Clear Cut Couples: Brittany and DJ

The first time Brittany and DJ met was at a Christmas Party in December 2017. It was a party that became fairly popular among friends and D.C. socialites. Brittany was familiar with the party and knew someone who had been there before (so naturally she was going again). On the other hand, it was DJ’s first time learning about the event and he was somewhat skeptical. He found out about the party on the evening it was occurring and thought it seemed to be just another party (little did he know what was waiting for him!). He had just finished a run and was planning to stay in for the evening to spend some time with his parents. DJ’s brother and sister-in-law sent him a last-minute note telling him about the party and encouraged him to go. Once his mother got wind of the party, further "encouragement" ensued. "DJ, maybe you'll meet a nice girl! You should go," she said. "Mom, you say that even when I go to a bar or the gym. This isn't any different," DJ replied. Lucky for him, his mother broke through the stubbornness, along with his brother and sister-in-law, and he quickly made his way over.

Once DJ arrived, he began to mingle and noticed a friend of his who he hadn't seen in a couple years. They briefly caught up with one another and then they began walking around like the social butterflies that they are, jumping from one pocket of people to another. One of the rooms they walked into had a group of about ten people sharing stories and laughing. However, he didn't notice the ten people, or really anyone in the room for that matter, except for a beautiful, petite, blonde girl in a red dress. The moment he laid eyes on her, he leaned over to his friend and whispered into his ear, "Who is that!? She's mad cute!" He turned his head and said, "Oh, I know her! Let me introduce you to her and the group of people." They walked over to the group and he introduced DJ to his friends and the cute girl in the red dress, Brittany.

DJ says his heart was pounding. He was nervous yet excited. "Don't screw this up. Be cool," DJ kept telling himself. They chatted for about 15 minutes, exchanged a few flirty jokes, a couple puns, some of the typical "what do you do" comments and then they went back to their respective friend groups. After they went separate ways, DJs next thought was, "I need to get her number." Later that evening he walked to the dance floor area, trying spot her. Once he saw Brittany, he started walking over to her and realized she was in a heavy conversation with a couple friends (he later found out she was comforting her girlfriends that were going through some guy problems at the time). "Not a big deal, I'll circle back in twenty mins or so," he thought to himself. Twenty minutes later the conversation was still going. It was like a marathon over there! Sadly, the party was about to end and he had another party to attend. He didn't get her phone number and for the remainder of the evening, a cloud of discouragement loomed over him.

The next day he couldn't stop thinking about her and so he preceded to do some "light" Facebook stalking (Brittany loves to joke about this and yes, it was more than 5 minutes). DJ went through the invitation on Facebook and began searching for this mysterious Brittany girl. Ultimately, he tracked her down and sent her a very polite note:

Hey Brittany

It was great meeting you last night and hopefully you had a good time! Ideally, I would’ve preferred to ask you for your number as opposed to randomly messaging you via FB as this definitely isn’t my style lol, but it looked like you were deep in conversation before I left. Anyways, hope you don’t mind the message, and if you’re up for it, it would be fun to get together sometime.  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and I’ll talk to you later.

DJ

After waiting a few hours, he started getting anxious. "Man, when is she going to respond?" kept racing through DJ’s mind. "Did she like me? Did she have a good time? I thought it went well. I wonder if she's single. Was she interested in me?"  DJ started having a conversation with himself. Then, after not hearing from her that day, or the next day, or the next week, he eventually accepted the fact that it wasn't meant to be and there are "more fish in the sea," (especially with technology these days). For whatever reason, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He didn't send her a follow-up message, but from time to time he would still think about her. He had never felt this way about someone before. Suddenly, after 6 months, DJ received a message from her out of the blue:

Hey DJ,

I’m sorry for just now responding to your message. The truth is I am very rarely on FB (and never on messenger), so I just recently saw your message. If you still want to get together, I’m game. (If you even still remember me ha 🤦🏼‍♀️)

Brittany

(*Phone Number*)

Disclaimer: I promise a response time of anywhere between 60 seconds to 6 months

DJ couldn't believe it! He was doing emotional gymnastics as he read her note! He wanted to wait about a week to message her back – because he had to play cool, right? Unfortunately, he realized on Messenger, you can tell whether or not someone read a message. So, he shot her a text and then the rest was history... They started dating and he proposed eight months later.

