Margaret Victor and Chuck Barraza marry after meeting in New York walking group

Margaret Mary Victor and Charles Victor Barraza were married on Jan. 10 in an outdoor ceremony at the Westlake Village Inn in Westlake Village, Calif., with 35 guests in attendance. The couple met in September 2020 through Shorewalkers, a New York City environmental walking group.

Ms. Victor, who joined Shorewalkers in 2016 and works as a venue sales director at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College, said she was “really thrown and quite concerned” when she learned on their first date in February 2021 that Mr. Barraza was 16 years her senior.

Mr. Barraza, who goes by Chuck and works at the Apple Store in the Staten Island Mall, said the age difference was “not my problem.” Their courtship deepened after months of walks and small gestures: Mr. Barraza surprised Ms. Victor with Magnolia Bakery cupcakes on a trip to Westchester County and later presented her with a Tiffany & Company necklace on April 11, 2021.

On Nov. 15 they chose a white gold diamond ring at David Yurman at Bloomingdale’s, which they decided to treat as an engagement ring. Mr. Barraza also traded four new snow tires for the Hermès tie he wore at the wedding; a co-worker later told him the tie cost about $300 and the tires nearly $800.

Key Topics

Culture, Margaret Victor, Charles Barraza, Shorewalkers, Westlake Village, Kupferberg Center