with sun and water. They are looking at a few different options. Their top three destinations are Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica. Congrats you two -- we are SO happy for you!
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