Welcome! Meet:

Stephen + Marianne

Actor / Chief Communications Officer

California

Caucasian

Christian

All About Stephen & Marianne
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Stephen & Marianne

Hi there. We are Marianne and Stephen. First, let us say a heartfelt and sincere thank you for considering us to be the guardians and parents to your child. We know this is an incredibly hard and selfless decision on your part, and we admire your courage.

We are a couple living in sunny Southern California. The third member of our family at present is a loving and lively Labradoodle who is fantastic with children. Marianne works in Communications for an Advertising agency, while Stephen is an Actor and Narrator, often found recording in our home studio. Together, we enjoy road trips in California, traveling to new places in the US and internationally, spending time with family and friends, visiting museums, seeing live music, watching movies, going to the beach and weekend hikes with the dog.

Marianne is a dual-citizen of the UK and USA. She grew up in England and is the oldest of four siblings, aunt to five nieces and nephews (all of whom she’s incredibly close to) and godparent to five more children. Marianne has lived in the US since 2006, on both the East and West Coasts.

Stephen was born in Nashville, growing up in D.C. and Connecticut as the youngest of three siblings. Stephen’s parents are retired and remain together in his childhood home in Connecticut. He is godparent to his high school best friend’s child and was quickly welcomed to Marianne’s family through her nieces and nephews, who are nothing short of obsessed with him! He too has spent time on both coasts and chose California as home nearly 10 years ago.

Both of our parents have been together and married for 50 years or more, setting a great example and providing a stable and supportive family environment for our upbringings and adulthood, which we hope we can replicate for our own family.

Why Adoption?

We met in our early 40s and this is the first marriage for both of us. Meeting later in life, we quickly got to thinking about family and very fast realized it was something that was incredibly important to both of us. Our journey to parenthood has brought us to adoption. We have unwavering support from both our families, as well as a network of people surrounding us who have also been on the adoption journey and we feel incredibly supported as we navigate this path.

Stephen’s mom (a retired teacher) once told us that, upon having her first child, she quickly recognized that as parents we are simply stewards for our children to grow and develop their own individual personality, to nurture, guide and champion them on their journey to be the best possible version of themselves.

We take this on whole heartedly as we look to grow our family, understanding that the biggest part we can play as adoptive parents is to ensure we provide a safe and welcoming home full of love, empathy, guidance and understanding and to give our child the tools to grow and flourish to their fullest potential.

Family & Home

We live in a quiet residential suburb of Los Angeles, close to the ocean and many hiking trails for enjoying the outdoors. We enjoy spending time in our home and especially in our backyard, where the dog enjoys playing fetch and finding sticks, and we spend time gardening, grilling, hanging out with friends or watching an outdoor movie. We are fortunate to be close to several good public schools within walking distance and friends with children who live close by. Our home is often a place where friends congregate on weekends, as we love playing host.

Between the two of us, we have an extensive network of family, chosen family and friends on both the East and West Coast, as well as in the UK and further afield. Our community is incredibly important to us and while we don’t get to see our immediate family as much as we would like given their distance, we keep our relationships close through regular text messaging and FaceTime calls. Our nieces and nephews, in particular, are near and dear to our hearts and a week doesn’t go by without some interaction with them.

The foundation of it all is love and support for one another, a support that has been tested through hard times, strengthened through laughter, and which continues to nourish us individually and together.

How others describe me

Marianne on Stephen:

Stephen is a kind, big-hearted and caring human. His love language is ‘acts of service’ and he is never not trying to help someone! He’s infinitely curious and eager to learn new things at all times or figure out how something works. Creative to his core, he holds many artistic talents and has lived many lives throughout his career, which I can’t wait for him to share with our child. Family is the most important thing to him and he is going to make an incredible father.

Stephen on Marianne:

Marianne is loving, caring, and supportive of any persons, pursuits or identity in life. Her chosen profession is centered around supporting and encouraging the growth of the creatives surrounding her. She is always the first to look out for kiddos she knows whenever they’re around, finding such energy, joy, and entertainment from them. Her most pleasured moments are spending any down time available in the comfort of her home surrounded by those she loves. She makes it a priority to see her immediate family in England multiple times a year, as family is one of the most important things for Marianne. She will make an incredible mother, and will do anything possible to support and love her child with every part of her heart.

How We Met

We met online in 2019, when Marianne moved to Los Angeles from New York. After a coffee date that turned into lunch, we recognized we had a lot in common and very quickly after that knew that it was something special. Just 5-months after we met, the pandemic started. We decided to quarantine together for a few weeks so we didn’t have to spend any time apart, and we’ve been living together ever since. On our first anniversary, Stephen proposed while we were on a road trip to celebrate. A year later, we had a small ‘pandemic’ wedding in our living room, with just our parents, Stephen’s sister and Marianne’s close friend as witnesses. In fact, Stephen’s dad, a retired minister, married us. We celebrated properly six-months later, with our dream wedding party and just our nearest and dearest family and friends by our sides.

Advice to Future Child

March to the beat of your own drum. Be the truest version of yourself, it is what makes you the unique individual that you are, the world will be a richer place because you contribute to it, and you will be loved for it. Be kind, compassionate and unafraid to show love towards others (humans and animals). Explore your curiosity and ask questions, but also listen. Find your community of family and friends that will always support you, encourage you and love you unconditionally. Be happy.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We are most interested in exploring an open adoption arrangement. We believe that in the long-term it is generally in the best interest for the well-being and mental health of the child, and we want to provide that option for our child. However, we are also very aware that this can be traumatic for all parties, the birth mother particularly, and we would want to work with her to come to an arrangement with her welfare and wishes in mind.

Favorites

Stephen

Favorite Movie: I grew up on movies from the 80’s and 90’s, but without a doubt my favorite movie is Notting Hill.
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: I’ve always enjoyed hosting a FriendsGiving just before Thanksgiving, because it’s been such an incredible chance to connect with my extended community. As well, traveling for Christmas to see my family has always been a staple trip that’s always confirmed for each other. Now building a family with Marianne we’ve begun to build new holiday traditions, which have become equally as significant to both of us.
Hobbies/Interests: music, connecting with friends, travel, fitness
Dream Vacation: an African Safari
If I Could Choose a Superpower: flight

Marianne

Favorite Movie: Anything from the 80’s! If I’m pushed to pick one, Top Gun
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas with my family has always been special as the one time we all take time to travel and be together. In recent years this has become even more cherished as we have the next generation to share it with. In particular we celebrate Christmas Eve with Polish traditions, honoring my dad’s heritage and upbringing. It is a lot of fun!
Hobbies/Interests: travel, pilates, baking, hiking
Dream Vacation: an African Safari
If I Could Choose a Superpower: mind reading