Taylor Maresca moved to Myrtle Beach, SC after graduating from the University of Arizona in May 2022 and her dad helped her look for a car.
Finally, he found a white Nissan Sentra at a local dealership and was connected with Marshall Walker, a salesperson at the store.
After meeting in person, Maresca and Walker stayed in touch and began dating. Eventually, in May 2024, Walker, 25, proposed during a trip to Nantucket, Mass.
Taylor Maresca was preparing to graduate from the University of Arizona in May 2022 and move to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to start her first job as a TV news reporter at the local CBS affiliate. For her next adventure, the 24-year-old needed a car. However, she was so focused on graduating that she let her dad take on the task of finding one.
Maresca told her dad she wanted a small, white car, without any preference for the brand or added features. Unfortunately, due to a nationwide car chip shortage at the time, her dad struggled to find a new vehicle. He called all the dealerships in the Myrtle Beach area looking for anything available for her when she moved there.
Finally, he found a white Nissan Sentra at a local dealership and was connected with Marshall Walker, a salesperson at the store. The two communicated back and forth for a couple of months before Maresca and her dad flew down to Myrtle Beach on June 1, 2022. Their first stop was the Nissan dealership to pick up the car.
“That’s when I met Marshall,” she tells PEOPLE. “My dad introduced us to each other. When I first met him, I definitely thought he was cute. My dad said I was acting weird the whole time we were there, and at one point, I even asked my dad, ‘How old do you think he is?’ referring to Marshall.”
Taylor Maresca and Marshall Walker with their arms around each other. Taylor Maresca
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A couple of hours after they picked up the car, Walker texted Maresca while she and her dad were shopping at Walmart for random items for her apartment.
“I was nervous, excited, and happy, and I did NOT tell my dad!” the former news anchor says. “We definitely had vibes at the dealership, so I was thrilled when he texted me. He mentioned that I was new to the area and asked if I would like to go out sometime — I said yes!”
“I told my mom and sister right away that he texted me,” she adds. “I am a pretty shy person, so they encouraged me to go on a date with him because I was so nervous. My family and friends have always been so supportive. Marshall fits right into the family.”
A month after they
