Brianna and Andersen grew up in different parts of the country—she in Georgia, he in Connecticut—unaware of each other’s existence. Yet every night, hundreds of miles apart, they ended their days the same way: by praying for their future spouse and the family they one day hoped to build. Even then, their hearts were quietly being prepared for one another.

In the fall of 2023, on an ordinary day in Atlanta, Brianna created a profile on CatholicMatch.com. Not long after, she came across a photo of a handsome man named Andersen. But what truly stood out was a line in his profile: “I’m hoping for someone who I know has been praying for me and my children before we’ve even met.” In that moment, after years of praying those very prayers, Brianna knew she had to message him.

The two hit it off instantly, and soon, they were talking every single day. Since Andersen was living in Alabama at the time, their connection deepened the way many modern love stories do: through daily phone calls, text messages, and FaceTime conversations. After about a month of getting to know each other, the two were ready to meet in person.

For their first date, Andersen offered to drive to Atlanta to help Brianna (and her sister Lauren!) move into their new apartment at The Battery. In classic Yates family fashion, that first date also included meeting Brianna’s entire family—grandparents and all! Before the visit, Andersen had joked that if he met her family, she’d fall in love with him. He was right. That evening, Andersen asked Brianna to be his girlfriend, and the next morning, they attended their first Mass together at Saint Brigid Catholic Church—marking the beginning of what would become a deep spiritual journey as a couple.

From there, their relationship grew through long-distance calls, weekend visits, daily crossword puzzles, and shared adventures. In the summer of 2024, Brianna felt called to leave her career in law to become a high school English teacher at her alma mater, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School. Soon after, Andersen accepted a job in Dunwoody and moved to the Atlanta suburbs—closer to work, and closer to Brianna.

On March 19th, the Feast of Saint Joseph, Andersen proposed in the Adoration Chapel of Saint Brigid—the same church where Brianna grew up attending, where they attended their first Mass together, and where they will be married on December 6th, 2025.

Brianna and Andersen can’t wait to begin this next chapter—hand in hand, hearts full of faith, and surrounded by love.

A&B