When friends and family joined Daniel Alan Howarth and Jonathan Frank Marotto at a restaurant in Miami Beach on Nov. 20, they thought they were there to celebrate the couple’s recent wedding at the Miami Beach courthouse earlier that day. But they hadn’t actually gotten married.
“My best friend Johnny gave a speech, and Dan’s father gave a speech,” Mr. Marotto said. “And then we said, ‘We’re getting married right now!’”
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The surprise wedding was fitting since falling in love had caught them both off guard. “Before we met, we were both very over the dating scene and had no real desire to strike up a relationship,” Mr. Howarth said.
The two first connected on Instagram in February 2019. “I saw Jonathan repeatedly in some friends’ stories and posts, and I thought, ‘He looks cute and fun,’” Mr. Howarth said. “I followed him, and he followed me back straightaway.”
But it wasn’t until December 2020 that they met in person. Mr. Howarth, who moved to New York from England in 2016, wanted to return to his home country for the holidays, but Covid-19 travel restrictions prevented him from doing so. Instead, he visited friends in Miami.
While there, he decided to message Mr. Marotto, who lived in Miami, and asked if he might want to meet up. “It was not intended to be romantic,” Mr. Howarth said, although he admits he did think Mr. Marotto was cute.
Mr. Marotto wasn’t expecting much from their meeting. “I had already had my fun moments with people and I was like, ‘I’m so over it,’ and here comes this English boy who now lives in New York,” Mr. Marotto said.
On Dec. 28, 2020, the two each rode a Citi Bike to Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood, and then walked through a cemetery to the Wynwood neighborhood, where they stopped for happy hour at Le Chick Miami, a restaurant and bar.
They talked for hours. Both were intrigued by their connection. “Immediately after the date, I texted and said, ‘Let’s get together again before I leave,’” Mr. Howarth said.
Their second date just happened to fall on New Year’s Eve. They had tapas and gin and tonics at Barceloneta Miami in Miami Beach. Both had separate parties to attend that night, so Mr. Marotto dropped Mr. Howarth off soon after, but not before the two had their first kiss.
“There was definitely some chemistry,” Mr. Howarth said. “It was great, but I had no expectations at this point.”
The day before Mr. Howarth left Miami, on Jan. 2, 2021, he went to see Mr. Marotto for a “sleepover.” They stayed up late talking and watching music videos. When Mr. Howarth returned to New York the next day, Mr. Marotto recalled thinking, “I want to see him again.”
The two texted nonstop, and Mr. Howarth recalled thinking, “Why am I cold in New York by myself?” So, he found an inexpensive hotel and flight and flew to Miami on Jan. 28.
“We went kayaking on the river and he showed me around Miami,” Mr. Howarth said. “I learned about him and his culture.” Mr. Marotto is Dominican; his parents immigrated to the United States in the mid-70s.
The two stayed in constant contact, video chatting at least once a day and traveling between New York and Miami. On one particular trip in June of 2021, “We agreed then it was official,” Mr. Howarth said. “Not in so many words, but a mutual understanding.”
On Jan. 6, 2022, Mr. Marotto moved in with Mr. Howarth in his apartment in Manhattan’s West Village, where they still live.
The two “accidentally” got engaged on May 19, 2024. They were home on their couch discussing their future. “We had been living together for quite a while, but we hadn’t really organized our plans, money, travel,” Mr. Howarth said. “Marriage kind of wove itself into the conversation.”
Both agreed it was what they wanted. “Did we just get engaged?” Mr. Marotto recalls asking. They figured, “We’re in love, let’s just do it,” Mr. Marotto added. The two decided to make it official with a photo shoot during a trip to Ibiza, Spain, the following month.
Mr. Howarth, 35, is a freelance design and lifestyle writer, editor, and creative consultant. He received a bachelor’s degree in architectural studies from Newcastle University in northern England. He grew up in Leicestershire, in the English countryside.
Mr. Marotto, 34, is a manager for an eyewear shop in New York and a freelance creative consultant. He received a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Miami International University of Art & Design and grew up in Miami.
The two were wed at BeyBey Miami, a restaurant and lounge in Miami Beach, on Nov. 20. Kevin Correa, a close friend and notary public, officiated. The 47 guests who attended were asked to wear black attire. “Everyone understood the assignment and looked so chic,” Mr. Howarth said.
“It was truly such a roller coaster of emotions,” Mr. Howarth said. There was “relief that it all came together,” he said, and “pure joy at seeing everyone there.”
A second celebration will take place Dec. 22 at Mr. Howarth’s family home in Leicestershire. Much to the couple’s surprise, a small group of Mr. Marotto’s family and friends from Miami plan to join them for the soiree they are affectionately referring to as “Champagne, Canapés, and Cake.”
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