We're getting married!!

Emma and Sam met in their freshman year of high school when they both found themselves in Honors Biology with Mrs. Jansen. Their friendship started here, but their relationship didn't truly begin to form until the summer before their junior year. Having a friend group in common led to spending more time together, which led Emma to see Sam in a not-so-friendlike light. Sam followed in Emma's footsteps shortly after and asked her out on September 23rd, 2020. Sam and Emma enjoyed 2 full years of dances, clubs, sports games, and 30-minute drives to each other's houses together before they graduated in 2022 and started their newest and most challenging season of life. Long distance. Sam attended the University of Iowa while Emma traveled to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. This was a 9-hour drive. Not to mention that for the first two years, only one person had a car (Emma). Emma and Sam braved this new struggle together and found ways to grow their relationship even from 570 miles away. At college, they were able to find people and things they loved, including Salt company for Sam and Phi Sigma for Emma, but they always shared their love and excitement with each other, even from afar. As the years went on, they looked forward to long weekends and school breaks to spend quality time together. On August 1st, 2025, Sam proposed to Emma in downtown Chicago in front of a beautiful waterfall that the both had appreciated together weeks prior. Emma obviously said yes! She had been waiting for this moment since their first date. The next day, Sam and Emma's parents threw a surprise engagement party with so many family and friends. The couple felt so celebrated and loved.