“long story short”…we said yes!

It all started at a little place called Tavern in the Forest back in 2021. Brandon was slinging drinks behind the bar, and Stephanie was... well, basically living there (but only during his shifts). She’d sit at his bar, stay until his shift ended, and flirt like it was her part-time job. It only took Brandon a casual two months to figure out that maybe—just maybe—she wasn’t coming in for the $5 tequila shots. Eventually, he caught on and got the courage to make a move. By November 2021, we officially became a couple. Eight months later, we moved into our first apartment together—proof that love really does thrive on bar snacks and shared Netflix passwords. Not long after, Brandon decided that things were going 'all too well' and that the only logical thing was to add a kitten. And so Ravioli became a big brother (very much against his wishes) and then the cycle repeated itself when Jepp became a big brother. With the addition of Pufferoni in 2025 we are now a party of five. On October 18, 2022, Brandon made the life-changing and incredibly courageous decision to become sober. One year later, almost to the day, Stephanie surprisingly proposed to him on October 21, 2023. Spoiler alert: he said yes. We kept it our little secret for a while, told our families in November, and then shared it with the world. But because one proposal wasn't enough for this love story, Brandon planned a second one in December—at the exact spot where he first said "I love you" and gave Stephanie her promise ring. (Yes, he’s that guy. Swoon.)❤️