During the summer of 2016, Dakota and Sam first met the same way that many 20-somethings do; gallivanting at a local drinking establishment. Both had been living in Fayetteville, brought there by job opportunities, despite Sam being from Naperville, Illinois and Dakota from Wichita, Kansas. The two crossed paths after a series of highly skilled dance moves led Dakota to accidentally punch a drink out of one of Sam’s friends’ hands. After replacing said drink, Sam approached Dakota, lightly scolding him for his errors before complimenting his smile, and eventually heading on her way with no numbers exchanged and no true expectations of seeing one another again. As fate would have it, just days later the two ran into each other again, sitting just seats apart at a local concert. Sam had properly paid for her seats, while Dakota had not, sneaking up there with a group of friends. Sam took the opportunity and asked one of Dakota’s female friends, Morgan (now Matron of Honor), if the two were together, secretly gathering intel that Dakota was, in fact, single. The concert ended the way it began, with minor interaction between the two. Fayetteville, Arkansas holds a special place in Sam and Dakota’s hearts for many reasons, however the main reason being that not many locations would allow for three unplanned interactions to occur, which is exactly what happened. After the stars aligning for a third time, Sam and Dakota once again saw each other while out in downtown Fayetteville. This time, Dakota made his move, by asking Sam to send him videos from the concert they had previously attended, knowing that she had filmed some of the better moments. This was his way of asking for her number without doing so directly. From there, casual conversation led to a first date, first kiss and first apartment together. Leading to two trips abroad and moving to a new city. It led to an engagement and a soon to be marriage. And it will lead to so many more happy memories, side by side.