Year 1995: Kyle Andreas Gross is born in Heidelberg, Germany on April 21st. Brenda Julieta Gandin is born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 7th. The couple acknowledges how crazy this world is that two people born in opposite quadrants of the world would somehow find their way to not only meet each other, but fall in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together. None of this would have been possible without their amazing parents, Graciela, Sergio, Deborah, and Gregg, for taking risks in life, instilling good morals and values, and sacrificing so much for their children that they love so much! <3

(The First Meeting) February 1st, 2019: Brenda begins her journey with a career change and starts her first day at her new job. This is the day that Brenda and Kyle met for the first time, a quick “Hello, nice to meet you, welcome to the company” from Kyle. It was short and sweet, but they both look back on that brief encounter as the first moment they really noticed each other.

(Building of a friendship and relationship) Summer/Fall of 2019: From fun activities with groups like going to Dave and Busters, intramural Softball, Vienna Inn, and Tyson’s Biergarten. To more one on one hangout sessions, like trips to the mall, watching reality television, and more Tyson’s Biergarten. Then came more intimate gestures and trust to show each other how they cared for one another, like Brenda driving Kyle to the hospital at 5am for shoulder surgery even though she is not a morning person.

(Making it official) December 6th, 2019: Brenda and Kyle bonded a lot over their love for the holidays, sharing stories about their Christmas traditions, family events, and favorite memories from their childhoods. Kyle saw this as the perfect opportunity to show his commitment to Brenda. He invited Brenda over for popcorn, hot chocolate, Christmas movies, and most importantly, to put up and decorate his Christmas tree together. As decorating the tree started to wrap up, Kyle pulled out one final ornament… a bulb with a dog on it, asking “Will you be mine?”

COVID/First Year: The honeymoon phase began as most happy couple’s do… lots of laughs, date nights, gifts, and getting to learn more about each other… until March 13, 2020. Brenda and Kyle were out at dinner together, when they looked over at one of the televisions announcing the mandatory quarantine for the nation due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This was the first test for the couple to see how they would react and compliment each other in an emergent and fluid situation. Due to the uncertainty and fear of possibly spreading the infection, Brenda stayed with Kyle and his roommates at their townhome that we lovingly refer to as “Tyvale” for the first two weeks of quarantine. With the close proximity and being with one another 24/7, the couple discovered that they not only could live together, but that they were able to work together, enjoy each other’s company, and have a lot of fun, making the best out of a very unfortunate world event. This cemented the fact that this was not going to be a short-term or casual relationship, but that this was the real deal.

Moving to Seattle/Living Together: In July of 2020, Kyle received an opportunity with his job to move to Seattle. This was no longer a decision for him to make alone. However, with how quickly their relationship was expedited, it was a quick conversation before Brenda confidently agreed to join him on the adventure! On January 3rd, 2021, the couple packed up and hit the road for Seattle, where they would sign their first lease together in an apartment downtown. Starting the adventure with an air mattress and four Chicken Parms from Buca di Beppo, the couple efficiently worked together and built their first home… Brenda with the creative-eye and attention to detail, and Kyle learning very quickly that the phrase “happy wife, happy life” was a great one. The apartment was soon filled with beautiful furniture, but more importantly, beautiful memories and unlimited laughs as they regularly hosted friends to play games in their new city. They now knew that they would be able to be happy and build a home anywhere, as long as they were together.

(Marry me Julieta!) July 22nd, 2023: It has been known for a while that the couple wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Not only did they pass the tests of COVID, living across the country together, and navigating adult life together, but they had a blast doing it. They knew they had met their person. The weekend of July 22nd/23rd was set up to be the perfect time. Brenda’s best friend (and now Maid of Honor) would be in town with her now fiancé to see their favorite artist front row on Sunday, Taylor Swift! It was up to Kyle to come up with Saturday’s plans, so on a beautiful Seattle summer morning, the four ventured out to a location that was explained to Brenda would be a spot for an upscale brunch. Instead, it was a private beach on the Puget Sound in Seattle. This is where Kyle got down on one knee and asked Brenda to be his wife. She said YES! The four popped some champagne and then went to eat at one of the couple’s favorite restaurants in the city, where the future bride’s family surprised her for the celebratory lunch. It was followed up with a boat day on Lake Washington to cap off the most perfect day.

(Coming Home) December 2024: After four years in a place neither Brenda nor Kyle ever expected to live, the time had come to move back to Virginia. The hardest part about leaving Seattle was that this city has truly become a second home for the couple. The friendships, life experiences, and personal growth are things that they will never forget and there will always be reasons for them to go back and visit Seattle regularly. Now, for the second time as a couple, they packed up and hit the road for another cross-country drive. Leading up to the big day, the couple is taking the opportunity to have some quality time with their parents, living between them for a few months and celebrating being back in the same time zone.

(The Wedding and Future) April 4th, 2025: The Wedding Day! Brenda and Kyle are both absolutely thrilled to share their love story with you all and take this one day out of their lives to cerebrate it with the people who are most important in their lives. This will be a day full of love, joy, and partying the night away, as we ring in the sacrament of Holy Matrimony at the beautiful Cypress Grove Estate House. Brenda and Kyle look forward to not only this one day, but for the decades to come, continuing to be a part of every single one of our guest’s lives in one way or another. They look forward to growing as a married couple, surrounded by the best people. People always say that marriage will have many hardships, some would even admit that #LoveIsGross, but with the foundation of this relationship and a supporting cast like everyone invited to this wedding, there is no challenge too tall for this couple to take on. Thank you all for being apart of the journey!

Photos