The Independent notes Pence and Tomanelli met in college. He proposed in Cape Cod in February 2019. They were due to get married this past summer but were forced to postpone due to the coronavirus pandemic. Pence told a TV station when she was 18, while her father was running for governor, that she was "socially liberal" and "politically independent." The New York Times reports Tomanelli knew Pence was the one after she cared for him in hospital following a devastating plane crash, which sadly claimed the life of his father. "Once we came out of that, I knew she was the girl I wanted to marry," he recalled. Pence noted it felt like they'd been best friends for years the moment they met (both graduated from Northeastern University with degrees in international affairs).
The happy couple originally planned to get hitched in Kauai, Hawaii with 80 guests in attendance. Instead, they got married in a "self-uniting style ceremony" on the sidewalk. "We really wanted to pull off a courthouse wedding, but the courthouses in D.C. are currently closed," Pence advised. Her father reportedly steered the ship when it came to the exchange of vows. Pence and Tomanelli are planning a bigger celebration in Hawaii next summer, if possible. As for whether her father's career has impacted their relationship, Pence opined, "Dan and I started dating before my family stepped onto the national stage, and I think that family comes before politics every day of the week and this is certainly the case with our relationship." Love clearly conquers all, even politics.
