Nate and Sam’s romance began as many do these days - with an online dating app! They matched after finding some common bonds through pictures on their dating profiles- the love of Oktoberfest and Guy Fieri. Sam's profile caught Nate's eye with her pictures from Oktoberfest in Munich, showing she had a passion for travel and liked to have fun. Nate got Sam's attention with his pictures dressed as Guy Fieri for Halloween, making it clear he had a great sense of humor and didn't take himself too seriously... and really, who can resist Guy Fieri?! In exchanging a few messages, they quickly decided to have a first date. After finding it tough to pin Nate down for a first date, as he went to Myrtle Beach two weeks in a row when they began talking, Sam’s friends told her not to get her hopes up ha! They eventually met the day after Nate returned from his grand tour of Myrtle, having their first date at Southern Tier in Pittsburgh’s North Shore at the start of September 2021. Sam showed up to the date late (of course), coming in like a whirling Dervish, describing whatever the latest drama she had gone through causing her tardiness. The ice quickly broke between Nate and Sam, spending the next few hours drinking Pumking, exchanging stories and laughing, having the date go by in the blink of an eye. After the first date that felt like they had known each other for years, it was clear there was a future between the two. Nate and Sam’s relationship quickly formed, having many common interests of traveling, cooking(and eating!), music, and spending time with family and friends. Their favorite pastime became exploring the city together- trying new restaurants and bars and checking out all of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods. Most of all, they just enjoy each other’s company, being goofy and making each other laugh. Along with exploring Pittsburgh, Sam and Nate did a good bit of traveling over the next year going to places such as Niagara Falls, Arizona, Scotland, Maine, Florida, Boston, Asheville, Charleston, and of course Nate’s favorite… Myrtle Beach. Their love of traveling to new and familiar places let them get to really know each other and strengthened the connection that they already had. In August of 2022 they decided to take the next step in their relationship and rent a house together in Bellevue, having one of Sam’s best friends as their landlords (shout out to the Simmers!). These days, when they are not planning the wedding, Nate and Sam still enjoy experiencing everything Pittsburgh has to offer, watching new tv shows (their current favorite is The Great British Baking Show), and planning out new places to satisfy their travel itch. Amongst the chaos of wedding planning and their busy day to day lives, they were able to travel to Europe and visit Berlin, and Prague (Sam’s home for 3 years) so she could show Nate what life living in Czechia was all about. As exciting as the past couple of years have been, we are looking forward to starting a new adventure and continuing to grow our lives together! We are so thrilled to have our family and friends celebrate the start of this next chapter with us! See you there :)

After living together for about 6 months, Sam and Nate decided to take a trip to Arizona in February to experience the Grand Canyon and Sedona. However the trip almost derailed before it even began as the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas got almost 2 feet of snow the day before they were supposed to fly in! Nevertheless, Sam and Nate decided to venture to Arizona with some modified plans to visit Tucson (Thanks Heather and Don!!!!) and still visit Sedona after. As stressed as Sam was about the change of plans, she had no idea the stress Nate was dealing with as he intended to propose while at the Grand Canyon! Thankfully, Nate was able to adjust, and on a beautiful day on top of a mountain in Sedona with an incredible view, Nate popped the question and to his delight, Sam said “Yes”! She later found out that Nate had the ring in his jean pocket while riding electric bikes around the hills of Sedona. Luckily there were no mishaps or holes in his pockets.