On April 2, 2016, Devon awoke excited to celebrate his birthday over dinner with family and loved ones. He wasn't quite ready for the night to end after dinner so he decided to head to a friend’s birthday party - the same one Diandra was attending. When Devon arrived, he stood out amongst the crowd in pool attire. Unbeknownst to him at the time, it was Devon’s all black dinner attire that initially caught Diandra’s eye. As the party started clearing out, Devon sat on the couch under an arched lamp and it was as if there was a spotlight on him. We made eye contact and suddenly we were the only two in the room. With our favorite 90's R&B song playing in the background, Devon watched Diandra as she made her way from the kitchen to the living room. We found ourselves sitting next to each other on the couch - both waiting for the other to strike up a conversation (who made the first “move” is still up for debate). Bonding over our interests, appreciation for great food and our first ever round of East Coast vs West Coast banter, the initial sparks flew. Diandra eventually asked how Devon planned to celebrate his birthday with friends and he shared that he had brunch plans the next day. This ended up being Devon’s “in” to asking for Diandra’s number later that night. After an evening of engaging conversation, Devon offered to walk Diandra to her car. Before doing so, we spent time on the outside balcony in Echo Park appreciating the starry night and the Los Angeles skyline. When walking to her car, Devon finally worked up the courage to ask Diandra for her number and later invited her out to brunch for their first date. The rest is history. To date, and for always, Diandra’s the best birthday “gift” Devon has ever received. 🤍

Our first December together, for Diandra's birthday, Devon gifted her a custom star map using the date, time and location of the night they met with the inscription: "For always noticing the stars, I wanted to show you the alignment of the stars the night we met".

We met on Devon's birthday in 2016. Five years later, under a full moon and sky full of stars, Devon proposed on the eve of Diandra's birthday. A native New Yorker with a birthday only five days before Christmas, Diandra misses the city lights most around the holidays so Devon planned a surprise evening at Holiday Road. Enjoying spiked hot chocolate and caramel cider, we walked through a beautifully lit up "winter" wonderland in Calabasas. As we approached a tunnel of lights, we bumped into (or so Diandra thought) our mutual friend and photographer who suggested we take a few pictures together. Positioned under the lights, Devon turns and asks "what if this wasn't a coincidence?". Seconds later, he was down on one knee popping the question. ___ For months Devon collaborated with bespoke engagement ring designer, Maggi Simpkins (who Diandra's been fangirling for years) to create the most perfect custom ring. The star map coordinates of the night we met are inscribed in the band and the north star sits under the diamond, "as a reminder that we’ll always find home in each other”. Our forever is written in the stars and we’re so excited to celebrate our love with our closest family and friends! ✨