Long Time in the Making

Sarah Young '24
03 Oct 2023

The Mission Church was aglow with candlelight as Marina Iatomase ’14 walked down the aisle with her father, Phil Iatomase ’78. Almost 30 years ago, Phil had stood at the altar awaiting his wife. After several setbacks, Marina and Joshua Farinha ’14 stood in the same spot and fulfilled their longtime dream, tying the knot at Santa Clara on May 14, 2022.

High school sweethearts Marina and Joshua aren’t showy people, but on their big day, their wedding reception was filled with music and fanfare. Ivory flowers, roses, and Hawaiian blooms cascaded down the walls, and tables were lined with handmade Brazilian desserts. It was a time for high spirits and Latin and Brazilian music calling revelers to the dance floor.

“My husband is super macho and doesn’t cry, [but] he cried the whole day every time somebody gave him a mic and let him talk,” Marina says. “He would just bawl. So that was very fun, I think, for everybody to see him be so emotional.”

Besides the tears, it was the dancing that Mariana won’t forget. “My family is Italian, and his whole family is Brazilian Portuguese, so they played all the Brazilian music, and we had a conga line. The Brazilians were dancing, and it was so fun, and people still talk about that to this day.”

After their ceremony at the Mission Church, Marina and Joshua danced with family and friends at Mountain Winery. Photo provided by Marina Iatomase.

Fourteen years ago, the couple met at a football game. In the ensuing years, Marina says they’ve continued pushing each other to be the best versions of themselves. Well that, and the best dance partners, too.

Marina Iatomase ’14 married her high school sweetheart in the same place her parents wed nearly 30 years earlier: the Mission Church.

Related Stories

Reaching New Heights

Bases Loaded

Golden Drive

Embodying the Bronco