Clear Cut Couples: Brittany and Clay
Brittany and Clay met in college at Duke University! They honestly can't remember the exact day that they first met, but had many mutual friends and gradually began spending more time together. Two of their close friends started dating (and a few other friends followed - all of the couples are still together luckily!) and gradually they began spending more time around each other at parties and around campus.
Their first "date" was a bowling date function through Brittany's sorority at the end of junior year of college. They just went as friends, but had such a fun time. They kept in touch here and there over the summer, went on a few other dates throughout their senior year, but didn't start officially dating until their last semester! After knowing each other for a while, things got serious pretty quickly and they made the decision to try 3000 miles of long distance after only being officially together for 3 months, but as they say, when you know, you know!
They have been together for close to six years! Their relationship has made it through bi-coastal long distance - when they first graduated college, Brittany was living in New York and Clay was in LA. Sometimes visits would consist of a weekend trip that basically was a little over a day with all of the travel time! Clay moved to NY after Brittany started medical school, and they finally moved in together in Long Island City in September 2021.
They have shared countless memories over the years. Some of their best memories have been trips together - when they first started dating, they lived so far apart that basically every visit was a "trip" in itself to NY and LA. They also recently went to Portugal together which was unbelievable and very romantic (although Clay waited to propose until after they came back, so it would be easier to celebrate right away with friends and family). Some of the highlights have also been professional - they wouldn't have been able to accomplish without each other's support. Clay made a major career pivot to the finance sector and has been very successful working in credit research, and Brittany graduated from medical school a month before their engagement and has been juggling wedding planning with the first few months of being a doctor and navigating residency!
Clay proposed on June 11th, 2023. He suggested going to Roosevelt Island since he hadn't been and Brittany had mentioned wanting to check out the Panorama Room, a rooftop bar with a view of their neighborhood of LIC and Manhattan. After having cocktails, they took a walk and suddenly he got down on one knee and Karlie, their close friends' wedding photographer, popped out and started snapping photos! After some tears and lots of photos, they went back home and their close friends surprised them at a bar, and then they celebrated with their families at dinner!
The proposal was not a major surprise because they have been together for so long and Brittany was very involved in designing her ring, but even after 3 months they both cannot get over how beautiful it is and are so excited to finally be engaged! They said, “Olivia did such a phenomenal job and we are so grateful to have worked with her to design such a special piece!”
They recently booked their wedding at The Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn for May of 2025. The venue has been on their radar for some time and they are so excited to bring their loved ones from near and far to celebrate their love and have an amazing weekend full of dancing and good vibes! Congrats you two! We are SO happy for you!
Photographer: @karlielouisephotography