Actor Branden Wellington Is Engaged to Actress Meagan Tandy! See the Exclusive Photos

"We’re two incredibly blessed people to have found love and we’re even more committed to building a lasting marriage,” the couple told PEOPLE

Branden Wellington is ready to walk down the aisle!

On Dec. 25, 2023, the Sistas' star, who plays Tony King on the hit Tyler Perry series got down on one knee and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, actress, and former Miss California Meagan Tandy.

“The engagement has brought about another level of excitement to our lives," Wellington tells PEOPLE exclusively. "We’re two incredibly blessed people to have found love and we’re even more committed to building a lasting marriage.”

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For the proposal Wellington, an Emmy Award-winning poet, wrote a poem for Tandy titled "You are the Gift." He read it to her in an intimate setting among their families. Then, near the end of the poem, Tandy's brother brought her dog into the room. The dog wore a scarf embroidered with the last line of the poem: "Will you marry me?"

While Meagan was reading the last line, unbeknownst to her, Wellington, who is also known for his role on Orange is the New Black, stood behind her and got down on one knee. When she turned around she saw Wellington with a ring in his hand.

The actor proposed with an emerald cut diamond ring by Peter Pheng Young of Inta Gems and Diamonds, who is also the official crown jeweler of Miss California USA, the title previously held by Tandy.

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Wellington and Tandy first met in 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, where Tandy was filming the LeBron James-produced TV show Survivor's Remorse. They went on one date before Wellington traveled back to New York to film the final season of Orange is the New Black. They officially became a couple in early 2018, and have been together ever since.

As they continue to enjoy engagement bliss, Wellington and Tandy, who will next star in the upcoming Amazon Studios movie Black, White, & Blue are also excited to start the wedding planning process. The pair is eyeing a Summer 2024 wedding and can't wait to officially become husband and wife. 

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