Mariah + Brandon
September 5, 2020
Mariah and Brandon were co-workers when they first met in 2016. There was a mutual attraction, but sparks didn’t fly until Brandon left for another job. Mariah said, “In September 2018 he slid into my DM’s and asked me out on a date.” They went for sushi, talked, walked around the city, and saw a movie. The love story blossomed from there.
Brandon proposed a year later on Mariah’s birthday weekend. They had a nice evening planned on a dinner cruise in Norfolk. Brandon asked a boat attendant to take a photo of them. He had Mariah turn around and when she turned back, he was on one knee. “I was shocked! I said yes, we kissed, other passengers applauded!”
Their wedding theme was classic with hints of ivory, white, burgundy, gray and gold. The two spoke traditional vows, plus ones they wrote. Food was one way they wanted to “wow” their guests. Dinner consisted of pulled BBQ chicken, smoked beef brisket, smoked chicken wings, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, pit roasted vegetables and cornbread muffins with honey butter.
The couple admits, “The biggest challenge was planning our wedding during a pandemic. We had to cut our guest list a couple times. We originally planned to invite 120 guests. We had to drop that number down to 80, then down again to 50. We also had to change our honeymoon location one month before our wedding because of the travel restrictions.” Despite these challenges, their best bit of advice is, “Know what you and your future spouse want and make choices that line up, because your wedding day is about the two of you. Also, a wedding is just one day, and your marriage is for a lifetime. Don’t stress over all the little things!”
