In the spring of 2023, Lila Claire Newman, 39, found her interest in dating apps waning until she encountered the profile of Lency Federico Cantú, 40, on the platform Hinge. Cantú, who had recently relocated from Houston to New York, caught Newman’s attention with a profile photo described as “a little analog,” hinting at a manual camera aesthetic. After matching, the two spent several hours exchanging messages before transitioning their conversation to phone calls.

Their first in-person meeting took place a few days later at Bibi Wine Bar in Manhattan’s East Village, where they shared a bottle of pinot noir and patatas bravas. The evening extended until 2 a.m., during which both reported feeling an immediate connection. Newman, who was raised on the Upper West Side, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a master’s in acting from Drama Centre London. She balances a career as an actress, voice-over artist, and writer alongside a managerial role with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. Cantú, born in Indio, California, earned a business degree from the University of Houston and leads Telcon, a telecommunications firm based in Houston with operations in New York.

By May 2023, the couple had entered an exclusive relationship. In June, Newman invited Cantú to a friend’s wedding in London. During their visit, a heat wave struck the region, and Cantú fell ill on the wedding day. Initially attributing his symptoms to the flu, both were soon confirmed positive for COVID-19. Forced to quarantine in their hotel room without air conditioning, they endured the situation together as the heat wave persisted. Newman later reflected that, despite the circumstances, they chose not to view the experience as a setback.

Following their return to New York, they continued to cultivate their relationship, traveling and playing music together—Newman on banjo and Cantú on guitar. In April 2024, Cantú moved into Newman’s apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

On March 14, 2025, the couple took a weekend trip to Kingston, New York. After rain disrupted their hiking plans, they spent the evening sitting near a historic Dutch church and cemetery across from the Hotel Kinsley. At dusk, Cantú proposed with a Tiffany diamond ring.

Their wedding was held on May 9, 2025, at Manhattan’s Hotel Chelsea, attended by 71 guests. The ceremony was officiated by Larissa Martell, a Universal Brotherhood-ordained life-cycle wedding officiant. Following the ceremony, a mariachi band made a surprise entrance, leading guests into the Piano Room for cocktail hour. Reflecting Cantú’s Mexican heritage, the band performed “El Son de la Negra,” modifying the lyrics to substitute “rojita” (“little redhead woman”) in place of references to a dark-haired woman, as a tribute to Newman.