“It’s really just going to be a day to celebrate love and celebrate our love, especially with our family and friends,” Don says about their upcoming nuptials in spring 2017.
Marc Retzlaff, who is a hair stylist at Marc Retzlaff at Enso Hair Studio, and Don Kiceina Jr., a general manager for Outfront Media, met while Marc was down visiting friends in Tampa. Don lived in Tampa at the time and both men had decided to go out with friends for Cinco de Mayo.
“As I was walking off the dance floor around 11:15, I literally walked into Marc,” Don recalls. “And Marc being six-foot-three with a great smile and very good hair, he said ‘hello’ and I said ‘hello’ back, and honestly – it was pretty much instant chemistry.”
Marc was visiting from Buffalo, New York, at the time with some friends, but they ended up spending most of the rest of the weekend hanging out together. Don took off that Monday from work and Marc even pushed his flight back to spend more time with him; both of them could tell this was the beginning of something great.
They had a long-distance relationship for about nine months where they would see each other every three weeks, whether that be Marc flying from Buffalo or Don going to see him up North. Marc described the first time he met Don as Marc being very personable, along with being good looking and outgoing. After about nine months, Marc moved down to Tampa with Don.
“It [the long distance] really did strengthen our relationship,” Marc says. “It gave us a deeper understanding of each other and what we’re willing to do. It helped with, I believe, honesty.
After a few years, they both realized they would be married, whether they would have to go somewhere where it was legal or just have a ceremony with a party for their friends.
As they approached their five-year mark, they both realized they didn’t think they should wait and figured that they should get engaged. In addition to celebrating the milestone, they ordered matching engagement rings to wear. At the time, Don was out of work for a bit due to being sick, so he was home when the rings arrived.
When Marc came home from work that day, Don greeted him at the door with their dog Dexter and told him the rings arrived. He handed him a box and Marc, thinking it was his ring, opened it. At that moment, Don dropped to his knee and said “So do you wanna get married?” He realized the ring he was holding was actually Don’s and Don had his. It was emotional for both of them.
They like how there’s a lot of symbolism and symmetry behind their wedding date – it’ll be their 10th anniversary, five years since they were engaged and they will have a toast at the exact (or as close to it) time they bumped into each other on the dancefloor that one night in Ybor City.
As the couple continues to plan for their big day, they have decided on aspects of their wedding that would fit them both – Don wanting a more traditional ceremony and Marc desired to have it a bit nontraditional.
“No matter how hard he tries to be tough, his honesty redirects that into being a very open and caring individual,” Marc says about Don. “His genuineness, that quality of him just being who he is at all times.”
YEARS TOGETHER: 9 years
ENGAGEMENT DATE: May 5, 2012
WEDDING DATE: May 5, 2017
WEDDING VENUE: Tampa Garden Club
WEDDING PLANNERS: The couple
WEDDING CATERER: Metrochefs
INTERESTING FACT: They will be sharing a special toast at 11:15 p.m. during their reception to mark 10 years since they first bumped into each other.
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