Sam and Cody met in Milton High School's Spanish Club. He was the President and she was smitten. It started out as a friendship and slowly turned into something more but before they had the chance to really grow their relationship, the inevitable happened. Cody left for college and they lost touch, until....

Cody left a happy birthday message on Sam's Facebook wall that she would end up reading the next morning. She messaged him to see how he was doing and it all went from there. It was as if no time had passed and the connection from 5 years before was still just as strong. Sam made her first flight out to North Carolina at the end of September where Cody officially asked her to be his girlfriend. Of course she said yes, but a few days later it was time to return to the reality of living half-way across the country from one another. Surely a long distance relationship with her in college and him serving in the Marine Corps would crumble in just a few months... except it didn't. Instead it blossomed.

They lied to their parents about when and where he proposed (sorry you had to find out this way guys), but here's the real story: Cody proposed to Sam in sweatpants on January 3rd at 12:50 am, the night before he had to go back to North Carolina. He drove her out to Milton High School and got down on one knee in front of the infamous "rock" that said "WILL YOU MARRY ME" in red spray paint. Here's the kicker though, he didn't paint that rock, and to this day, they still don't know who did. If that wasn't a sign from the universe, they didn't know what was.

3 months after the proposal (yes, only 6 months after they officially started dating) Sam and Cody said "I Do" in the Onslow County Courthouse in Jacksonville, North Carolina at 3:30 PM. They only invited their parents and sisters to stand up for them due to the desire for a quick and private ceremony. Cody was headed to Yuma, AZ for a few months and they wouldn't be seeing each other again until late May. Later that year, Cody deployed again for hurricane relief efforts, putting a pause on any chance of a real wedding. To top it off, he would be deploying again to the Mediterranean for 6-8 months in 2018, so that was out of the question as well.

After 30 long months of waiting, Cody and Sam will finally get the wedding they have been dreaming of for so long. They are elated to be able to share this special day with all of you and reaffirm their love for one another. Thank you for joining them on our journey and they hope to have each of you in their future!