Aleya and Brandon

11/04/2017

LOS ANGELES, CA, United States

We had our fairytale dream wedding and are living happily ever after, but let's not get ahead of ourselves...

Our story starts when we "officially" met on January 15, 2014 at the always swanky Founders' Day party of Aleya's sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc. It seemed like everyone was buzzing around us at full speed, but when our eyes met, we enjoyed a blissfully serene moment together that seemed to linger forever. It was as if God stopped time just to make sure we did not miss the chance to meet the loves of our lives. After mustering the courage to talk to, as Brandon puts it, "the prettiest girl in the room," we sat down and chatted for the rest of the night, still enveloped in our own little world.

When we looked up and realized that there were very few people left in the party, Brandon, always the consummate gentleman, offered to walk Aleya to her car. In true Cinderella style, Aleya's shoe broke on the way! Brandon, playing a very convincing Knight in Shining Armor, whisked Aleya to her car while simultaneously tugging at her heartstrings. After sealing a storybook night with a sweet kiss, we started a romance that would make the Disney princesses jealous.

After growing together by the grace of God in love and understanding, Brandon popped the question in a beautiful proposal during Aleya's 30th birthday party on September 17, 2016. He even worked with the DJ to time playing their song "Young & Beautiful" by Lana del Rey right as he got down on one knee. To say that Aleya was overjoyed would be a huge understatement (as evidenced by the ugly crying that commenced as soon as the ring went on her finger). Want to see for yourself? Check out our proposal video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIwnB3mCaXc

The next step of our lives together kicked off with our wedding , 51 floors above Downtown Los Angeles at the City Club LA. As the sun was setting, we recited our vows surrounded by candle light and love. Our colors were gold, emerald (Brandon's birthstone) and Sapphire (Aleya's birthstone). Aleya, a trained chef, designed the menu herself, choosing each course to help tell our love story - from when we first met through our wedding. You can immerse yourself in the wedding by checking out the video: https://vimeo.com/252267747