BOTH: Ariane saw Sam when both were stopped at a stop light. She rolled the window down and told Sam "You are hot, can I get your number?". Just kidding, this was actually after we were engaged. The real story was: We had talked back and forth on a dating app in only a few messages when Sam decided it would be worth meeting in person for a date. Little did he know that her responses were prewritten responses from notes on her phone that she used to filter the guys out. He asked Ariane if she wanted to go out on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Ariane appreciated these options, but apparently not enough to respond until the next day. (Ariane here: “I did not realize it took me this long to answer, but you know… dating app, so yeah”) Ariane: I loved the fact that Sam was a true Christian, was involved in his church, loved his family, liked to do exercise, and seemed to be a caring person. Plus, he was cute. Sam: I was drawn to Ariane’s unique variety of interests, hobbies, and life experiences. She really seemed to care for people in her life and prioritized her faith. She was very pretty too. Both: We actually met on September 22nd, 2022 at Silver Dinner at Rio Center. It was a chilly night. After we both got dinner, we tried to go for a walk and almost froze. After a few weeks, we went to a pumpkin carving event hosted by Daniel and Mary Busche. (Thanks Lana for being a fantastic wingman). Ariane wanted to go slow but a few days later, on October 10th, we officially became boyfriend and girlfriend. Later on, on the first weekend of November, we met each other's families and Ariane was already getting used to the pace of the events. Seven months later, living diverse adventures and moments together, Sam wrote a married proposal to Ariane’s parents in Portuguese and asked for her hand on April 3rd, 2023. Aline (Ariane's sister) was helping with translation and so was Andre (Ariane’s brother). Ariane’s Father read 1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” and gave his blessing and permission for Sam to marry her. On May 4th, Ariane and Lana planned to attend to an instrumental Taylor Switch cover concert. Ariane was tired and overwhelmed with finals and other things. She thought for a couple of seconds to cancel but decided to go. Lana asked Ariane if they could have dinner at a gourmet pizza restaurant after the concert, but under the circumstances, Ariane asked Lana to plan things. This is a topical for Ariane because, on a normal day, she would do a search about the restaurant, plan what to order in advance, and verify the dress code. After the concert they both walked to The Yards in DC to have “dinner at this restaurant” but they were stopping to take pictures. In one of these moments, Lana took a picture of Ariane and started walking away from her. Ariane didn’t understand and was walking in Lana’s direction. She couldn’t know but Sam was trying to get closer to her and she was walking away from him. Sam started to laugh and with it, Ariane turned and saw Sam. At that moment she wondered “What the heck is Sam doing here?!” Sam got on one knee and proposed to Ariane in the most beautiful way it could happen for her 💕 Thanks, Lana and Bryce for being there for us, since day one! The first person Ariane called to say she was engaged was Aline, then her parents and brother in Brazil. This was only the beginning of the calls 💕