Brandi and Bowes met while she was at Apres celebrating a birthday with mutual friends. They spent the night emersed in conversation. To Brandi's surprise, she could instantly tell there was something different about him. A feeling that Bowes would later admit he also had. This immediate connection was quite unusual for them both, especially for Brandi, as she had been in a relationship at the time. As the night unfolded, Brandi's friends decided to head to City Bar. Not realizing they had left, she was now stuck at Apres needing to make her way back. Upon learning this, Bowes mentioned he was going there as well and offered to share his Uber. But before this could take place, he let her know he needed to walk down to Red Eye to “write checks”. Initially, Brandi thought this might be a fabricated attempt to keep her around. Little did she know, this was actually a regular Saturday night routine for him. In the Uber, Brandi sat on the far end of the seat, staring out the window to avoid sending any unintended signals. Bowes picked up on this and wondered what he had done wrong. Once they arrived, she hurried out the car, flashed him a "peace" sign while saying "thanks, bye!”, and rushed inside to rejoin her friends. As far as she was concerned, that was the last she’d see of him. It was just a short time later that her heel became firmly stuck in a crack on the floor. Neither she nor her friends could free it. Coincidentally, Bowes happened to be passing by and her friend asked if he could help her. Brandi, who was on the ground pulling at her shoe, looked up embarrassingly to see him staring down at her with one of those “Bowes looks”. Without saying a word (because his face said it all), he kneeled on the floor and managed to release her shoe. This awkward encounter reignited a conversation, leading to a shared drink. Still keeping her distance, not much else came from it and the night fizzled out. It wasn’t until the next day that she received a DM from Bowes, apologizing for the floor incident and her damaged shoe. He explained he would have someone out to the bar immediately to repair the crack. An act he verified less than 24 hours later by sending her a picture of the fixed floor. He even offered to replace her heels, a gesture she politely declined as she was leery of any ulterior motives. Over the next six months, Bowes would sporadically send her event flyers accompanied with messages like "If you not busy." These fleeting interactions kept their connection alive, even if they seemed inconsequential at the time. Then, one day, as fate would have it, Bowes was sitting on his couch with his dogs and noticed that Brandi had changed her profile picture. Taking this as his chance, he looked at his pups and said “Oooh Mia, Elf, let’s get you a mommy!” This led to Bowes asking her out, and now, almost three years later, they’re getting married!

In the weeks leading up to their engagement, Bowes told Brandi he'd be having a meeting at Desi and suggested they make it a date night. Based on the conversations and hints dropped during that period, Brandi thought she might know what was happening. It wasn't until the day of, just hours before, that her brother managed to successfully throw her off track. They began the evening sitting in their usual booth where they had their first date. From there, the night continued on as normal. So normal, that Brandi began to mention her earlier suspicions to Bowes. She confessed, "you're gonna laugh, but I thought you were proposing tonight," and proceeded to recount all the things she thought she'd picked up on throughout the weeks. Despite having said this, Bowes managed to give nothing away and the idea was laughed off. Dinner progressed and Bowes excused himself to check on his "meeting". Once returned, he suggested she come say "hi" before they began. Brandi, who was hesitant, as they had just gotten their food, reluctantly agreed and followed him. Even though she had previously assumed there would be a proposal, in that moment, she never gave it one thought. As soon as she stepped into the room and caught sight of the gathering of people, she knew instantly what she had just walked into. One question, a whirlwind of emotions, an enthusiastic "YES," and they were engaged! Every detail of the occasion, thanks to the help of Brandi's brother Brandon, held profound sentimental value. It was so perfect that words can only merely describe what it meant to her. Even better, it was shared with the people who mean the most to them. With that being said, Albert and Brandi eagerly look forward to sharing their biggest moment and next chapter of their lives with their cherished friends and family.