https://www.zola.com/registry/nicedayforaknightwedding

Lori’s version: ;) We met at a pool party at my girlfriend Jen's house. It was a party that she ended up having pretty much every summer at her house. Brandon and I didn't go to the same school but, he and Josh Peters crashed the party with a neighbor. I remember thinking he was super cute!! :) We started "dating" not long after that. We were so young and couldn’t even drive yet and it became difficult trying to see each other very often. We broke up. I would think about him from time to time over the years wondering what happened to him. Many years later, we became Facebook friends. Never really talked to each other but, at least got to see what each other was up to. We didn’t find out till later but, there were many times in the last few years we saw each other out but, never said hi or anything. Or, we were at the same places at the same time and had no idea until conversations came up of “you were there too?! So was I!”. It’s like fate was slowly drawing us back to each other, trying to get us back in each other’s lives... or at least, that’s what I like to think anyway. :)

In April of 2016, a co-worker convinced me to get out of the house to hang out. (Which I did NOT want to do) Had been through a break-up months before and just wasn't feeling like getting out. She talked me into it and while we were out, I remembered an old friend (Brandon) had just opened a bar. I had missed opening night the week before so, I suggested us go check that out. I sent him a message to make sure he would be there (which he responded he was) and off we went! I had absolutely no expectations... just thought it would be great to catch up after all these years. I walk in and remember him being at the corner of the bar and suddenly I feel like i'm 14 again, seeing him at the pool party thinking, "geeze, he sure is cute!!!". Even still, I didn't have any expectations. We talked all night catching up on life. He wasn't planning on staying out late because he was in a wedding the next day. (The best man in that wedding, actually) A friend of his suggested we all go hang out at Silly Goose for a few hours longer. We sat in a booth in the corner and continued to talk all night. I remember us looking at each other for a few seconds longer than normal... He made his move and kissed me! :) He asked me to be his date for the wedding the next day and literally, we have been together ever since that night. It's a night I won't ever, ever forget!!

December 4th, we left for Los Angeles, CA for Brandon's birthday week. We had no real plans except to visit the city where he use to live. My sister also had just moved to Long Beach, CA & so we were going to meet up with her and her husband at some point. He mentions that he wants to go to Santa Monica & see the sunset one night. That wasn't unusual because we loved catching the sunsets downtown in Memphis quite often. We decided Tuesday would be our best bet for that. Tuesday comes & we are making our way to Santa Monica & it's incredibly smoggy in the distance! We didn't realize at the time that there were fires in a nearby city causing all the smoke.We went down to the pier to check it out for a bit & smog is everywhere. We walked around Santa Monica, shopped most of the day & then decided to get a drink/snack before eating dinner to see the sunset. The smog had cleared quite a bit! While talking to a lady at the restaurant, she mentioned the sunset would be really early and most of the places near the beach wouldn’t be open yet for dinner. We decided to just catch the sunset on the beach first, then grab dinner. We finished a whole bottle of wine & then made our way down to the beach. It was an incredibly beautiful sunset! Me being obsessed with pictures was trying to get the perfect selfie of us & the sunset (in the same picture). I took so many and Brandon was finally like,"Is this going to be the last one?! Put it on a timer and take another & let’s go." So I did. As it's counting down, I see this black box in the phone screen. It didn't hit me right away that it was a ring box until a few moments in but, luckily the camera caught my surprised expression! We got the pic & then he asked me if I would marry him. I of course said yes & then started bawling my eyes out! We leave & go to a small bar nearby that a lady suggested called Chez Jay's. Right when we sat down, "On the Dock of the Bay" starts playing,one of B's favorite song. Absolute PERFECT night!! :)