We're Getting Married

BIRK: I met Casey at Essence Festival in 2017 and inquired about her, but I guess God has a way of bringing two people together when they least expect it. We both immediately connected the following year. from the first conversation up until the present day, we haven't missed beat. CASEY: Here's the real scoop! We met at Foundation Room during an Essence Fest after party. I remember exactly what each of us were wearing-- he a white Lacoste polo, and I an olive green dress and a pink and green turban. He knew my best friend Fresh and immediately walked over and introduced himself and offered to buy us a drink. Unbeknownst to me, at the time he asked Fresh about me, but bestie told him to stay away. Birk didn't listen. The next day he jumped in my DMs. That DM would go unanswered for more than a year. Fast forward to July of 2018, Birk reached out to me on a professional level. He emailed me asking if I would be the host for an upcoming party he was hosting along with his business partners. I agreed! The night of the party comes, and Birk and the guys treated me and Fresh to a lovely dinner before we go out. He was a complete gentlemen and made a great impression on me. We parted ways and both went to get ready for the party. When my friends and I arrived, I was in rare form. I had my sexy little dress on and my Sasha Fierce wig. We were all having a great time and throughout the night I kept finding myself searching for Birk in the crowd as he was working. By the end of the night, I just had to make my presence felt. We were in line to take a picture and I turned to him and said, "You're handsome!" I'd given Birk the in he needed to make the next move. We ended the night dancing on stage together, and we've been inseparable ever since.

BIRK: I had spoken to Casey's parents and told them about our journey. I expressed to them how we both felt about each other and where we were in our lives. Both mom and pops were supportive. Mom was 1,000 percent supportive and said she'd never seen her daughter this happy, and pops said, "as long as you keep that smile on her face, you have my blessing!" Then came the planning. I started reaching out to all of the people closest to Casey-- Joshua and Fresh. I also got in contact with Erinn, a supportive friend and manager at Bella Donna Day Spa, to help me prepare and put the whole day together. We decided to surprise Casey with a massage, book the suite that Casey fell in love with during our first visit there together and made sure the room was nice and romantic for our stay. Once we mapped that out, I also planned a beautiful dinner for two at Commander's Palace. The staff there did an amazing job helping me conceal the secret and made sure the camera man was in position to capture the special moment. On top of all of this, I was able to not only have this all set up to surprise, I was also able to propose on her special day- her birthday. CASEY: Birk went out of his way to make this the most memorable day and night. He was smart enough to propose on my birthday, so I had no idea anything was coming. Leading up to my special day he told me he had it all planned and all I needed to do was a pack a bag. That afternoon, he picked me up and surprised me with spa day at Bella Donna and a stay at the Pearl suite. Later that evening, we had a lovely dinner at Commander's Palace. Then the dessert came and I was ready to dig in, and Birk said, "what's on your plate?" I said, strawberries and whipped cream. He said, "No baby, what's on your plate. Look down." There I saw the words "Will You Marry Me" scribbled in chocolate sauce. Then I looked over and he was on one knee with a ring in his hand. I hugged him and don't think I ever actually said YES! Eventually I did!