DJ proposed on Thursday, January 17th. He left a note in the kitchen of her house around 9am along with a couple roses. She had just finished a travel trip for work, so so she slept in late which helped him pull off his plan. Once she woke up, she went to the kitchen and read the following note:

Hello Beautiful,

Today is unlike any other day. You are about to embark on a magical journey. You'll want to be comfortable, but dress nice and stay warm (I know it's a difficult combination.) Your Rent the Runway dresses are downstairs, if you decide to wear one. The journey begins at 1pm sharp so look outside and be ready to go. I love you and I will see you this afternoon.

As she tells the story to friends and family, this gave her enough time to get excited, panic, try to figure out what to wear, panic again and then get ready. At 1pm, DJ had a town car shown up at her front door with her sister in the car. Brittany had no idea this was happening or why her sister was there. Once she got into the car her sister gave her the first clue and off they went. There were six clues and each one took her to a different spot that was meaningful to the two of them. The scavenger hunt ended on the rooftop of the restaurant where they had their first date, Don Titos in Arlington, VA. Here are the clues:

Clue #1 (She had to ask for a Spicy Margarita, which is their favorite drink, at Uncle Julios to get the next clue) Spicy and sweet we’ve had a few knock us on our feet, but in the end we know our favorite Uncle makes them hard to beat. Ask for this drink and you’ll receive the next clue with more to think.

Clue #2 (She had to hit the 8 ball into a corner pocket at the University Club, which is a private social club in D.C. where we hang out and play billiards together) In this room, romance is what you found, but victory with an 8 ball was always tough at these fancy stomping grounds. Say you’re here to play a round and the next clue will lead to the next stop in town.

Clue #3 (She had to find her way to the venue where they first met at the Christmas Party at the Old Naval Hospital) You’re doing so well my little Barbie, but pay close attention as the next stop leads to a famous party. Military and medicine was part of its prime, but these days it’s where anyone is bound to find love, especially around Christmas time. Go to the front door and you’ll see the clue, waiting to take you down the next avenue.

Clue #4 (She had to make her way to Miracle Theatre, which is where they attend church at National Community Church) Movies are shown here around the clock, but miracles happen in this theater when God comes to talk. Find this next clue and you’ll be shouting with praise, two more to go and you’ll be near the end of this scavenger phase.

Clue #5 (She had to find her way over to The Wharf in D.C. where they’ve done silent disco and curling. She had to skate on the ice rink and do a fun activity to get the last clue) Dancing without any music and a new sport have shown us how to move it. Make your way to the stand at this place and ask for the next clue.

Clue #6 (She made her way to the rooftop of Don Titos) Do you remember our first date? The roads end here so be careful not to make a mistake. Rainy and stormy began that night but eventually, the weather cleared up and everything seemed right. On the rooftop, we talked for hours on end and I knew you were the one. Find this place and waiting for you will be your honeybun.

DJ planned everything out several days before, worked with the owner, GM, and staff at Don Titos to pull off the amazing day. He bought all the roses the car could hold, and more candles than the rooftop could be decorated with. Brittany's brother helped set up the rooftop and took incredible photos. As soon as Brittany arrived, she opened the doors to the rooftop with the song "Beautiful Crazy" by Luke Combs playing. DJ was standing there waiting for her. They both fought back tears as DJ told her that she was the woman of his dreams. He dropped down to one knee, popped the question and of course, she said, "Yes!"

Brittany knew the proposal was happening when she read the note at 9am, but how it was going to happen completely surprised her. She was blown away. She is ecstatic about her oval diamond ring with a beautiful, delicate platinum pave setting! DJ says The Clear Cut did an amazing job to help him design the perfect ring and Brittany hasn't stopped receiving compliments! They recently visited a wedding venue and the Director of Events said, "I meet with brides all the time and organize a lot of weddings, and that's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen!" … I guess you could say the ring was a success. They are getting married on May 11th, 2019 in the countryside of Virginia. Congratulations Brittany and DJ -- we are so excited for you!