Veronica & Brandon
Veronica & Brandon
Our Story
Nerds at First Sight
Brandon and I met in 2012 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. Although the campus was small - about 1,800 students total that year - people came from all over the country and world to study there. As such, "where are you from?" became a standard greeting discussion. On move-in day, Brandon overheard me telling someone I grew up in the Detroit area. He piped up saying he "vacationed" there every year. I was very confused and slightly concerned... Those emotions were further amplified when he told me he grew up in Las Vegas. He put the "strange" in stranger, and I had to know more! As it turns out, his Mom grew up in the Detroit area as well, and he visited every year to see family - small world! Over the next few days, we realized we had several classes together, and teamed up as lab partners in Engineering 101. It wasn't long before we were inseparable as best friends. On April 1st, I told him I liked him as more than a friend. He made me promise it wasn't an April Fools Day joke, and then admitted he liked me too.
College Days
After obtaining a money-back guarantee that this was NOT an April Fool’s joke, I asked Veronica out on our first official date to Texas Roadhouse on April 21st, 2013. While out to dinner, I texted my brother Cole a picture of my new girlfriend. He was 8 at the time, and responded with a wide-eyed selfie and “WHOA.” My thoughts exactly! Veronica and I wasted no time to start adventuring, starting with a road trip from college to Vegas, and took the scenic route to Michigan. We stopped to see at least a dozen attractions across the country, and met each other’s families at each end. We continued the trend throughout the rest of college, checking off many new states, tackling school projects, and moving into our first house together (it had a putting green and a fountain and a hot tub, man I miss Arizona). We spent the next summer apart working internships, and the following summer scored internships together at Virgin Galactic in Mojave, CA. Good thing they liked us both, and offered us full time positions after we graduated. We rounded out our college careers by founding and co-leading our senior capstone team.
Californee Way
In May of 2016, we received our fancy papers officially making us Aerospace Engineers. To celebrate, we went on our first European vacation. As Brandon likes to say, “we lived in Italy for 15 days”. After that unforgettable trip, and a few more stateside adventures, it was time to “settle down” and start work in the human spaceflight industry. Our move westward was a fiasco that rivals most reality TV shows—we’ll save the details for another time—but in the end we made it there safely. Our time in California was filled with many local adventures, a few vacations abroad, the forging of some amazing friendships, lots of wine, and our greatest adventure yet—the adoption of our two sweet pups, Rocket & Comet <3
Land of Mañana (& Remodeling)
In May of 2019, Virgin Galactic announced their move to New Mexico. One month later, we packed up our bags and started the drive eastward! Our time in NM started out with wedding planning, but when COVID forced a cancellation, we transitioned our efforts to buying our first home and tearing it down to the studs. Remodeling was a much-needed distraction and an incredible learning experience! With the end of COVID far from sight, and a star-aligning opportunity arising that was too good to pass up, we decided to elope. At exactly 5pm on 4-3-21, we were launched into marriage by our favorite astronaut-officiant, who had carried our engagement ring to space 2.5 years prior, in the same spaceship that brought them there, coincidentally named Unity<3 Since honeymooning wasn't an option, we bought a Mooney and named her Honey!
Island Time
At the beginning of 2022, we made the incredibly difficult decision to leave Virgin Galactic and our newly remodeled home for a tropical lifestyle with Blue Origin on Florida's Space Coast. The constant rocket launches, thunderstorms, and always-on-vacation vibe we get from being surrounded by water make us feel like we're meant for this place! It was worth the fight in the crazy real estate market and the 2nd remodel we had to do to live here. (Now that we're experts, we couldn't just leave a house alone!) We're incredibly excited to share the magic of this area with you and finally be able to celebrate our marriage the way we intended to in 2020. Cheers to a party that's been several years in the making!
Our Engagement
I knew Veronica was the one for me years ago, but she made me promise I wouldn't propose before she paid off her student loans. I got constant ribbing from family and friends about popping the question, but I was beholden to that milestone. Well, that day finally came. And went. As even more time passed, I knew Veronica was getting antsy. She knew I had her ring, but she didn't know what I was waiting for.
Veronica is truly special, and our long relationship together has been epic. I wanted to give her the out of this world proposal she deserved. Literally. And, I just so happened to work for the guy assigned to pilot Spaceship Unity on her maiden spaceflight, Mark “Forger” Stucky. I pulled him aside one afternoon to “pop” the first question.
I started with "You know, I've got Veronica's engagement ring now... and I'm sure you're getting these requests from everyone, but..." He immediately cut in with "You want me to fly it, huh?" He agreed, and said “It’s about time!”
The plan was simple. Forger would fly the ring to space. Upon landing, we’d coordinate a sneaky exchange, and I’d pull Veronica to the side of the spaceship away from the crowds to propose. We kept it quiet for a while to prevent anyone from deciding it wasn’t a good idea. However, once the flight was finally on the horizon, we needed a better idea of how the post-flight festivities would flow in order to make the ring exchange. We had to let more people in on the plan.
All was good, until the afternoon before the proposal, when the media team informed me that Sir Richard Branson found out about the proposal. My heart sank, assuming he wouldn’t be pleased with the antics on his company’s big day. But I was wrong. They went on to say he wanted to help! This meant proposing on stage, with a microphone, in front of everyone. As nervous as I was, I couldn’t turn that opportunity down! I went to the event rehearsal that night to practice the timing, getting up on stage, where to stand, etc. That was when I realized just what I had gotten myself into. The crowd was going to be huge, there was a jumbotron so everyone could see every detail, and there was even a youtube live feed for the employees that couldn’t be there that day. This was no longer a quiet, private proposal. EVERYONE would be watching. I couldn’t screw this up!
Zero hour. The crowds gathered. My parents and many of our friends came out to watch. Unity takes off, fires her rocket, and climbs. This is really happening! Then I hear what I needed over the radio, “Spaceship Unity, welcome to space!” The crowd went absolutely nuts cheering, but my work was still ahead! Unity glided in for a safe landing and was towed to the stage. Forger hopped out, and the congratulatory speeches started. That was my que, and I snuck away.
As the speeches wrapped up, Branson announced there was one more surprise for the crowd. I hobbled up on stage and tried to keep my composure. I was handed the mic, and asked Veronica to join me on stage. I clearly remember the collective “oooohhhh” from the crowd. It felt like an hour for Veronica to make her way up. When she made it there, Branson patted my shoulder and demanded “on your knees!” As best as I could, I went into my speech “Veronica, you are as beautiful inside and out as a sky full of stars, and there’s no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with than you.” Branson had pulled the space-flown ring out of its case and showed the crowd. I turned around, he handed it to me, and I could finally ask her “will you marry me?”
I could barely see Veronica nod yes because she went in to hug me so fast! But it worked, she said yes! The music started, the crowd cheered, and Forger popped a bottle of champagne to hose down the stage.
The next hour was an absolute blur of congrats, photos, and a surprising amount of “thanks for ruining it for me” from other guys. I have to say, it was one of the best moments of my life. She said yes, and the overwhelming support from so many that cared about us was so much more than we could have ever asked for. The patience paid off, and now we’re getting married!