Adrienne & Brian’s story

Wedding Date: 10/10/2009

The Interview

Not everyone can say they met the love of their life at a job interview.  Most career advice explicitly demands that love should be the furthest thing from your mind when you’re interviewing.  Lucky for me, I was the one giving the interview and didn’t listen to any career advice.  Lucky for us, Brian got the job!

It’s true, the first time Brian and I met he was interviewing to work at my company.  Even more incredibly, I was trying to play the role of “bad cop” when we met.   I wanted to be a real bulldog…to not only find his faults, but to intimidate him and challenge whether he even wanted the job.  By the time I threw open that conference room door, I was ready to eat this poor sucker for breakfast.

But something began happening when we started talking.  Slowly the ice started melting and it wasn’t long before I thought, “Crap, I really like this guy.”  Brian told me later that he felt an instant attraction to me too, and was terrified that he stammered through the entire interview because of it; but I can tell you he was on his game.  Smart, prepared, funny, and charming in a way that is all his own, I left the room in an entirely different frame of mind than I entered with.   As Brian waited in the room for his next interviewer, I said one sentence to my colleague:  “Damn, he’s solid.”

The job

Over the next few weeks we wound up at each other’s desks more and more often.  There were subtle flirts and inside jokes we began to share.  We’d quote the same movies, laugh at the same type of humor, and find reasons to playfully challenge one another.  Brian mentioned that he liked chess one day, so I showed up with a chess board the next day, and we’d play each other at the end of each day when work died down.  I’m not going to say who won most of the time, but we began to spend time around one other at almost every opportunity, as if it were inevitable.

Before long, the office went out one night to view a film festival Brian had participated in.  Bit by bit, the other coworkers began to call it a night until only Brian and I were left at a nearby bar together, sharing drinks and talking about god knows what.  The restless anticipation hung in the air around us, almost like electricity, and by the time Brian started walking me to my car, it became unbearable.   If asked, Brian will say he made the first move, but I was the one who leaned in first to share one of the most unbelievable kisses I’ve ever experienced.  It was like the floodgates had opened on weeks of pent up passion, and now released, they surged like a tidal wave.

It was a long time before we found our way to our separate cars and went home.  We both didn’t want the night to end, but what we didn’t know was that this was just the beginning, and love was going to throw us a curveball in a few months.

The Transfer

Flying high on secret lunchtime rendezvous, forbidden office romance, and all the other thrills of young love; we grew deeper intertwined with one another over the months.  Everything fell into place so naturally, and so unexpectedly that we began to feel like our love was preordained and that nothing could stand in our way.   Of course, as fate will often do, it threw us a gigantic curve right when our relationship was reaching a turning point.

Brian says he’ll never forget how deeply his heart sunk when he heard me take the phone call.  Poor guy had to overhear the entire conversation from a few feet away and try not to lose his composure.   It was my VP who called, offering me a raise, and a promotion…if I transferred to the New York office.   Needless to say, it was the first serious challenge we’d been thrown.  This was everything I wanted from my career, but Brian was everything I wanted from a man, and it was very questionable as to whether or not he could move 1500 miles and give up his own job for me to take this opportunity.   Not to mention, our relationship was still relatively new, just reaching the point where you have to ask yourselves the tough questions of whether or not you’re really serious.

After a lot of heartfelt discussions, tears, and confessions, I made it clear that I couldn’t pass up this chance, and Brian made it clear that he couldn’t pass up me.  A few weeks later I was a star-struck Dallas girl living in the bright lights of NYC, and Brian was driving his U-Haul across the country to follow me.

New York was a pivotal time for us, and our relationship matured in more ways than anyone can imagine.  It was also the most incredibly amazing time in our lives.  Here we were lucky enough to share the experiences of being first-time residents in the craziest city in the world, while at the same time being first-time roommates, and both taking giant leaps in our careers.  There were no quiet moments, and in many respects, the 2 and half years we spent in New York were like a whirlwind and a dream at the same time.  It was here that we bridged the gap between starry-eyed infatuation and deeply engrained love.

The Proposal

In February 2008, we were brought back home to Dallas by yet another job transfer, and we returned with a newfound love for each other, and for our hometown.  Again we got to share the excitement of rediscovering our roots together, and creating a new home for ourselves. It was one of those things that just felt right, like we had now proven ourselves.  Like we had earned the right to make this life for each other.

My 30th birthday came up on June 20th, and the following night all of my old and new friends (even some from NYC) came together to plan a huge birthday party at a local jazz club, followed by a night of dancing and partying.  It was all set to be an unforgettable evening, but little did I know how unforgettable it would be.

That afternoon as I started to get ready, Brian stopped me and told me to gather everything I needed to get ready for the night…he had a surprise.  I, being a complete sucker for surprises, couldn’t wait to see what he had planned.   A short drive revealed that he had checked us into a luxuriously opulent suite at a boutique hotel across the street.  The room was adorned with crystal chandeliers, a private balcony, decadent artwork, and a beautiful view of downtown Dallas.  As we entered, he told me he wanted me to “get ready in style” for my 30th.  A bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberry’s arrived soon afterward.  I couldn’t believe he had gone to this trouble, and I completely thought that this was the surprise he referred to.

We sipped on champagne while getting ready for the night, and when I had finally finished getting ready, I could barely wait to go see all my friends.  As usual, we were running late and Brian said we needed to leave soon.  So I grabbed my things as we started out the door.  As I was halfway out the door, Brian stopped me and said “wait, I forgot something real quick.”  He then walked over to the far side of the bed…reached under it…and while on his knee, said:

“Tonight, I don’t want to introduce you as my girlfriend anymore”

In his hand was a beautiful diamond ring, but I could barely notice it.  My face was full of shock and my eyes were filling up with tears.  With a resounding yes, I floated across the room into his arms to share yet another unbelievable kiss.   Only this time, the floodgates weren’t opened by weeks of pent up passion, but by years of steadily growing love.  We flew on clouds for the rest of the night, and we positively glowed when we went to greet our closest friends at the party.   It was official.  This man I tried to bully in an interview would soon be my husband, and the woman he felt nervously attracted to would soon be his wife.

The rest, as they say, is history…