How did you two meet?
Darby: "Brandon and I were set up through a mutual friend after we followed each other on social media. A great friend from my hometown, who was also in my college sorority, was dating Brandon’s best friend from growing up. She devised this master plan to set us up. I was living in Dallas, TX at the time and he had just moved back to Auburn. I will never forget where I was when Brandon texted me introducing himself and asking if he could take me out to dinner the next time I was back home in Auburn. We texted for about a week and then Brandon finally got the courage to call me, haha! We talked for hours that night, pretty sure I did not go to sleep until 2 am, and from then on, we talked every night until we finally were able to meet in person. Our first date was the SEC championship game in December 2017. Brandon met me and 30 seconds later met my parents, friends and family friends. I was NERVOUS to say the least. My family/friends are the best, but can definitely be overwhelming, ha! Brandon was not phased and jumped right in; I loved that. He didn’t mind my yelling at the game and giggled at my mini bottles in my purse. Our first kiss was after an Auburn touchdown during the game that day, and I am pretty sure neither of us meant to do it, it just came so naturally. War Eagle to that?? The next day we went to brunch before I had to fly back to Dallas, and I will never forget Brandon asking if he could pray over our food. I was in shock, the man that I had dreamed about and prayed for so long may have been sitting next to me, holding my hand and blessing our food. Turns out, he was, and I thank the Lord every single day for him!"
Brandon: "Well it’s kind of a funny start to a lifelong relationship but looking back on it I would not change it for the world. I knew of Darby throughout college and we were even at some of the same parties, but it just so happened that our paths never crossed. Fast forward 4 years after college my best friend’s wife filled me in on her because they were really close friends back home as well. She gave me her number and once I got up enough courage to finally reach out and give her a call, it was all fireworks from there. We talked every night until we both physically could not keep our eyes open any longer, haha. I was trying to figure out the best time to ask her on our first date, and it just so happens that she is a die-hard Auburn football fan like myself. Auburn was going to the SEC championship in Atlanta in December of 2017 so I thought that would be the perfect first date for us to go on. I got us tickets and needless to say it was a day that I will always hold dear to my heart until the day that I die. That same day when I got to the stadium to meet her, she failed to mention that I would be meeting her ENTIRE family as well as all of their closest friends. I dove right in and it was so easy because they are some of the best people you will ever meet!"
How and when did Brandon propose?
Darby: "We had a beach trip planned the last weekend of December 2019 to Hollin Graham’s beach house (the girl who set us up actually!) for her birthday. I was so excited to celebrate Hollin and also because my best friend, Hannah Martin, and her husband were coming too. Friday night we stayed in and drank wine while playing cards. Saturday was rainy, so we went to brunch and watched football all day. Patrick had made reservations for Hollin’s birthday dinner that night at Ruth’s Chris (or so I thought), so we started getting ready late that afternoon. I was the first one ready, so I went out into the living room to catch the rest of the LSU game. When I came out, the boys finally decided to get up and get ready. Brandon came out a few minutes later and looked beyond handsome. He sat down beside me and told me how beautiful I looked, and asked if I wanted to go outside to watch the sunset. Of course, I agreed and out to the balcony we went. We stood against the railing looking out into the ocean and Brandon began telling me how crazy he was about me and how devoted he was to taking care of me every single day for the rest of our lives. My heart was racing, and butterflies were swarming inside of me, and I was trying so hard to soak up the moment and take in everything he was saying. Tears welled up in my eyes and the next thing I knew he was down on one knee asking me to be his wife. I was ecstatic!! That moment is truly the happiest moment I have felt on this earth. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a picture in my mind of a moment and a feeling that I will never ever forget."
Brandon: "So Darby had her mind made up that she wanted to be engaged before the end of December 2019. She was all over me about making sure that I knew that! It was so funny because as the year winded down and all of these holidays kept passing by you could tell that she would get more and more eager/frustrated that it had not happened yet, haha! Little did she know that I had the perfect plan in mind so that she would have no idea when to expect it. I bought the ring at the beginning of December and it was absolutely burning a hole in my pocket because I wanted to give it to her so bad. Darby and I went to the beach to Hollin and Patrick Graham’s beach condo along with Hannah and Hayes Martin. We also planned for Darby’s mom and sister to show up as a surprise as soon as the question had been popped to participate in the festivities! It was kind of an overcast day that Saturday, so we went to brunch as a group earlier in the morning and came back to the condo to watch football for the rest of the day. We told Darby that Patrick had a very nice dinner reserved so we could all go out and celebrate Hollin’s birthday which was earlier that week. Little did she know that she would be getting ready for a night that she had been dreaming of since she was a little girl. The girls spent most of the afternoon getting ready for 'the very nice dinner' we had plotted, haha. As soon as they were done, I went to go get ready myself. I had to keep myself calm because the time kept getting closer to go time and my heart started beating faster and faster. I came out and asked Darby if she would come out on the balcony with me. Hayes had his camera ready to go just as we had planned. The sun started coming out the moment we walked out there, and everything just lined up perfectly. I started speaking from my heart and as soon as I got closer to asking her to marry me, I felt a couple tears entering my eyes. Everything finally set in for me at that point and it was a night I will never forget."
