the Sampsons

McKenna moved to Austin’s hometown—St. Johns, Michigan—halfway through her freshman year of high school. Austin was a year ahead of her and while they may have known of each other, they were in completely different schools and never crossed paths - or so they thought.. If you scroll through the gallery on this site, you’ll find a group photo from our 2017 Homecoming—with both of us in it, standing on opposite ends. We had no idea we were even at the same dinner until six years later, after we started dating! Looking back on the last six years, there seems to have been some invisible string theory happening. Our lives kept almost intersecting but always seemed to just miss. During COVID-19, we both worked at the same Meijer—Austin stocked shelves at night, and McKenna worked as a barista at the Biggby inside the store. Gabe, one of Austin’s best friends and college roommates, also happened to be someone McKenna knew through church—before she had even moved to St. Johns! And one last “small world” moment: Austin's parents happen to be very close friends with a college roommate of McKenna's dad. But it wasn’t until August 2023 that the paths finally crossed. McKenna had just started her senior year of college in Grand Rapids, while Austin was living over an hour away with his brother. Several texts and phone calls were exchanged, and after a few weeks, McKenna finally said yes to a date in late September. Apparently, McKenna’s shyness made Austin think the date wasn’t going well—but by the end of the night, neither wanted it to end. By October, it was official. It didn't take long for us both to realize we had found the right person. By May 2025, we were blessed with the chance to purchase a piece of land just half a mile from Austin’s parents and his childhood home. It wasn’t in our original plan, but we felt God clearly leading us there—to build our first home and stay close to family. Austin officially closed on the property on Friday, June 13th, and told McKenna the realtor wanted to take photos for their website the next day. But when McKenna arrived, there was no realtor—just a blanket, flowers, and champagne waiting. Austin got down on one knee and said this property was the beginning of a new chapter: one where we’d build a home together. But first, we had to start our forever chapter. It was more thoughtful and perfect than McKenna ever could have imagined. Our story is only just beginning, and we can’t wait to celebrate forever with all our closest friends and family!