We're excited to share that our ceremony and cocktail hour will be outdoors, and our reception will be indoors with open doors to allow additional ventilation (and easy access to the bar!). We will not require our guests to wear masks at our wedding, but all staff will be wearing masks throughout the event. However, in order to protect the most vulnerable among us, we ask that you are either fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID test within 72 hours prior to the festivities. And of course, please feel free to wear a mask if you prefer. We're so thankful that this celebration is possible and that you are all choosing to travel to wine country with us to celebrate.

We met during our first few weeks at Wash U when we both joined the Amateurs co-ed a cappella group. We sang everywhere together from New York to Oklahoma, from on-campus shows to an OKC Thunder game. But, much to our parents' chagrin, we didn't start dating until after graduation. They say they saw this coming - maybe just wishful thinking. We started our relationship long distance between Chicago and Madison, until we decided to move in together in Chicago. After 5 years, we picked up and moved to Durham, NC where Sam is finishing up law school and Melissa works from home with their bernedoodle Duc.

Sam had big plans for his proposal to Melissa, but from catching Mono to the pandemic, Sam had to keep the proposal intimate. On our 8th anniversary, we packed a picnic and headed to the American Tobacco Campus. While sipping on our favorite bottle of Rombauer Zin, Sam got out his iPad and 2 sets of headphones and pressed play to a 30-minute video montage of photos and movies from our 8 years together. He got down on one knee and asked Melissa to marry him, followed by cheers from the crowd. And after a couple of minutes, Sam also remembered that he should actually put the ring on Melissa's finger.