


A 7-year friendship blossoms

“It was there that the foundation of friendship was laid,” Brandon recalled.
The two started off as friends because both were involved in relationships at the time.
Brandon said his first impression of Shannon was that he was “friendly and outgoing” and that he had “nice eyes and smile.”
Shannon, who had never met a designer before, was impressed that Brandon designed clothes.
“Although he was quiet, he and I had great conversations. And once I found out that he not only was a self-taught designer but at that time he was working three jobs, I thought to myself, ‘He's a determined individual and someone that likes to have fun,'” Shannon said. “I knew at that point he and I would be good friends.”
After seven years of friendship, their respective romantic relationships ended, which led to them developing feelings for each other.
“Our romance was built on friendship, so it was easy to connect romantically,” Brandon said.
The two started dating at the end of 2011. They live in Baltimore.
They were at The Prime Rib celebrating Brandon's birthday, which was that day, when Shannon popped the question.
“It was a quiet romantic dinner with mood lighting and smooth piano music in the background,” Brandon recalled.
“It was there that I told him that I would be honored to spend the rest of my life with him and asked if he would like to do the same,” Shannon said.
The wedding was in a white ballroom with tall French doors, a grand crystal chandelier and white marble floors. The two chose this room because their colors — royal blue and fuchsia with gold and silver accents — were so “vibrant and colorful” there.
Krista Everett from K Squared Events provided the flowers and decor.
They paired the tuxedos with white tuxedo shirts from Men's Wearhouse, custom bow ties made by Brandon; and black patent leather shoes by Ted Baker and Massimo Matteo.
Dessert was a four-tier Madagascan vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting from Fresh Bakery in Owings Mills.