Ayla and Dean knew each other for years before finally meeting in person, and when they met at Barcena’s – they knew it was something special. With a mutual love of travel and cheese enchiladas, the conversations didn’t stop until they were the last ones in Barcena’s. When they left that night, they knew that more dates would follow.

The second date quickly happened when Dean asked Ayla to go on her first “boat day” with Ashlee and Cody Patrick. They closed the night jamming to "Red Light Green Light," one of the go-to songs of the time. This was the start of many unforgettable memories.

With their love of travel, Dean and Ayla wanted to get away but were limited on PTO, so they opted for a long weekend in a town with some of the prettiest beaches in the world - Cancun! This trip was their first of many international adventures and still remains one of the most important. While in Cancun, Dean and Ayla spent time at a few cenotes swimming, jumping off cliffs, ziplining, and of course dunking each other in the water as hard as possible while crying with laughter and falling even deeper in love. There, Dean met ‘cenote Ayla,’ which is his favorite iteration of Ayla. That day, he realized just how special she and their relationship truly are. That night, Dean and Ayla unknowingly danced to their (now) wedding song, "Tennessee Whiskey," while walking back from dinner. Dean knew Ayla had recently found a love for the song and heard it in the distance. He stopped when they got near the band and softly began to dance with Ayla. It took her a few seconds to process what was happening and for her to recognize the melody of the song before the band started singing. In those intimate moments, they knew that this would be their song forever. The next morning, Dean knew that Ayla was the woman he wanted to spend his life with and told her that he loved her for the first time. Cancun always held a special meaning in their lives, which is why they chose it as the destination to celebrate their marriage.

The next stop on their traveling adventures was Salem, Massachusetts, for Halloween. Dean had planned this as a special treat for Ayla, knowing her love for Halloween and all things spooky. Dean made sure Ayla got to experience everything she wanted - including a ghost tour and food that was so good it was scary. Ayla had never been cared for like this before, and she continued to realize just how special Dean is. She never wanted to stop getting to know all of who he is.

As most of you know, Dean works at Harvey Cleary, a general contractor building The Ritz-Carlton Residences in The Woodlands. His job required specialized stone that could only be found in Italy, so Dean and Ayla flew over to take a look. While in Italy, they adventured through the city of Lucca, to the shores of Forte dei Marmi, to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, and finally, the Colosseum and the Vatican. While exploring Italy, they decided to indulge on another one of their shared interests: food. They attended a pasta cooking class in Rome, and it was just as delicious as it was fun, making it the best pasta they had while in Italy. But the star of the show (pun intended) was the Michelin-star restaurant they dined at in Rome. They enjoyed an 8-course meal, which included donkey tartare, and left them with full bellies and smiles on their faces. Because it was December, they made sure to visit all of the European Christmas markets, watching the chestnuts roasting over the fires, creating a magical Christmas memory to cherish forever.

Fast-forward to March, with Ayla celebrating her birthday on the third and Dean celebrating his on the twenty-third – a birthday vacation was imminent. Dean planned a trip to Belize for them and the Patricks, complete with lobster spearing and swimming with whale sharks. Each day was an adventure, and it was a beautiful way to celebrate both of their birthdays while doing what they love. Ashlee made the trip extra special when she specially ordered a Belizean birthday cake for Ayla – which was made with so much love. They went on another vacation together to Costa Rica the next month for Ashlee’s birthday and were able to celebrate that wonderful friend in a gorgeous place full of life. During that trip, they enjoyed the beach, rode ATVs, zip-lined through the jungle, had a boat day, and ended the day with a sunset dinner with a special guest – a mama sloth! After these two vacations, Dean and Ayla realized just how special not only their relationship is, but their friendships are as well – this story isn’t just all about us!

In between the international trips, Dean and Ayla always make time to visit his farm to decompress and relax. Farm weekends are always exciting because it’s time for them to catch up with the Braddock family! Everyone enjoys food and drinks while riding through the woods with the whole family (sometimes with 3 or 4 vehicles), finding new trails, practicing shooting, and laughing until it hurts. These farm trips always make Ayla feel like a part of the Braddock family, and she found herself so excited for each trip and getting to know them even better. She is excited to go on more farm trips as a Braddock and is even more excited to show Dean the Mezack cabin – another perfect spot to relax and to get to know the Brown family!

Now, the best part. Dean and Ayla have always wanted to travel around the Greek islands, and they finally decided to visit in September of 2025. Their first stop was Santorini. While there, they enjoyed walking around the winding streets of Oia, marveling at the blue dome buildings and incredible views, enjoyed a fireworks show marking the creation of the island, relaxed at both a black and red sand beach, and ate the most incredible Greek food. Then, it was time to travel from Santorini to Milos via ferry. They got to the ferry port extra early and knew which number and port they were leaving from to ensure smooth travel onto the ferry – but it didn’t quite work out the way they planned. Fast-forward to when they started to board the ferry for Milos, and the line they were in was stationary. Dean started asking around, and when he finally found someone who spoke English, Dean and Ayla realized they were in the wrong line, and quickly ran to find the correct one. They finally found line number three and ran to join it, but by then, many people had gathered for the next ferry, blocking the entrance completely. One of the port officers yelled, “LAST CALL FOR MILOS!” and Dean started running. Ayla, toting her overpacked luggage and pushing past people, ran to catch up. With the alarm blaring and the door rising behind them, they were the last two people to board the ferry. After catching their breath, they were able to finally celebrate making their way to their second stop, Milos.

Upon arriving in dreamy Milos, they went on a catamaran tour, which became instrumental to their story and the memories they’ll cherish forever. On the catamaran, they met a couple on their honeymoon and instantly connected - especially when Kyle requested Tennessee Whiskey for Dean, not knowing it was their song, and when Alyssa happened to have a professional camera. After spending hours enjoying each other’s company, swimming in beautiful blue waters, and seeing ‘ocean Ayla’ emerge, it was time to head back to port. At one point, Ayla left to use the bathroom, and Alyssa immediately asked Dean when he was going to propose. Dean revealed that he was planning to propose the next day at Sarakiniko Beach, where they were also headed. Alyssa excitedly asked if she could take pictures of the engagement – which Dean, of course, agreed to! Dean now had everything he needed for a picture-perfect proposal and was ready to ask the woman of his dreams to spend forever with him.

As they walked up to the beach the following day, they saw Alyssa and Kyle, and Ayla immediately invited them to join their beach adventure, unaware of Dean’s plan. Ayla excitedly explored the moon beach and eventually wandered to a remote cliffside area, essentially setting up the engagement herself. As she smiled on the cliffside of her favorite beach, Dean bent down on one knee and asked her the question he’d been waiting forever to ask: Will you marry me? Before he could even finish, Ayla screamed “YES!” and life has never been so bright.

Dean and Ayla know this is just the beginning of their story and can’t wait to continue making memories, falling deeper in love, and learning everything about each other.

Here’s to forever, here’s to the Braddocks.