Darby--what's one of the things you admire most about Brandon?
Darby: "Hands down, his love for the Lord. Brandon is God-fearing and grounded in his faith, and I knew this about him the day we shared our first date. His love for Christ is contagious and it has been a catalyst for my journey with Jesus. I truly believe that Brandon is a million amazing things- loyal, honest, loving, selfless, hardworking; the list goes on and on. But I know that he is all of these things because above all, he loves God with all his heart. I am humbled daily that I get to spend forever with Brandon and have him be the leader of our house and our one day, growing family."
Brandon-- what's one of the things you admire most about Darby?
Brandon: "This is a very tough question because there are so many things that I admire about Darby, but if I had to choose one it would be her constant pursuit of the Lord. Her love for Him has grown tremendously since the day I first laid eyes on her. She is committed and such a hard worker and everything that she does is a reflection of her daily walk with Christ. Her unconditional love for me and our fur baby, Saint, is a constant reminder of how lucky I am that God led me to her. She is such a precious and loving soul. I know that one day she is going to be such a wonderful mother to our children, and that all stems back to her grounded relationship she has grown to have in Christ!"
What was each yall's favorite part of the wedding day?
Darby: "Gosh it is so hard to pick just one favorite! I did my best to cherish every single moment and capture as many mental memories as I could but truly, every minute was special to me. From the unmeasurable joy I felt from having our loved ones from all walks of life (not to mention amongst a global pandemic) to the last dance shared by just us two after we had the best day/night of our lives; I think the two memories that stick out the most are the first look and taking communion. The anticipation and nerves I felt before seeing Brandon on that day were unmatched but all of them vanished the moment I saw him. I loved the letters we exchanged and the intimate minutes we got to spend away from everything. The communion we took as our first act of marriage is too special to me for words to actually articulate. That moment we declared to each other and our loved ones that God would be the center of our marriage. The blessing that Pastor Wren prayed over us is something I will never forget and I loved feeling God's presence there with us.
Brandon: "Wow, where do I start? Literally every part of our wedding weekend was absolutely amazing. Having so many family members and close friends there from all over the country meant the absolute world to me. Just to take the time out of their busy schedules to be here for our special day speaks volumes of how blessed we are with the people that God has surrounded us with in our lives. It's hard to choose just one moment, but once again if I HAD to choose just one it would be our first look and the reading of our letters to each other. For starters, I was a nervous wreck before I laid eyes on Darby mainly because I knew the water works would flow as soon as I saw her. Low and behold I was spot on with that assessment! The feeling that came over me I cannot possibly put into words, but it is a feeling that I will remember until the day that I die. Then we got to exchange the letters we wrote for each other and that very same feeling came over me once more! It was truly a moment where I felt like time froze for both of us, and we were literally just embracing the presence of God and His blessing he bestowed upon our marriage!"
What's next for you two?
Darby: "We are planting roots right here in Auburn, AL. We love this town so much, and it is such a special place for both of us. We have walked through seasons of life separately and together here and now just started the process of building a house here-- it feels full circle! We love being close to both of our families and know we will love that even more when we have a family of our own. But for now, we are soaking up being newlyweds and so excited about building our new house together."
Vendors:
Ceremony Venue- AUMC Chapel
Reception Venue/Catering- Moore's Mill Club
Planning/Design/Florals- Southern Posies
Videographer- Aaron Wilhite
Make up- Be Loved Beauty- Rachel Griffin
Hair- Beauty by Halee Brooke- Halee McKenzie
Bride's dress- Monique Lhuillier via Ivory and White
Bridesmaids' dresses- Jenny Yoo via Bella Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids' earrings- Susan Standeffer Designs
Tuxes- The Locker Room (Auburn)
Band- 2nd Coming
Invitation suite- Carlson Craft
Painted bottle- Ruth Oneya Illustrations
Rentals/Lighting- PRE Events
Bride's cake- Malisa Hanson
Groom's cake- Sonshine Bakery
Linens- BBJ Linen
Transportation- Tiger Limo
Getting ready location- The Black Barn via Airbnb