How We Met
Brandon and I grew up in Austin, Texas where I caught his eye while attending Hill Country Bible Church when we were in high school. Which one of us initiated the friendship is still up for debate, but the rest is history! For years we were just friends and would occasionally cross paths at our church. Before Brandon went off to college, he finally gathered the courage to ask me on a date. We agreed that we didn’t want to do long distance and, should stay friends. The Lord was putting on my heart to be patient, but I still had no idea what He had in store for us.
Time passed, but our friendship grew stronger. One year after our first conversation about dating, I began attending The University of North Texas while he was in school at Texas Christian University. We were only separated by a one-hour drive. Toward the end of my first year of college, I had an epiphany that Brandon was the guy I was supposed to be with. And if you know me, I’m not the kind of person to sit around and wait for good things to happen. So I picked up the phone and called Brandon to say, “Hey, I’ll be at your house in 45 minutes, and you’re taking me on a date.” That’s exactly what happened. We ended up going to the Coyote Drive-In movie theater. We talked and talked until they kicked us out of the parking lot, and I felt like no time had passed. I knew that night he was the man I was going to marry.
Soon after we started dating, I transferred to The University of Oklahoma. Some of our most amazing memories were made in the following years. From Kappa date parties to going to our schools’ football games (Boomer!) to Brandon cheering me on during two half marathons, we experienced times we will never forget. And now, after years of spending hours travelling so we could spend time together, we both moved to Dallas, Texas, to start our next adventure.
how they asked
After more than three and a half years of dating, I was waiting on pins and needles for him to pop the question! Brandon and I had just finished a crazy busy month filled with holiday travel, a wedding, and visiting each other’s families. So at the beginning of January, we finally had a weekend of doing nothing but our favorite thing: watching football. We lounged around, ran a few errands, and Brandon suggested we go to our favorite restaurant for a nice Saturday dinner.
Before we left, I noticed that the weather was going to be gross the next day. I suggested we go for a walk at our normal Sunday spot at my favorite lake in Dallas on our way to dinner (You’re welcome, Brandon!) As were driving over, Brandon passed our normal place to park, so I looked over and asked him if we were going to walk. He nonchalantly said, “I mean we can if you’d like. I don’t want you to be too chilly.” I have no idea how he stayed so calm!! We got out and started walking, and agreed that we would walk to our favorite house on the corner and then head to dinner.
We walked and made our way around the corner, and that’s when I saw my favorite dock filled with gorgeous lanterns and candles. My stomach DROPPED. I looked over to him and said, “Are you doing this right now?” and he just smiled. As we made our way closer to the dock I saw that he had decorated each of the posts with photos filled with our favorite memories.
We arrived the end of the dock and talked for what felt like hours, but was most likely 15 minutes. Brandon went on about how thankful he was for our relationship, how incredible the Lord’s timing had been, and how excited he was for this next chapter of our lives! Brandon then asked if he could pray over us and our future (this is when I lost it). After he ended the prayer he looked at me with a smile and said, “I guess I’m doing this.” He got down on one knee and revealed the most AMAZING ring I have ever seen, made by my amazing uncle at Kolls Diamond and Design. I screamed, “Yes, yes, yes” and freaked out!!
Soon after, one of my best friends Aidan popped out from the bushes, to take photos of us! Then some more of my best friends ran out, I then FELL to the ground and was overwhelmed with joy that some of my dearest friends were there to celebrate the moment we had been praying for! We cried, thanked the Lord, and gawked over how well Brandon did on my ring!
Most of the proposal was a blur, but the long walk back to the car was something I will always cherish. Brandon and I had time, just the two of us, to soak in what had just happened. We started driving, and he told me we were having a small get together with a couple friends at Aidan’s house.
When we arrived at Aidan’s, I opened the door and was absolutely FLOORED to see that both of our families were there, along with some more of our very closest friends. We spent the evening surrounded by some of the people we love most, celebrating this new chapter of our relationship! It was the most special day of my entire life, and I am SO ready to be Alli Pappas!
