Date: June 14.
Her story: Maria Fernanda Trujillo Mendoza, 49, was born in Colombia. She works as a capacity builder for countries around the world with The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Her parents, Carlos Augusto Trujillo Padilla and Adiela Mendoza de Trujillo, live in Colombia.
His story: Ian Joseph Milton Gallanar, 53, was born in Seattle and grew up in Southern California and Indiana, Pa. He is the founding artistic director of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore. His father, Joseph Milton Gallanar, and mother, Lou Ann Gallanar, live in Pennsylvania.
Their story: The two met during a chance encounter in a coffee shop in the Washington suburbs. They shared a table and struck up a conversation.
"I thought he was an interesting guy," Maria said. "He was worth exploring more — what he did and who he was."
Ian was intrigued by the stories of her adventures, which included learning dances in Haiti and swimming in male-only waters near the Ivory Coast.
"She was a fascinating person," Ian said. "This is the most interesting person. I want to know this person. How could you not want to know that person?"
But it wasn't an immediate love connection.
"I never imagined myself married to him," Maria said. "I didn't think I was going to remarry. The nature of my job and being a single mom, I didn't think I would meet this great guy at this stage in my life."
For 2 1/2 years, they considered each other a "best friend."
"We didn't think the relationship was going to go anywhere from that," Maria said.
The two live in Silver Spring with her daughter, Aura, and his daughter, Isadora.
The proposal: Ian proposed to Maria in her North Bethesda apartment in November 2013.
The two had just finished dinner. "He just kind of turned around and said 'Will you marry me?' " she said. "I happily said yes. I didn't cry. They say it's difficult to make me cry."
Venue: One hundred and thirty people attended the ceremony reception, which was held at Westminster Hall.
Flowers and decor: The colors of the wedding were ivory and coral. The couple used flowers — bird of paradise flowers and circus roses — from Colombia.
Her dress: Maria's ivory dress was from David's Bridal. The dress featured a lace top and a pleated waist with lace accents on the hips. And there were plenty of buttons. "The gowns in my family have a lot of buttons," she said. "My gown wasn't an exception."
Bridesmaids' attire: Bridesmaids wore coral dresses by Bridesmaids.
Men's attire: Ian wore a Calvin Klein tuxedo from Men's Wearhouse.
Music: Terry Marshall played live music on the piano, and RealCool served as DJ. The couple's first dance was to "Como Fue" by Jose Feliciano.
Food and dessert: Dionysus' Kitchen in Catonsville catered the wedding. Appetizers included Colombian empanadas (Maria's family recipe), fruits and cheeses. Dinner consisted of a Colombian food station, which included flank steak, fried plantains, tomato avocado salad and traditional chicken with lemon. The couple also served a four-tier cake — with tiramisu, dulce de leche and salty caramel flavors — from Charm City Cakes. The cake was adorned with coral and gold roses.
Special touches: The couple plan to go to New York City for their honeymoon.
