We're getting married!

Our story begins summer of 2014 with two college students far away from home, in a city neither of us had heard of, nor dreamed of being in; let alone finding love. Seven years later we look back on our internship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and thank God that we met our forever person. Outside of work, we were inseparable. From a foggy boat cruise, trying all the cheese curds in Milwaukee, music festivals, to talking about anything and everything, we found a best friend. When our summer in Milwaukee ended, the saying “long distance relationships never work” lingered in the back of our heads, but we knew we had something special. When we moved back to our respective states and started our last year in undergrad, we made plans to fly and visit each other. When Isaiah flew to Texas to visit Sammy, his carry-on of choice was a box of tequila infused margarita cupcakes that spelled out “GIRLFRIEND?”. How could Sammy turn down this offer? Fast-forward 4 years of long distance and each of us living in several different cities and states, we finally ended long distance Fall 2017 and made Philadelphia our home.

At the beginning of 2019, after all the Santiago family Christmas parties, and a trip to Jamaica to visit the Simpson family, plans were set into motion for what would come to be Isaiah’s first attempt at proposing. The plan was to use the backdrop of our European vacation to pop the big question. Unfortunately, a couple months before plans were solidified, Sammy tore her ACL and the doctors recommended she not travel; on to plan B. That Christmas, Isaiah gifted Sammy a trip to California for the spring of 2020, flights were booked and a beachfront Airbnb was selected. About a month out from our trip, COVID-19 lockdowns began to roll out across the country and we decided it was best to cancel the trip rather than putting any friends and family at risk. These failed attempts did not discourage Isaiah, instead he realized that the grandiose plans were not important; all that mattered was the commitment they were going to make to each other. With that in mind Isaiah found a quiet, picturesque bridge that overlooked their Philadelphia neighborhood and invited Sammy’s sister in town to help make the evening special. They went for a walk across that bridge and as they stopped to take photos on the overlook, Isaiah got down on one knee and finally popped the question!