Both Marisa and Branden were staying in Moraga after the school year ended at Saint Mary's. A few of Marisa's friends also stayed in the area for work during the summer, so they decided to have dinner one night. Marisa and her friend Jenny went to their friend Alex's place to hang out with him and his roommate Adrian. Once Marisa and Jenny got to the apartment another guy was sitting on the couch that they didn't recognize. That was the first time Marisa and Branden met. They exchanged quick "Hello, my name is...nice to meet you" and that was it. Branden left the apartment soon after, not wanting to be in the way, thinking that Marisa, Jenny, Alex, and Adrian were on a double date. Something Branden shared with Marisa later on while dating.

4 years after their initial meeting, Branden and Marisa would meet again at a wedding. Branden happened to be one of the groomsmen and Marisa was there to support her friend, the bride. At the reception, Marisa was placed at the "Saint Mary's" table #gogaels, filled with everyone else that attended SMC too. Branden sat at the table too, not realizing he was supposed to be sitting at another table with all the other groomsmen. But it worked out to the benefit of Marisa and Branden. All night, their friends pushed them together (never being subtle about their plan). Marisa was also obviously interested in Branden but was not sure of his interest in her. At the end of the night, Branden walked Marisa to her car. They exchanged numbers, saying they should hang out sometime. Still unsure of Branden's interest in her, Marisa went in for a hug goodbye. Branden on the other hand had a different idea, and it was at that moment that they shared their very first kiss.

Marisa and Branden had just re-met at Nicole and Kyle's wedding four days earlier. The planning of the first date was relatively quick, but when they looked at their calendars to see when it could happen, it was either that Wednesday or not for another 3-4 weeks. So Marisa made her way up to San Francisco that Wednesday night to go on her first date with Branden, who was living and working in San Francisco then. They met at the Fairmont Hotel, starting their date off at the Tonga Room. They had a drink and then went down the street to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. They had a great time at dinner, and both Marisa and Branden did not want their date to end, so they kept the date going by walking around North Beach and stopping at a couple more places for a drink and more conversation. Branden shared that he was born and raised in San Jose before moving to Sacramento halfway into the 2nd grade. Marisa asked him where he went to school in San Jose, and Branden said, Saint John Vianney. That just so happened to be where Marisa went to church with her grandparents every Sunday growing up. As the conversation continued they found out that they attended the same 9 am mass, would go to the same local library, and lived just 3 minutes apart for five years.

It was the 4-year anniversary of Marisa and Branden's first date. Branden planned a wine tasting at St. Francis Winery to celebrate the day. They had a wonderful time wine tasting and learning more about the winery. Marisa was happy they could bring their dog, Neeko, with them to celebrate the day. After they finished wine tasting Marisa asked if they could walk around the winery with Neeko before they left to grab lunch. Branden ran back to the car to put the wine bottles they purchased away, and at the same time, he grabbed the ring because he didn't have it on him earlier. Branden came back from the car and Marisa was oblivious to it all. They began walking around the winery talking about the past four years together and reminiscing on the day they met and their first date. At one point they stopped walking, and Branden got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and said, "With all of that, Will You Marry Me?" It was a very simple and sweet moment that they got to share between just the two of them and Neeko.