It was an August summer night when we met at the Granada Theater underneath the vintage marquee, while waiting to see a live show. We opted to go next door to Sundown at Granada, an eatery and beer garden with a 2nd floor patio over looking Greenville Avenue. We sat and talked in the patio lounge, alone beneath the twinkle of string lights and the glow of the marquee. We listened to indie rock and grunge while drinking signature cocktails and beers from local breweries. We instantly hit it off and talked for several hours. Speaking to him that night, I felt as if I were talking to someone I had known for years, and by the end of the night, I felt exhilarated. Bradley walked me over to my car down Longview Street, which has an amazing view of the old theater. He opened my door for me and gave me our first kiss! Sparks flew and our lives where forever altered. I drove home thinking of how we had such a wonderful time together and how I couldn’t wait to see him again. Now, four years later, we are moving on to our next step in life.

I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d had the ring for some time, hidden away in my parents’ house, so there was no chance of Vanessa discovering my plan. I just knew that the proposal had to be romantic and unique to us; I didn’t want to just imitate what somebody else had done. That night I had the ring in my pocket, unsure how exactly things would play out, but knowing that the perfect place to propose would be at the Sundown, where we had first met. So we went. Unfortunately, unlike our romantic first date alone on the second floor patio, the place was completely packed. A wedding party, ironically, had taken the upstairs. Our dinner that night was romantic and memorable, but as the night went on, it looked like I would have to try again some other time. As we pulled away in my car, I felt my heart racing. Where had our first date ended? Vanessa remembered. We stopped to reminisce at the place where we had shared our first kiss goodnight, down Longview, and there I realized the time had arrived. I can’t describe how nervous I felt in that moment as I produced the ring-- or how, as she said yes, breaking down into tears, I felt like I was experiencing one of those truly perfect moments in my life.