Brannon had just moved to Kansas City when he and Kristen both swiped right on a dating app and started chatting. They ran into each other in person as Kristen was leaving a loud bar in Kansas City with her brother and Chase (now groomsmen). As she introduced them, Brannon couldn't quite hear and thought she said "this is my boyfriend", not "this is my brother". Brannon became understandably stand-offish until Kristen left and Brannon's friend explained to him the misunderstanding. Brannon was "very regretful" and reached out to Kristen to see if she would like to go on a date. After the two stumbled their way through an awkward second encounter, they decided to give it one more shot (luckily) - and really hit it off on "date" to the dog park with a six pack of beer and the Benty.

Kristen and Brannon share a mutual love of travel. The two planned a two week excursion to backpack Italy together in the fall of 2017. After a full day of travel including trains, boats, buses, and a taxi, the two reached their final destination in Praiano. Their Airbnb had a beautiful terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea; Brannon got down on one knee.