In early January 2020, Brendon had settled into NYC after moving from Chapel Hill NC to start his PhD program at CUNY. A few blocks away, Christina was living with her sister, Danielle, in an apartment near CUNY - Danielle had gotten her degree there as well. The stars aligned and they matched on Hinge. The rest was history. The first date was filled with synchronicities and electric energy… at one point Christina and Brendon were invited by strangers to ditch dinner for a party, but they were both more captivated by each other. They spent the night talking and laughing - the connection was so effortless that time slipped by. They closed the night with an old fashioned and a slow walk to the train, not wanting to part ways. It was not until they were both getting on the subway for their respective trips home that they realized they would be getting off at the same stop, and lived only 4 blocks away from each other. They ended their first date with a romantic walk home in a gentle rain, sensing there was something magical between them. Fast forward to March 2020.. as Christina's birthday weekend approached, Brendon had a special surprise planned: he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend at a concert they were excited to attend. Christina's close friend, Audrey, had even flown in from Kansas City to celebrate, and they were looking forward to a weekend filled with fun activities around the city. However, as you might remember, that particular weekend was when the world began to shut down due to Covid, leading to the cancellation of their concert and other events. Instead of a weekend out on the town, they created a celebration of their own on the roof… Which became more memorable than any show could have been. The next year was spent with Brendon and Christina finding refuge from the stress of the pandemic in each other, along with Danielle, Dacia, and Justin whenever he could visit. The roof of Christina and Danielle’s apartment became their favorite place to end the long days of working from home, and over the course of these months Brendon and Christina fell deeper in love. Amidst all of the uncertainty over the next few years, the one thing that remained a constant was their love and commitment to each other. In their 5 years of dating, they have traveled to 6 countries, attended all kinds of concerts, retreats, and protests… and made more memories than they could ever hope for with their family and friends (you!). They have seen each other grow and supported each other as they changed jobs (Christina) and survived a grueling PhD program (Brendon). Sammy, their feisty sweet kitten who adopted them by showing up on the apartment doorstep one rainy day in December, has completed their little family of four, and Bella has embraced her role as older sister and queen of the house. Christina and Brendon share a deep appreciation for a life full of creative play, as well as spiritual teachings and growth. If you were to ask them what they love about each other, Christina would say that Brendon has an unwavering ability to keep her grounded while also being able to make her laugh every day. Brendon would say that Christina makes life exciting, and has taught him how being open with ones emotions leads to healing and a deeper capacity for love. They have learned that the best memories are the ones created together and are so grateful to be able to share the adventure that is life together as partners and best friends. They are so excited to have you join them this October as they step into the next chapter of life and say “I Do” in one of their favorite places, surrounded by nature and all of the people they love.