1. When did you know he/she was the one?
 
Dennis :: It’s hard to pinpoint an actual day, but I’d say it was some time during July of 2007—about 3 months in to our fledgeling relationship. The fact that I wanted to bring Jess to my family reunion was a HUGE thing for me. I wasn’t really timid or even nervous about introducing Jess to the group. I knew that Jess was an amazing women and that our relationship was something special. I was excited to have her get to know everyone and for everyone to get to know her. I guess around this time is when I started to realize that I couldn’t imagine my life without her.   

Jess :: I remember the exact moment I knew I was going to marry Dennis. It was on the day of the of 2007 Alves Family Reunion. After sharing a great day out in the sun with Dennis' family, I eventually developed a piercing headache. As we were leaving the park, Dennis offered to pull over at the gas station and buy some medicine. After Dennis went into the store, and while I was painfully waiting in the car, I realized that I didn't have any water to swallow the medicine with! In a playful way, I promised myself that if Dennis came out of the store with a bottle of water in hand, I would marry him. Lo and behold, Dennis struts out with a 32 oz bottle of Poland Spring water. Such a small and thoughtful gesture—of which I believe to be an integral ingredient in the recipe of a happy marriage.
 
2. What are you most looking forward to
in your life together as husband and wife?
 
Dennis :: Other than having Jess be the first person I see in the morning and the last person I see before I go to bed, I’d have to say that I look forward to building a home, family and life together. My time with Jess has exceeded even my wildest dreams so I’m eager to start the next journey of our life together.

Jess :: Our lives have been blessed with such loving friends and mentors. (I call them guardian angels.) We wouldn't be the man and woman that we are today if it weren't for these angels. Deep down, I'm most excited for us, as a couple, to offer such unconditional love and support to others. Together, being able to touch someone's life in a simple, yet profound, way.
 
3. What about Jessica / Dennis do you appreciate the most?
 
Dennis :: There really are so many things about Jess that I appreciate and cherish, so it’s difficult to say which one I appreciate the most. I’d say the thing that touches me the most is Jess’s heart and her ability to love. It’s this trait more than any other that has drawn me to Jess. Even when we were young and clueless teenagers in keyboarding class I could see then her ability to care for people, be a source of support to her friends and eagerness to help. All this stems from her big heart and has become one of the things that I dearly love.

Jess :: As we all know, you don't go into a relationship expecting to change the other person. I fell in love with Dennis for the man that he was, and for the man has yet to be. I knew full well that we would naturally change as individuals and as a couple. The question was, how? Dennis possesses an uncommon charactistic that cannot be learned or developed. This is a trait that stems from the essence of who he is as a man, and is something that I truly admire. Within Dennis is the constant yearning to improve himself. I see this reflected in every aspect of his life. He lives his life always wanting to be a better partner, son, brother, cousin, nephew, friend, employee, and more. You can't just meet someone and tell them that they should want the desire to be a better person. You either possess such an attribute or you don't. Dennis does.
 
4. You are about to inherit an additional family through your union with Dennis / Jessica. Share something you treasure
about your new relatives.
 
Dennis :: Nephews, Nephews, Nephews! Family is important to me and I’m pumped about the fact I’ll be joining forces with the Brand Clan. I’m most excited about the thought of having some nephews. Don’t get me wrong, I love and adore my beautiful nieces, but sometimes a boy gets tired of playing princess, tea party and watching "Dora: The Explorer". Sometimes a boy wants to wrestle, play in the mud, and watch "Transformers" over and over again. Watch out T-Bone and A-Train, because Uncle Dennis is going to mess you boys up. 

Jess :: Let me first express my heartfelt gratitude to the Alves Dyansty for welcoming me into your family. Something I treasure very much is how you show your love . . . through food! That's right. Every party, reunion, holiday, gathering is guaranteed to involve delicious homemade food. Diane, don't let me forget . . . Isabelle says she can get us the recipe for the custard pastry cups that you love so much. Oh, and to those that are actually reading this, on the day of the wedding, do not eat lunch. You will want to have room for all of the food at our wedding, including the dessert buffet!
 
5. We all have personality quirks and idiosyncrasies . . .
which of Dennis / Jessica's is your favorite?
 
Dennis :: I feel hindered by the fact that I can only choose one, but I’ve had to say that my favorite 'Only Jess' idiosyncrasy is her attention to detail. Whether it’s a sprinkle of chopped parsley on a meal she’s prepared, straigtening every tilted picture in a room, or changing the size of a font for a client’s marketing piece. Jess always catches every little detail and knows exactly what she needs to do in order to improve it. This is why I know we’ll have a great home and that she’ll make a great wife and mom. (She'll definitely catch all of my typos and grammar mistakes too.)

Jess :: Ladies, get this—Dennis is unable to sit down to eat a meal if there are dirty dishes lingering in the kitchen. I'm am serious. Dennis will voluntarily clean the kitchen up as I'm cooking our food. Idiosyncrasy? I would say . . . miracle!

Hey, if you have an interesting question to ask, feel free to email us.