Clear Cut Couples: Marissa and Brandon
Marissa and Brandon met the first week that Marissa had moved to New York City in August 2019. They both moved to the city for their Master’s Degree and ended up being in the same program. After speaking for a brief five-minutes during orientation, they went their separate ways only to realize a week later that they would end up having multiple classes together that semester. Safe to say, the rest was history!
Funny enough, they never actually had an official “first date”! Since they started out as classmates and friends during their first semester, they would hangout here and there, go on walks throughout the city, or grab a drink or dinner occasionally, but they really just progressed naturally without ever really having a formal date scheduled!
This Fall they will have been together for 5 years, time flies! And they have definitely had a fun-filled and busy five-years together! Between countless trips both domestic and abroad, events and celebrations attended together, endless laughs, moving into their first (and only) apartment together three years ago, to all the amazing memories they’ve made in New York City over the years… but their favorite of all has certainly been their engagement! Brandon proposed on May 24, 2024 at ASPIRE @ One World Observatory, a private event space located on the 102nd floor of the One World Trade Center in the Financial District!
He totally tricked her by convincing her that she was attending a Summer Gala work event that evening. He had told her about it a few weeks in advance, which she didn’t think much of because he attends a lot of various work-related events. He then mentioned a few days prior to proposing that significant others were invited, which he hadn’t realized previously, or so she thought… considering the entire story was a hoax! There were a few oddities that gave her a slight hunch (i.e. unusual interest in her outfit, nervousness while both working from home that day, etc), but she chalked it up to him having some nerves for the work event. After a drink to calm both of their nerves at that point, they headed downtown and were greeted by an event coordinator, who asked them if they were here for the “work event”, and she proceeded to be fooled all the way up until they opened the door for the “event” and she immediately saw candles and rose pedals. He had worked with the amazing team at ASPIRE and set-up the space so beautifully, it was PERFECT! They had the most incredible weather that day and the views from the top were breathtaking!
Unbeknownst to Marissa, Brandon had an entire dinner planned that evening with their families and some of their best friends that were able to be there. It was so special sharing the day with the people that they love (there and afar) and ended their weekend in New Jersey for a larger engagement celebration with extended family and friends! It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but it was everything that they hoped it would be!
Marissa had always had an interest and passion for diamonds, specifically engagement rings and had thought about her ring for so long, so there was no way she wasn’t going to be part of the process considering how picky she is! They ended up having their first appointment together with Haley and immediately fell in love with her and TCC and had the best experience! After a few appointments, they chose their perfect diamond and proceeded to custom design the setting. Although she was involved in the entire ring process and had an idea in her head around when the ring would be ready, she had no insight into when he would actually propose. All-in-all she would say there was a balance in the surprise, one that she would do all over again! She said, “It’s really funny, you think you know what your ring will look like, but until it’s completed and on your finger, there was always a little bit of unknown. You’re looking at the diamond individually first, and then have it mocked up on a temporary setting, as well as a CAD drawing (which are all great and super helpful), but with us combining a few design elements and a finished ring being more dainty in-person, I really didn’t know how it was all going to come together and just hoped it was as good as I imagined. Luckily it was and I was obsessed the moment he put it on my finger and haven’t wanted to take it off since! It is everything I could’ve hoped for and I wouldn’t change a thing!”
They have been soaking in their engagement for the last three-months and are hopefully finalizing the venue and date soon, but they are planning to get married in Europe in Fall 2025!