CHAPTER 01
Okay y’all, we’re for real this time! 💍
We know y’all have heard this before. 😂 So before we get into all the wedding details, we figured we owed y’all a little backstory on how we got here.
And since this is technically invitation number TWO, I figured we might as well let y’all in our business a little bit!
If you know me, you know I’m an open book. I’ve never been ashamed of anything I’ve had to grow through because I truly believe every experience, good or bad, has helped mold me into the woman I am today.
So grab your popcorn, because here’s our story! 🍿❤️
CHAPTER 02
It all started with blue cheese 😂
Our story began in May of 2022 when Brandon walked into the lounge where I was working as a waitress. I was taking his order, and somehow we ended up bonding over the fact that we both HATE blue cheese! And that’s what started the beginning of our forever.
Brandon asked for my number, and a few days later, he texted me asking to take me on a date.
Now here’s where it gets funny.
Working in nightlife, I met so many different people every day that I honestly couldn’t remember what this man looked like! So naturally, I told my cousin, “Girl, let me FaceTime him first before I go hanging out with a stranger!” 😂
Well, that FaceTime call ended up lasting THREE HOURS! We talked about everything under the sun and got so caught up in conversation that we didn’t even make it to our date that day.
The very next day, Brandon picked me up for our actual first date. And where did we go? Right back to the same place where we first met, sitting in the EXACT same booth! Lol.
After our date he drove me home, but apparently neither of us was ready for the night to end because we sat in my driveway talking for another hour before I finally went inside.
And from that day forward?
Baby, we went together REAL BAD! 😂❤️
No seriously, I don’t think there were too many days after that first date that we didn’t spend together.
CHAPTER 03
From two to four ❤️
One of the things that made me fall even deeper in love with Brandon was watching the relationship he built with Cartier. Their connection was almost instant, and over time, Brandon stepped into a role that meant more to me than I could ever put into words.
He became the father Cartier never had, but always needed.
Before I knew it, our relationship had become about so much more than just the two of us.
Now, when I say things moved FAST, I mean FAST! 😂 Just two months into our relationship, we found out we were expecting our youngest son. And just like that, we went from dating to building a whole family of four!
Was it the traditional order of things? Absolutely not. Lol. But it was our story, and we wouldn’t trade the beautiful family we’ve created for anything.
CHAPTER 04
Now here’s the part where we keep it real…
We could easily skip over this part, post our pretty engagement pictures, and make it seem like everything has been sunshine and rainbows.
But if you know us, you know that wouldn’t be the whole truth.
The reality is, things moved so quickly between us that we didn’t really give ourselves enough time to fully learn each other before life started happening.
We were two people who genuinely loved each other but were also carrying things from our past that we hadn’t completely healed from. We were learning how to love each other while also trying to unlearn unhealthy habits, behaviors, and patterns from past relationships and experiences.
And whew… when it was good, it was GREAT. But when it was bad? Baby, it was BAD.
We had some amazing moments, but we also went through some really difficult seasons. Seasons that challenged our love, our patience, our faith, and ultimately our future together.
And eventually, we had to make one of the hardest decisions of our relationship.
We decided to call off our first wedding.
Not because we didn’t love each other, but because we had to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that we weren’t ready.
We realized that loving each other wasn’t the issue. We had plenty of love. But love alone wasn’t going to fix the things we hadn’t taken the time to address.
And as much as we wanted to get married, we knew we didn’t want to just have a beautiful wedding. We wanted to build a beautiful, healthy, God-centered marriage.
At that point in our lives, we knew we still had some growing to do.
CHAPTER 05
But God had other plans. 🤍
Sometimes you have to spend some time apart to become the people you’re meant to be together.
So that’s exactly what we did.
We took a break. We gave each other space. We took time to heal, reflect, take accountability, and work on ourselves individually.
And most importantly, we took that time to strengthen our relationships with God.
Because one thing we both had to learn was that we couldn’t fix everything on our own. We needed God at the center of our relationship, not just when things were going wrong, but in everything we did.
We had to learn that love is so much more than the butterflies, date nights, and good times. Love requires patience, forgiveness, grace, communication, accountability, and sometimes having uncomfortable conversations that neither person wants to have.
And trust me, the work wasn’t always easy.
But we did it and are still doing it to this day!
We took the time. We had the hard conversations. We learned how to better understand each other, how to communicate, and how to love each other in ways that we both needed.
And somewhere along the way, we found our way back to each other.
Only this time, we weren’t the same two people who fell in love back in May of 2022.
We had grown. We had healed. We had matured. And we had a much better understanding of what it would actually take to build a lasting marriage.
This time, we weren’t choosing each other simply because we were in love. We were choosing each other because we were ready to do life together, the right way, with God leading us.
And I think that’s what makes this chapter of our story so special.
Our relationship isn’t perfect. We’re not perfect. And I’m sure marriage will come with its own set of lessons and challenges.
We’ve learned that sometimes love means giving each other grace, sometimes it means holding each other accountable, and sometimes it means putting your pride aside and remembering why you chose each other in the first place.
And through it all, the good has always outweighed the bad.
So here we are, choosing each other all over again. Not starting over, but starting from a much healthier, stronger, and more intentional place.
CHAPTER 06
So yes, y’all… THIS is really happening! 💍
To our family and friends, THANK YOU!
Thank you for loving us, supporting us, praying for us, and standing beside us through both the good and the bad.
Some of y’all have had front-row seats to this entire journey, and I KNOW it’s been a ride! 😂 But we’re so grateful for the love, grace, and encouragement you’ve shown us along the way.
We don’t take any of it for granted.
I wanted to share this part of our story because I never want anyone to think that just because something didn’t work out the first time, it means it was a failure.
Sometimes God has to slow you down, separate you, and work on you individually before He can bring you back together in a way that’s healthier and stronger than before.
And that’s exactly what we believe He did for us.
We’re not celebrating a perfect love story. We’re celebrating growth, healing, forgiveness, a family that means the world to us, and a love that we both made the decision to fight for.
And most importantly, we’re celebrating the beginning of a marriage that we’re committed to building with God at the center.
So get your outfits ready, pack your bags, and prepare to celebrate because…
On May 29, 2027, we’re OFFICIALLY #GoingGreen! 💚💍
And this time, we’re not just planning a wedding.
We’re preparing for a marriage.
We can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter and enjoy the weekend with each and every one of you!
With love, laughter, and a whole lot of faith,
Ciara & Brandon
Are y’all ready? Because it’s time. We are #GOINGGREEN 💚