We love nothing more than a great love story and one of the best is a ‘one and done’ love story, like Christopher and Brandon’s. They are each other’s first and only relationship and they are going to tie the knot later this year. But ahead of that great story, let’s hear in Chris’s words how he popped the question! 

“Our adventure began in July of 2017. I [Chris] was living in Jersey City, and frequently traveled down to the Jersey Shore on weekends. After chatting on Grindr for some time I asked Brandon if he wanted to get ice cream and watch Asbury Park’s 4th of July fireworks together. Thankfully he agreed and so we picked up large ice cream cones and sat on the beach for the show. We quickly found ourselves in a Yin and Yang situation, complimenting each other quite nicely. 

‘With me living in Jersey City, and Brandon living at the Jersey Shore, we made the most of our weekends together. Whether we walked the boardwalk, or caught a Broadway show, there was always something to look forward to after a long work week!

“The weekend before the proposal, Brandon and I went ring shopping in NYC. The purpose of the day out was two-fold, first - I needed his ring size, and second - I wanted to throw him off. Oddly enough the ring that we went with wasn't in stock in his size, which led him to believe the engagement wouldn't be anytime soon; however, what he didn't know was that the jeweler would give me a ring in a slightly larger size to use for the proposal as his ring was shipped in.

“On July 4, 2021, four years from our first date, I asked Brandon’s parents for their blessing to marry him. The next week-and-a-half were exciting, emotional, and stressful as I actively planned a proposal while keeping this huge secret from him. I asked Brandon to work from his office on July 14 because, “I ordered something for our anniversary and it was being delivered in the afternoon.” Surprise, there was no delivery scheduled, but that did give me the entire day to set up our apartment and prepare for the big moment.

“When Brandon got home from work, he found a hand-written letter from me on the kitchen counter, and a second envelope detailing what he needed to do next. The instructions asked him to meet me at a specific place on the waterfront at 7:30 pm.

“When Brandon arrived, I was waiting for him at the end of the pier. I had two close friends blocking foot traffic to give us privacy, and a photographer there to capture the moment. And in the moment, to be honest, we both kind of blacked out. After we wrapped up taking pictures and calling family, we agreed that neither of us remembered what was said and laughed about it.”

When asked what advice Christopher would give other couple’s getting engaged, he offered: “Definitely talk about it beforehand! If you want to surprise your partner, it's fine to not chat specifics, but it's important to know what your partner wants, and more importantly what they don't want during the big moment.” And, while not advice per se, we couldn’t be more delighted to learn that “not only are we each other’s first long-term relationship, we're each other’s first relationship, period. Turns out you can one-and-done true love!”