Destination Wedding 2025

On July 22, 2023, Brandon and Dionne invited family and friends to their new home for a summer cook-out. It was the first time many family members from both sides would meet each other and get a chance to see Brandon and Dionne's home. However, what Dionne did NOT know was that Brandon had a SURPRISE waiting for her -- he had already purchased her engagement ring -- and had asked her parents' blessing to marry her (even though he knew he didn't have to, because he was already family). He had discussed his plans to propose to her with her parents, his mother and his aunts, and a select few others. Brandon had determined in his heart he wanted to make a commitment to Dionne in front of God and those deemed important to them both - their family and friends. "My thoughts were all over the place that day ... but the portion of Brandon's speech to me that stands out the most, 'My life and my home would not be what it is without you!' ... and THAT'S when I started crying and said 'Yes!'" -Dionne "You definitely don't become a man until you choose your life partner. Not sure if other men feel this way ... but the fear [of marriage] is feeling I can't compare to the man she fell in love with." - Brandon

Brandon and Dionne became friends via Facebook long before they started hanging out. Due to them having several mutual friends, they naturally gravitated to one another - not remembering who requested who as a friend first but somehow had a familiar connection and that's where their friendship began. "I remember Brandon commenting on my photos and family members questioning who he was ... I would comment on his posts and vice versa. His comments were very complimentary and that's why my family was noticing Brandon's posts. But I would most times comment on his relationship advice posts too." -Dionne "Facebook was how Dionne and I communicated with each other and how we were made aware of what we were going through ... there wasn't a motive behind it. It seemed we just used social media at that time to communicate. Some of my friends may have thought Dionne was 'sneak dissing' in comments, but Dionne was being her true self - her responses were genuine. She wasn't playing into a specific character." -Brandon In June of 2016, their friendship evolved. Brandon picked Dionne up from her friends house so they could "ride out" - they rode around Michigan for 3 hours, listening to music, talking about life and past experiences. From there, they became the closest of friends. They began to hang out every week (several times throughout the week), from quick meetups at frozen yogurt spots, to weekly walks in downtown Detroit, and weekends spent going to movies and concerts. As their friendship grew, so did Dionne's feelings for Brandon. And, on September 1st, 2016, Brandon noticed that Dionne's expressions had changed towards him. When he tried to address the tension between them, Dionne confessed her "crush" on him. She immediately stated, "if my feelings for you will change our friendship, please ignore my feelings. I will get over it". Brandon immediately embraced Dionne with a smile and hug. He assured her, "It'll be alright". Two days later, after another friendly movie date, Brandon decided to make his move and acknowledge Dionne's confession. "I took responsibility for how I was making Dionne feel. I knew it was the time I was spending with her and it was my actions ... it was my fault she was feeling the way she was. At the time Dionne confessed her feelings, I wasn't ready to acknowledge it, but I had two days to think on it. I never wanted to date a friend before, but dating my friend is why I love her so much! The initial discomfort was not knowing how far we were taking things." -Brandon So taking full responsibility for his actions, Brandon decided to kiss Dionne! More importantly, she leaned in and kissed him back! From that moment, they both knew, their friendship had evolved into something more. They began to "date with intention", while maintaining their friendship.