Miss Argentina and Miss Puerto Rico have announced they tied the knot in secret after claiming they’ve been in a ‘private’ relationship for two years.
Mariana Varela, 26, from Argentina, and Fabiola ValentÃn, 22, from Puerto Rico, first met in 2020 when they represented their counties in the Miss Grand International competition.
Before sharing their surprise news on Instagram, the newlyweds – who never confirmed they were dating – only ever gushed about their ‘friendship’ on social media.
Announcing that they’d tied the knot, both models shared the same Reel with their combined Instagram following of 233,000.
In the 30-second video, the couple began by sharing snippets from their travels – including a clip of them cuddling up on Jobos beach in Puerto Rico and enjoying a romantic boat ride in Mexico.
The video – which has racked up over 1.8m views in three days – then jumps forward to the night where they got engaged.
The clip shows the couple’s apartment filled with an assortment of red and white balloons, rose petals and fairy lights.
Gold balloons reading ‘Marry Me?’ have been placed in front of the window before the video jumps to a clip of Fabiola placing a ring on Mariana’s finger.
The newlyweds chose have almost identical silver engagement rings – featuring a cushioned-set diamond on a pave band.
The video ends with the couple sharing a kiss outside the Marriage Bureau in San Juan where they tied the knot on 28 October.
While Fabiola opted for a white blazer dress with fringed skirt, her new wife Mariana wore a white jacket and black trousers for the occasion.
The newlyweds captioned the clip: ‘After deciding to keep our relationship private, we opened the doors to them on a special day.’
The shared post has amassed over 128,000 ‘likes’ since it was posted earlier this week and fans were quick to congratulate the pair on their happy news.
One replied: ‘Omg! Congratulations sisters! Lovelovelove!’
Another added: ‘CONGRATULATIONS!! Many blessings to you!”
‘Congratulations beautiful, a third wrote. ‘God bless your union and long live love!!!!’
Blown away by the response their post received, Mariana wrote on her Instagram Stories: ‘Thanks for all the love! We are very happy and blessed.
‘I wish you that the love you are giving us is multiplied! Endless thanks.’
Before this week, the pair only seem to have hinted at their romance on social media.
Wishing her now-wife a happy birthday earlier this year, Fabiola wrote: ‘Thank you for making me part of your life and accomplice of your happiness.
‘You are a priceless treasure and I hope to keep our friendship forever.’
Fabiola represented Argentina in the 2019 Miss Universe competition before then making it through to the Top 10 of Miss Grand International 2020.
According to Hola, Mariana also made it through to the final of the competition after being crowned Miss Argentina in 2019.