Samanta and Cristian met through a mutual friend while in college. Although they had never necessarily met in person, they had crossed paths enough times to recognize each other - just enough familiarity to eventually know of each other, but not quite enough to escape what was apparently inevitable. What started as a simple, honest phone interaction turned into a “blind date” kind of night that neither of them could have fully predicted. Despite being raised a South Sider and a lifelong Sox fan, Sam gave in to meeting with Cristian for a night out in Wrigleyville—yes, Cubs territory, and yes, she still hears about it to this day. That day was Saturday, October 8th 2016. What began as a couple of drinks after a long shift at work slowly turned into one of those nights where time stops mattering and conversation somehow gets easier with every hour. After building up enough trust (and maybe a little curiosity), Samanta agreed to a late-night stop at Cristian's favorite Mexican joint at the time and a free ride home, courtesy of Cristian. They blasted Frank Ocean, bonded over music, life, and everything in between, and parted ways with a casual “we should do this again” although, neither of them fully realized this first encounter would turn into something much bigger than just “again.” From that moment on, they were inseparable - or at least they would have been, if Cristian hadn’t taken his sweet time asking Sam out. In fact, it took nearly five months (and what Samanta would call “more than enough time”) before he finally made it official. What they didn’t realize then was that this wasn’t just the beginning of a relationship.. it was the beginning of a decade-long journey filled with growth, laughter, learning, and a whole lot of patience and understanding. Ten years later, Samanta and Cristian now find themselves here - still laughing at that first night, still laughing over Sox vs. Cubs "rivalry", and somehow even more grateful for every step that led them to this moment. And as if the timing wasn’t already special enough, they are now tying the knot and celebrating their wedding on their 10-year anniversary.. because apparently, they’ve always had a habit of taking their time.. but getting it exactly right in the end. We are so happy that you are here and greatly appreciate you all joining us in celebrating this milestone with us.