Sam and Gina met for the first time at SideBar, a fine establishment in Union Square, on a ‘SideBar Sunday’ at one in the afternoon (in complete sobriety of course). Influenced by the confidence provided by their signature Bud Light & Fireball cooler, Sam approached Gina who was also waiting an obscene amount of time to order a round. Sam suavely stumbled his way through the pick-up line, ‘Good thing I’m not wearing my choker, or else we’d be clashing’. (This was after the one summer in 2016 where chokers were a thing again). Gina reached for her pepper spray but decided a wide-eyed slow nod would suffice as a ‘no thanks.’ But, as time would tell, Sam and Gina found themselves drawn to one another later that evening. Now for the parents reading this, Sam and Gina went on to begin dating the very next day, going on to live happily ever after in a meadow full of sunshine and rainbows. For everyone else, well, you may remember it was about two and a half years later when Sam and Gina officially started dating. Let’s skip ahead to that part, shall we? In March of 2018, after some time apart, Sam asked Gina on a date. He realized the happiness, love, and laughter she brought into his life was irreplaceable, and a life without her would leave an unimaginable void. But to avoid her running for the hills, he instead texted, ‘Hey, it’s Sam, that guy from that time.’ Sam and Gina went on a date to Fat Cat, a pool bar in the West Village. And as his infatuation and fondness grew for Gina, he asked her to become Facebook official just a few weeks later at the Tribeca Film Festival. They celebrated with Dom Perignon, which they soon put back on the liquor store shelf for a less expensive champagne. Soon to come was a summer of great times, ‘newlywed’ elation, and Sam holding Gina’s bag at parties.

They went to Florida, to Jamaica, to Italy, and for some time commuted back and forth from Gina’s Tribeca apartment to Sam’s Upper East Side apartment, which was arguably a worse commute than the flights combined. Sam and Gina moved into their first apartment on the Upper East Side in January of 2020. Their plans for adventure came to a sudden halt in March and they were forced to quarantine only three months in. “If we don’t kill each other, let’s get married, and if we do, we won’t have to write an obnoxiously long ‘our story’ post on our registry,” they said. In June, they adopted Artie Bucco and quickly became parents relieved at the sight of cancelled plans and an early night in. They took the insane amount of time together to realize more space sounded fantastic, so they started looking for a bigger apartment in Miami, an hour from Gina’s parents and grandparents.

Then came the trip in May 2021 to Florida to spend time with Gina’s family & for Sam to ask the big question. He planned a fugazzi graduation party for Gina’s sister, which he would use as a distraction to get her dressed up for a sailboat tour of Miami. They drove past the airport on the way to ‘pick up Jamie,’ which Gina used as an opportunity to remind Sam of his subpar driving. But as he disclosed that everything about Jamie’s graduation was a lie, she figured it out..years of watching SVU helped her reach the conclusion that he was taking her away to murder her. He was just a guy from a bar, after all.. At the marina, Sam revealed a cooler of wines & cheeses, and the two strolled down the dock to meet the Captain and his Skipper. They took off, exploring the FL coast and enjoying what was to be the blissful life ahead of them. About two hours in, DJ Sam put on Harry James’ ‘It’s Been A Long, Long Time.’ If any Marvel fans are still reading (or if anyone made it this far), we decided this would be the song of our first dance at our wedding. They both teared up as Sam asked Gina to join him on the bow. He proclaimed his love for her (see his Instagram caption from 5/16 for speech)& got down on one knee, asking for her hand in marriage. She said YES, and the two cried tears of joy together as the photographer, who had posed as the ‘Skipper’, captured every moment. Gina still claims the skipper being the photographer was the biggest surprise, as she cried, ‘The skipper takes pictures too?!’ Champagne and facetimes led them back to land, as they met their families for dinner. Sam had secretly flown down his parents & brother, who met them at the restaurant, but even so, the skipper taking photos was still the biggest surprise. Hugs and tears and overwhelming joy washed over as the families sat down to dinner after what was quite the adventurous day. The two families, now one, would spend the weekend together in what was the best, most loving weekend of their lives.

Thank you all for being there for us along this beautiful journey at every step of the way. As we leave New York to start this next chapter, we will never forget the years and years of unforgettable memories together. We look forward to seeing you all soon. We love you.