AUGUST 1st, 2026

WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!

This site has all the info you need to come celebrate with us for the weekend in Brooklyn, NY.

OUR STORY

The meet cute

By Kelsey

October: Cute tech reporter boy dressed as the death of the iPhone headphone jack at a friend of friends' Halloween party likes my feminist warrior sorceress costume of my own design. 

November: We go on a coffee date strolling through Prospect Park, learn that we are neighbors in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and begin dating... 

February 2 years later: We move in together!

January another 2 years later: We adopt our baby girl Leilo! 🐶

Then, well, a whole lot of life and a global pandemic happens, and we get through it all together and both grow a lot in the process, individually and in our relationship. Ever Virgo, Brett further becomes a grounding force in my life, my rock, my closest confidant, my life partner, and my forever home with our girl Leilo. 

Engagement

By Brett

Kelsey was very eager to get engaged after nine years of dating, but I knew I had to get the proposal right. We were delayed by some of the realities that come with buying an apartment and applying for a mortgage while also taking other big life steps, but I finally got the ring she wanted. Then, I just needed to formulate a plan. 

Thankfully, I had help. I knew that Aqua knows Kelsey just about as well as anyone (and also, she can take a great picture). And Kelly has become my trusted friend and confidant and is able to bring fun into just about every situation. I reached out to form this braintrust with a vague idea, and unsurprisingly they both made my loosely-formed plan sharper and better. I wanted to propose at Prospect Park, the site of so much of our Brooklyn life. I wanted Lielo to be present, of course. And I didn't want anything else complicated. Aqua suggested leaving some simple flowers to mark the spot, and Kelly dropped them in place. 

Actually executing the plan wound up being a bit more challenging, thanks to the coldest winter in the decade-plus either of us has been in the city. The morning I had planned to propose, with Aqua and Kelly in place, the temps felt like -9 degrees. But Kelsey knew I wanted to take sweet Lielo to the park, and she was game to make that happen. I am still shocked she had no idea what was actually happening (even though she had asked me what the holdup was literally the weekend before). I put on my nice new pants and fancy jacket. I got Lielo all ready and put her special boots on to brave the cold, even though she had refused to go outside for three days before due to the frigid temps and snow. I even called a car to drop us off at the park—extremely out of character for me—and she still thought we were just going for a walk. 

By the time we had Lielo in the park, we were chilly, but happy. The dog was excited to sniff everywhere, and Kelsey didn't even notice the only other two people in sight, who weren't actually doing much of anything. By the time we got to the bench and Kelsey saw the flowers she had picked for our (eventual) wedding, she still didn't realize what was afoot. "Wow, that's weird," she replied when I noted the paper with the flowers had her name on it. By then, I knew the only thing to do would be to assume the position. I dropped down to a knee, and pulled the ring out of my pocket. "Are you ready to do this?" I asked. 

Kelly and Aqua were snapping photo and video by then, and Kelsey finally noticed who was there with us. At least that it was Kelly. As soon as Lielo realized two of her favorite people were also at the park, she wanted to go say hi. After a few photos on the bench, I let go of her leash so she could jump on Kelly. Once Lielo made her way to Aqua, Kelsey, very concerned at how overexcited the dog can be, immediately began reassuring this stranger that Lielo is actually very friendly. Only after Aqua unwound her scarf did Kelsey realize who it was and just how detailed the plan had been.

After more photos and some time to warm up inside, we took everyone to dinner at Kelsey's beloved Chevelas and had a small celebration at Washington Commons, the bar where we've done just about everything. I might have taken a little longer than Kelsey would've liked, but I'm very thankful that when I actually asked the question, I was able to have the help to do it in a way she really loved.

Many thanks to Aqua Ruis for the engagement photos!