This is Love!

I had no idea about the surprise Gary was planning for our 10th anniversary party. Not a clue. I have to say I was a little suspicious of all of the lighting and the sound booth on top of our roof, but I just thought that it was needed for filming, since we were expecting 150 people and the party was going to be taking place at night. The two things that almost tipped me off were that I was not able to see my mom and my sister. It felt to me that I was being kept apart from them, but I didn’t really question it. The second thing was that while we were getting ready, I saw them testing two of the head microphones, but I thought that they were for our speeches. I was so busy at the time with work, with the party, and entertaining people from out of town that I didn’t really give anything too much thought. I just went where I was supposed to go, and I knew eventually I would get to see everyone on the big night.

Steven did a beautiful job bringing our vision to life. The flowers, the outdoor area, the lighting, and the food -- everything was perfect. I couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful setting. When people started coming in, I was so excited that the day was finally here. It felt amazing to have our families come from New York and Canada to be with us. My best friends had flown in from New York and all of our friends from LA were there to celebrate us. I don’t know if I can describe it, but there was something magical in the air that night. I never thought that I would be celebrating a 10-year relationship with anyone, let alone have so many people around us sharing in the love.

At around 9 pm, they began asking everyone to sit down, and I was told to be in a specific spot. I still had no idea what was about to happen. When Gary made his speech and mentioned that I had done an impersonation of Patti Lupone in Les Miserables when we first met, I thought that maybe the surprise was that Patti was going to come out and sing. But when I heard the music to One Day More start, I had no idea what was going on…and you can see that written all over my face. When Lindsay’s father stood up and began singing the Jean Valjean role in the song, I still couldn’t quite figure out what was happening. I was in shock. Then when my friend Trish joined in playing the role of Cosette, I knew that Gary had been up to something on a very grand scale. When Megan Mullally stood up to sing the role of Eponine, I couldn’t believe it. The fact that Megan was singing one of my all time favorite parts from a musical in my backyard on my pool was way too much for me to handle. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any crazier, my mom, who was sitting beside me, jumped up on the stage to play the role of Madame Thenardier. Seeing her up there was unbelievable and she was REALLY good.

And Gary…what can I say about him? For a couple weeks before the party, he kept telling me that he had to have a lot of dental work done and would leave at 7am a couple times a week for appointments. Little did I know that he was driving to Tarzana to take voice lessons so he could play the role of Javert. This is love! The amount of work he put into this, along with Steven Petrarca, our party planner, is still amazing to me. I cannot believe that they pulled this off. You have to remember that not only were the people in the performance sworn to secrecy, but we also had a film crew of over 20 people that never let the secret out. It is a miracle. I cannot tell you how touched I still am by this out pouring of love and everyone’s dedication to putting on this performance. People were crying in the audience. I was not. Not because I wasn’t emotional, but because I was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement and shock. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed something in my life so much. In this day and age of texts, Twitter, and Facebook, we are very rarely surprised by anything anymore -- something always leaks out and gets spoiled. But this remained a surprise until the moment it was happening, and I will never forget experiencing that.

Gary is really out of control. I love him so much. More than words can express. I think over the course of filming this show and having it air, this is the thing that I am most proud of -- that my love for Gary comes through and that it is evident. I am so glad that you got to see our special night! I am also so glad that we got to share our lives with you. I am so proud of It’s a Brad Brad World and most proud of your comments and support and love of the show. Thank you for taking this journey with us!

Things have changed so much for me since we began filming. Work is busier than ever. I am now the official brand stylist for Kate Spade New York. I style a group of gorgeous, talented, intelligent, and funny women. I have a book coming out on March 6th that talks about the truth of my life up until this. I am lucky to have Lindsay working with me. I couldn’t do any of this without her and all of her hard work. Nor could I do anything without my styling assistants, Thomas and Hannah, who run a tight ship. I feel very blessed!

Sadly our beloved Jasper passed away in September. He was the sweetest dog ever. Many of you asked about him throughout the season, and I appreciate your love for him. He got very ill and we needed to say goodbye to him. It has been very sad for us, but I am glad that he was so loved by so many and was happy until the day he died. We still have our little angel, Penelope. I love her more than life itself.

This episode is dedicated to Jasper’s memory.

Thank you so much again for watching the show! I’ve loved every minute of it as I hope you have.

There are so many more stories to tell, so much more banter to be had, so many silly things to share. Hope to see you for another season!

xx

Brad