There is a lot of family information on Family Search under the Weiss name. Her name is recorded as Mariah Pennington but her parents aren't listed. The Weiss' lived their entire life in Grayson County, Virginia so it seems odd that they would have been married in 1848 in Ashe County, North Carolina. The only reason that comes to mind is that Maria lived there and the weddings were traditionally held at the brides home. It is assumed that both her parents had passed away by this time so it isn't clear who she would have been staying with. It might have been her brother, Stephen, who moved there somewhere around this time. It would make sense if she had met John before she moved and he followed her down there.