“We’ll be single for the rest of our lives”! I know it sounds dramatic, but I think the two of us had genuinely started to believe it. Dating had become a chore and for all we knew, not a whole lot was going to change. With that being said, I do think we were both still clinging to a little sliver of hope that “our person” was still out there. Dating in your 30’s can be difficult, meeting someone new is even more of a challenge and going out to meet someone wasn’t usually on the menu. I think it’s fair to say that the two of us were using dating apps quite regularly, but the wrong person at the wrong time seemed to plague our dating lives. That was until Derek, and I matched on Hinge! I didn’t know it at the time, but I had found my person. Shortly after matching, we exchanged numbers and began talking almost every day! One date led to two and our weekends began filling up with plans to spend our time together! I hadn’t felt this way about a man in a long time and I began to feel a special bond forming between us. Wasting no time, and to my complete surprise, on May 12, 2023, while at a vineyard near Derek’s hometown he asked me to move in with him! I was over the moon, excited and nervous all at the same time! Derek was just as ready as I was for our relationship to evolve into something greater. On August 18, 2023, with my things packed, Derek and I rented a U-Haul, and I made the move from Fredericksburg to Staunton to start the best chapter of my life. By this time Derek had already become a part of my family, and I was a part of his. He had introduced me to many of his good friends and their families. After several months of living together, Derek had asked me to reach out to a friend of ours about capturing some spring photos. Never in a million years would I have guessed; I was planning my own engagement! Behind the scenes Derek was regularly talking and planning out all the details with our friend. As a side note, Derek talked about marriage quite a bit but had me believing it wouldn’t come to fruition for a couple more years! On April 14, 2024, in the middle of our spring photo session at Pippen Hill Vineyard Derek got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! I was SHOCKED! I can’t put into words the emotions the two of us were feeling at the time, but our prayers were being answered! It was a beautiful, private moment for both of us. Afterwards, and to my complete surprise once again, our families joined us after our photo session! For the first time in our lives, we were two people in the right place at the right time. We are so excited about our future together and as many of you know, we have waited for this day for a very long time! We are SO excited to share our special day with all of you! With Love, Brandy & Derek