At Picchetto, the pair talked for hours on topics both serious and unserious. By the end of the first hour, Ms. Marzaro was sneaking away to text friends about their instant attraction. At 11 p.m., they kissed. In the distance, “the Eiffel Tower started glittering,” she said.
Within weeks, Ms. Marzaro was hoping her days of swiping for prince charming were behind her. Mr. Ruivinho hoped so, too. “I knew I had never before met such a wonderful girl, that it was a very special relationship,” he said.
Mr. Ruivinho’s parents live part time in his father’s native Portugal; his grandmother, Lucie Laurent, was his closest nearby relative, and among his favorite people. When he introduced the two women that spring, Ms. Laurent’s instant approval reinforced Mr. Ruivinho’s sense of rightness about falling in love with Ms. Marzaro. Ms. Laurent died that November; on a trip to the Loire Valley on March 30, 2024, Ms. Laurent’s birthday, he proposed with Ms. Laurent’s diamond engagement ring.
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Ms. Marzaro and Mr. Ruivinho were married April 25 on the beach in Malibu, Calif. Just one guest, Ms. Marzaro’s grandfather, William Fisch, attended. “Our grandparents have played important roles in our lives,” said Ms. Marzaro, who wore a 1960s-style Valentino dress. Mr. Ruivinho wore a gray suit. “We wanted him to be the only person present.”
Karen Gasbarro, the mother of one of Ms. Marzaro’s childhood friends who was ordained for the occasion through American Marriage Ministries, officiated. “It was a moment that stood outside the grasp of time,” Mr. Ruivinho said just after they were married.
In September 2025, the couple will host a wedding celebration in Grimaud, France, for friends and family. It won’t, however, dim the magic of the intimate seaside ceremony. “Being in that setting with Jorge and my grandfather made me so happy on such a deep level,” Ms. Marzaro said.
