Love Story: Dannelia and Marlen’s Journey to Marriage

Dannelia “Danne” Guajardo, 28 and originally from Monterrey, Mexico, and Marlen Martinez, 29 and a Houston native, share a home in Southeast Houston and own and operate TexShield Insurance Brokerage. The beguiling and beautiful pair, who will have been together for ten years this October 15, attended the same schools from 8th grade onward, but they didn’t become friends until their senior year of high school.

“I didn’t like her that much,” jokes Danne.

“We hung out one time and then we were inseparable,” adds Marlen.

“The first thing about her that stood out to me was that she’s so smart and fully centered and focused on whatever she’s doing,” says Danne. “She needed a friend like me. That’s why I started talking to her. She needed some craziness in her life.”

“One of the first things that I noticed about her was she’s just very social, very outgoing, knew everybody, and everybody seems to like her,” Marlen explains.

After graduating high school, the two had developed a very close friendship. “We became best friends, and then eventually we just fell for each other,” Marlen says. It was Marlen who made the first move almost a year after they graduated from high school by leaning in for a kiss while the pair was hanging out.

“It was a small kiss, and then I went for the big kiss, you know! So, it was both of us,” interjects Danne.

For their first date, the duo decided to be adventurous and go ice skating at Discovery Green. “It was awkward. We’d never had a girlfriend before, so we were also coming out to the world,” notes Danne.

“It was definitely something that was new,” agrees Marlen. “It was a little awkward just because it was our first time being out in public and being together on a date. It was kind of hard. We didn’t really know how to act.”

“I was like, ‘Let’s post it on Facebook. Let’s do pictures. Kiss in front of the world,’” recalls Danne. “Then we went outside, and it was a little different. Reality hit.”

Undeterred, their relationship flourished. “We were inseparable, and that’s when I knew she was the one for me,” gushes Danne. “We used to do sleepovers for weeks and weeks!”

“She brought out the best version of me—the version that I wanted to be. I just felt so comfortable. She really did feel like home,” says Marlen. “I was open and vulnerable, and I wasn’t scared. I’m not really someone that opens up or is vulnerable, and the first time I allowed myself to open up to her, it just felt good.”

Regarding their favorite things about each other, Danne cites how they balance each other. “We’re like ying and yang,” she says. “She complements me. She’s what I’m missing. It’s my favorite thing that she is my person.”

And for Marlen, it’s Danne’s contagious personality. “She is so funny. There’s never a dull moment,” Marlen explains. “I always tell her, ‘If you weren’t funny, I don’t know if we could make this work.’ She keeps me laughing.”

At one point, Danne whisked Marlen off to Monterrey to show her where she was from. Danne also organized a hot air balloon ride for them. That morning began at 5:00 a.m., and Marlen was blindfolded. “I was half asleep, and when they took the blindfold off my eyes, I was in front of this fire that was inflating the hot air balloon,” says Marlen. That’s when Danne popped the question. “I was surprised—and I was sleepy, too,” Marlen admits. “It was very cute. I was in awe. But then I also wanted to give her a proposal as well, so she got one, too.”

“It was beautiful. I miss those days,” Danne adds with her megawatt smile and signature laugh. “I need another one. Let’s get married again!”

Realistically, when planning the wedding they discovered it would be hard for a lot of Danne’s family to travel from Mexico for a ceremony. So, the lovely couple chose something a little less traditional. In 2022, on October 15, they eloped in Santorini, Greece. The date was intentionally chosen to align with their dating anniversary date.

“We like traveling a lot,” Danne points out. “That’s something that has always connected us.” This is another reason it made sense for Danne and Marlen to enjoy a beautifully elaborate destination wedding.

“People that knew us expected that,” Marlen adds.

Following their wedding, they stayed in Santorini for their honeymoon. “We got to meet a lot of people, and I like being able to introduce my wife,” Marlen recalls. “That was nice. I loved it.”

Unequivocally, both agree that their wedding superstar was their wedding planner Anna Pecak, who they found through SantoriniWeddings.net. “She literally took care of everything. We didn’t have to do anything but pick what we wanted,” explains Marlen.

“She used to wake up super-early or stay up super-late for us, just so we could have meetings,” adds Danne. Through these meetings with Anna, they were able to pick out their flowers, hire a photographer, and take care of everything else they needed for their ceremony.

As for their future, Danne and Marlen are excited to continue exploring the world together, operate their insurance business, and eventually raise children. “We want to have kids. We want to get an RV and travel to all 50 states,” says Danne.

“It feels like we need three lifetimes. How are we supposed to keep traveling and have kids and settle down and still fit everything into just one life?” asks Marlen. “We are going to take a trip to an Oktoberfest for Danne’s birthday. And we definitely want babies. I see them in the very near future, I think.”