NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 04: DeVon Franklin and Maria Castillo attend the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 04, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
DeVon Franklin issoon headed down the aisle with his bride,Maria Castillo! They celebrated a picture-perfect Hawaii engagement in December 2024. Recently, the author announced that they took photos to commemorate that big step. Though the shoot wasn’t a part of their plans, Franklin shared a sweet message and pictures that had fans swooning!
On Monday (July 28), DeVon Franklin hopped on Threads to share photos of “The Franklins.” He revealed that photographer Reem reached out about photographing him and Maria Castillo in their “special season before [saying] ‘I do.'” Franklin said Reem flew his entire team to Los Angeles to create the magic! Ultimately, DeVon said he and the future Mrs. Franklin were blown away.
“Thank you for seeing us so clearly and capturing the essence of our love so beautifully,” the motivational speaker wrote.
In the photos, Maria Castillo is wearing a beige-colored, strapless gown with lace and floral designs and a curve-hugging fit. She paired the look with double-circle earrings, gold sandal heels, and a side-part deep wave hairstyle. Meanwhile, her husband-to-be rocked a clean, two-piece suit in a complimentary nude color. Also, he wore a black tie with matching black shoes.
As mentioned, DeVon Franklin and his bride have been engaged for less than a year. He popped the question on December 27 while on a holiday getaway at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. Franklin, 47, and 30-year-old Maria had walked hand in hand on the beach at sunset before he proposed, per PEOPLE. What she thought was a sweet photoshoot turned out to be the proposal. After announcing the surprise to his lady, DeVon dropped to one knee and put a custom engagement ring on Maria’s finger!
In February, Castillo called it a “beautiful surprise,” and their future marriage a “dream come true” in a conversation with PEOPLE. She added, “Here’s to forever with the love of my life.” Meanwhile, he told the outlet:
“Finding Maria has been one of Gods greatest blessings in my life, so I wanted the proposal to be as special as our love,” Franklin said. “It was truly a magical moment and I cant wait to spend a magical life with Maria!
The couple reportedly met about a year before the proposal after Maria Castillo’s business partner introduced them at an arranged brunch date.She works as a celebrity fitness instructor, andphotos of themtogether first surfaced in September 2024. At the time, they had soft-launched their relationship with Cabo trip photos on social media.
They made their red carpet debut the following month when they attended the Merge Awards Gala. The event fits DeVon Franklin’s line of work, as it celebrates the combination of faith and entertainment work.
