Keimy Milanes and her wife Pamela had a rather interesting agreement when it came time for wedding proposals. The pair first met at work in 2014 and became very close friends.
“Once we realized we wanted to spend forever together, the topic of proposing came up various times,” Keimy, a Wellness Manager from Miami, shares. “In those conversations we both agreed that even when one proposed to the other first, the other would still propose so that we both get our own special moment and engagement ring.”
So it played out after Pamela popped the question to Keimy in Iceland in 2016, and Keimy, in turn, proposed to Pamela in Paris in 2017. Two engagements! It was a match.
“There isn’t a specific day I can think back to that made me realize we were going to marry each other,” says Pamela, a nurse, originally from Santiago, Dominican Republic. “It just perfectly fell into place. We started planning our individual futures with each other in mind. It became a life with her and I never questioned it after that realization.”
The couple married in Nov. 2018. They now live in Orlando.
“There just came a day where even when we had disagreements, I knew that we would just need to talk things out and work through it because for me breaking up or taking a break never seemed like an option like it did in previous relationships,” Keimy says. “When I would talk about the future it never felt like, well, if we are still together; the mentality was always we will do this or that together.”
The two stuck to that plan when they came up against a challenge for their wedding day: Pamela’s mother would not be attending the wedding, due to the couple’s relationship going against her own religious beliefs.
“Even with a month left to go until the wedding, Pamela asked her mom one last time if she would consider going to the wedding. Once again her mom said no,” Keimy says.
This is where the narrative takes a surprising turn. Keimy shares, “With about two weeks to go, Pamela’s mom messaged me on Facebook asking me to give her a call. She expressed to me that she had been having a hard time knowing she hasn’t supported her daughter and wanted to ask my permission if her and Pamela’s father could attend the wedding on short notice.”
Keimy continues, “I told her they were absolutely welcome to attend and even suggested to her that they walk her down the aisle and keep the whole thing a surprise until they day of. This whole time, Pamela’s best friend’s dad, Pablo, was the one that was going to walk Pamela down the aisle in the absence of her parents. The day of the wedding just as Pamela was about to walk down the aisle with Pablo, her mom tapped her on the shoulder from behind.”
Cue the goosebumps! “When Pamela turned around, she broke into tears as she saw her mom and dad standing there ready to walk her down the aisle,” Keimy tells. “They overcame their prejudice and decided to celebrate our love with us, even after telling us they wouldn’t be there due to their beliefs. It was beautiful and love truly did overcome it all.”
Pamela shared her story on social media after the wedding and it quickly went viral with millions of views to her shock. “The thousands of followers we have received, comments of support and even messages from random strangers thanking us for sharing our story and inspiring them, has really left us in awe!”
Engagement date: Oct. 18, 2016 and April 28, 2017
Wedding date: Nov. 3, 2018
Venue: Island Grove Wine Company at Formosa Gardens, Kissimmee
Colors: White, gold and lots of greenery
Wedding Song/Artist: “My Baby You” by Marc Anthony
Live Musician: Tanner Johnson, violinist
DJ Service: DJ Anne with Music Mania
Caterer: Cocktails Catering
Officiant: Maria Roncari with A Page In Time Weddings
Cake Bakery: Carmen Perez with Baked Goodies by Inez
Cake/Cupcake Flavors: Lemon blueberry and dulce de lece
Theme: Modern botanical
Photographer: Josie Brooks Photography
Planning a wedding? Check out our 2018 LGBTQ Wedding Guide to use as a great resource to find several LGBTQ wedding resources for your special day!
Do you have an interesting wedding or engagement story you’d like to share with Watermark readers? If so, email the details to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com for consideration as a future feature on this page.
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