Sandra Bullock fulfills her promise to Bryan Randall on what would have been his 58th birthday

Sandra Bullock fulfilled a promise she made to Bryan Randall this Sunday by releasing his ashes in a Wyoming river on what would have been his 58th birthday. The photographer passed away on August 5 after a three-year private battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells that control muscle movements.

Sandra’s sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, shared a touching video on Sunday, December 31, on Instagram along the Jackson Hole’s Snake River. In the caption, she wrote, “Happy birthday, Bry. Sandy brought you to the river, just as she promised.”

Bullock and Randall reportedly began dating in 2015 after he was hired to photograph her son Louis’ birthday party. Although she was very private about their relationship, Bullock gave a rare look into their lives in 2021 on Red Table Talk. She told hosts Willow Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris that he was the “love of my life.”

Randall was also a co-parent to her adopted children, Louis and Laila. She shared with the hosts that he was ecstatic when she told him he was going to adopt Laila. “He was so happy, but he was scared. I’m a bulldozer. My life was already on the track, and here’s this beautiful human being who doesn’t want anything to do with my life but [was] the right human being to help me,” she said.

The couple never legally married, but following his death, DailyMail reported that they exhanged vows in the Bahamas in an intimate ceremony with friends and family in December 2017. The outlet published a video of them dancing sweetly at the event. A guest told the outlet, “It was Bryan’s birthday on December 31, so it’s like they wanted to celebrate everything all at once.”

Bullock reportedly had no desire to remarry following her divorce from Jesse James in 2010. A source told the outlet, “They really did this for the children, to kind of seal the deal and show them this was a forever thing. After the ceremony, Louis and Laila started calling Bryan dad.”

Following Randall’s passing, the private Blind Side star did not share her own statement, but sources told various outlets that she appreciated the support, especially with ALS research. “She is so grateful to all those who have donated and is happy that out of something so heartbreaking came something so positive for others,” an insider told PEOPLE.