We're Getting Married!

Like so many great 2020 love stories, ours started with a dating app... and a global pandemic. Hinge told us we were “Most Compatible,” and honestly? Respect to the algorithm; it was onto something. Erik sent the first like, Sam sent the first message, and from that point on, we never really stopped talking. Our first date was over tacos at Mission - Navy Yard. We spent hours swapping stories and tacos (naturally sharing our meals, we still do that at basically every restaurant). When we finally left, we weren’t ready for the night to end, so we wandered downstairs to Walter’s Sports Bar. Erik walked Sam to her car afterward, where we stood talking for another 40 minutes before a quick first kiss! The good vibes continued. Less than a week later, Sam found herself at one of Erik’s gigs. She sat off to the side, but his parents were there too and claim they immediately knew there was something special about the girl their son kept checking in on during breaks. (Good eye, Mom and Dad!) Since then, we’ve built a life full of shared playlists, shared meals, and shared adventures! We moved in together three years ago, and Sam brought along Ellie, her dog, and third roommate. Erik was the perfect addition to the family, and now the three of us are often spotted around Annapolis grabbing coffee at Oscar’s, strolling through Eastport, hanging along the shoreline while Ellie plays "Wave Patrol," or sneaking into Quiet Waters Park through our very official hole-in-the-fence shortcut. (Pro tip: the dog beach is worth it.) We spend weekends playing pickleball, checking out new restaurants, catching live music, attempting escape rooms, and finding new ways to make even ordinary days feel like an adventure. Then came the biggest surprise of all: a boat named Darling, a cruise along the Severn River, and Erik asking Sam to marry him. Against all odds (and Sam’s very good intuition), he pulled off the surprise—and she said yes! Thank you for being part of our lives, our story, and soon, our dance floor. We promise not to make you play pickleball to earn your dinner!