To say that Jessica Brown is a loyal Costco member is probably something of an understatement. The 32-year-old says she's been shopping there ever since her college years, when she was working two jobs to save money and bulk items became her "best friend." And while she didn't know it yet, it would also be in the middle of a Costco aisle that Jessica would meet her future husband, Brandon.
In fact, Jessica tells CafeMom that she was debating whether to buy a giant box of mac and cheese when the meet-cute happened.
"I was taking an Instagram video of the mac and cheese, saying how I wish it was good for you," Jessica recalls. "And then Brandon swooped in and said I should get it." (AH-MA-ZING.)
As they stood in the aisle of the Costco in Waipahu, Hawaii, she says they exchanged some "witty banter" and by the end of the conversation, she knew there was something special about him.
"I was like 'food and attention? That’s every girl's dream!'” Jessica says. (Why yes, yes it is!)
Naturally, she couldn't let this guy get away.
"So I gave him my phone number," she shares, explaining that Brandon is in the Army and had just been stationed in Hawaii.
When they met up for a date soon after, sparks flew.
"It was a nice meeting," Jessica says. "We talked for a while before actually going on our first date — which ended up being a three-hour date over wings and sports."
And so, the rest is history.
After two years together, the couple tied the knot on May 18, 2019.
"The running joke throughout our relationship was that if he ever acted up, I would take him back to Costco where I got him," Jessica says. "He would joke and say I couldn’t return him without a receipt, but we all know Costco has the best return policy!"
The pair also had a running joke that if they ever got married, their friend and photographer Lisa Rose Rankin would of course have to do a Costco photo shoot. And about a month after their nuptials, they finally did it.
"We paid a lot of money for our wedding attire," says Jessica, "so we’re definitely going to wear it as often as we can!"
(Sounds like a pretty good excuse to wear your wedding dress twice to me.)
As soon as they stepped foot into the store, Jessica says the greeters were surprised, but immediately started congratulating them.
They even helped direct the couple to the aisles they were looking for, so the Browns could get the shots they wanted.
Even customers got a kick out of the whole thing, giving the couple smiles and thumbs up signs.
What resulted was a quirky, fun, and totally unique photo shoot -- and the Browns have zero regrets.
"We are definitely happy we did it," she says. "We had no idea it was going to gain such popularity and in the end we did it truly to commemorate the start of our relationship. For the most part, people have been overwhelmingly kind and funny in all comments."
Even Rankin had a blast -- though she's no stranger to unconventional photo shoots.
"I am not your usual sit and pose type of shutterbug," Rankin tells CafeMom. "I love action, raw emotion … truly freezing moments as they happen — no matter where we are. I feel confident enough I can pull off a shoot at a 7-11 lol its all about just letting lose and having fun, that's what memories are all about!"
