Kaity & Brendan's proposal story really starts quite a few months prior. Not long after moving in together and their long term compatibility showing itself loud and clear, half-kidding comments about "our wedding" and "when we get married..." became serious conversations about the future Kaity & Brendan longed for together. Neighborhood walks and long car rides together became opportunities for talking about their shared hopes and dreams for the future, now often including the dream of growing old together and truly sharing a life with one another. Brendan knew from early on that proposing at one of their favorite spots, the beach in Bay Head where they've shared many beach picnics, sunsets and neighborhood strolls "future house hunting" was a given, but figuring out all of the other details and keeping it a surprise for Kaity would be a whole 'nother task. 

 

Perhaps the biggest question of all was "the ring" - for a girl who seems to know exactly what she wants at all times, Kaity came up short when picturing what ring she'd want to wear for the rest of her life. This big question mark proved to be the perfect opportunity to take on together and on Valentine's Day 2023, Kaity and Brendan went to look for rings together for the first time, just one month short of their three year anniversary and an ode to the Valentine's Day they spent "as friends" in that fateful Taco Bell three years prior. After a few more trips over the next couple of weeks, they narrowed down the customizations they were most drawn to and fell in love with the most perfect antique marquise stone (a very special tribute to Kaity's mother's ring, as well as her Grandmother's ring - the perfect touch for her very sentimental side). That same day, K&B went to Central Park to see the cherry blossoms and celebrate finding "the one" and it felt truly kismet when the two sat down on a random bench with a dedication on it that read, "I'll love you Always, All Ways" - an inscription that felt perfectly representative of their own love story and something they've been saying ever since (opting to say All Ways, Always as their own personal touch). 

 

From this point forward, Kaity was totally cut out of the process and the rest was up to Brendan to bring it home. During the Gahrmann Family Annual June North Carolina trip that year, Brendan mustered up the courage to ask for Kaity's hand in marriage from Rich, Natalie and Matt, but not before Natalie made a casual passing comment to Kaity that "Brendan hadn't asked Rich yet so she could relax and not worry so much about having her nails done right now". A casual and innocent comment made while Natalie was still in the dark, that incidentally threw Kaity totally off the scent of anything in the works. Within a day of Natalie & Kaity's exchange, Brendan strategically pulled aside each member of the family to ask for Kaity's hand in marriage and to no one's surprise, Kaity's parents & brother all gave Brendan their blessing, setting the next step in motion: picking up the ring. 

 

Brendan knew he had to be smart about getting the ring since the couple shared locations with one another so Brendan concocted a plan that he was going to grab drinks with his friends in midtown on one of their lunch breaks during the 1 hour window when Kaity was at a workout class and surely wouldn't be on her phone. A plan that would have had Kaity's eyebrows raised, except that Brendan thought of every angle, including bringing a friend along to get the rings (shoutout Alec!) and ensuring they posted a picture together with a beer, squashing any suspicion Kaity had when she saw them "innocently" grabbing drinks as they said they were. Now that Brendan had the two most important things out of the way, he was in the clear to set the rest of the plan into action.

 

The following week, Kaity & Brendan headed down the shore on Thursday for Fourth of July weekend, a longstanding favorite of Kaity's. They kicked off the long weekend with beach fireworks Thursday night and then drew up plans to hit the beach Friday before the crowds all swarmed in. Friday, June 30th rolled around and Kaity & Brendan had the most prime beach day imaginable together just the two of them. They spent the day soaking up the sun, interrupted every so often by the slightest breeze, while they talked about their lives together. On the ride back from the beach, Brendan casually (albeit, strategically) offered that the two of them "grab dinner tonight to celebrate [Brendan] getting a new job and resigning their apartment lease", and Kaity of course, obliged. What Brendan didn't know is that earlier in the week, Kaity accidentally saw an email that Brendan had made reservations at her favorite restaurant in New York City, so she thought absolutely nothing of them casually grabbing dinner at the Jersey Shore. Meanwhile, Brendan's parents, Kim & Kevin, were "running errands", better known as setting up K&B's hotel room for their arrival later with champagne, roses, and of course, Kim's chocolate covered strawberries made to look like a bride and groom! 

 

As Kaity & Brendan made their way to the "restaurant" for "dinner", Brendan offered that they stroll the beach for a bit for golden hour since they were "early for their reservation at Charlie's anyway". Completely obliviously, Kaity of course thought this was a great idea as she'd never turn down the beach at golden hour, a fact Brendan knew he could rely on. As you would've guessed it, this was not your average golden hour beach stroll, but instead a walk hand-in-hand that ended with Brendan down on one knee, and Kaity's jaw on the floor, all captured perfectly by the photographer and family friend that Brendan (with the help of Matt!) hired, and the start of their "forever". It was truly the most

joyous, delightful and romantic moment either of them have had and the giggles shared between them throughout the ordeal were representative of the non-stop laughs they share in their life together. Kaity got to have her dream proposal, followed by her dream moment of calling to share the news with her closest friends and family, followed by her dream life getting to spend it with Brendan.