Santa Barbara Zoo

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

It was September 2015,Sam Dennis was a green eyed, blond haired 23-year-old businesswoman from Florida fresh out of Tallahassee after an illustrious career at THE Florida State University. Chris Muckey was a 24-year-old, one-legged*, bald-headed Sales manager at the collegiate advertising company that also hired Sam and brought her up to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for her first job out of school.(*Sam did, in fact, think that Chris was missing a leg until the first time he took his socks off and she saw it was actually a leg brace.)The two were formally introduced in a gray painted cinder block office adorned in the pennants of universities that the company worked with across the country. The morning sun lit the morass of colored flags behind Sam as she reached out a hand in greeting as their mutual friend Sean brought her over to Chris’ desk in one stop of many on her journey to meet the fellow staff at the company.Chris would forever remember this moment as the one in which he first met the woman that would forever change his life.He would later learn that he was incorrect about that being the first time, and that they had met previously at a training where he quizzed a very nervous Samantha on the sales script that she was learning in order to teach her interns. He learned this from Sam, who would forever remember that moment as the one in which she met the man who would forever change her life.January 2017, Chris asked Sam on their first “date” using a gift card to a steak house that he had won as a prize at work. The forwarded email went something like:“Our manager told me to take my girlfriend somewhere nice, and I don’t have one so do you want to come?”Chris liked to consider that night their first date, but Sam enlightened him that a true first date should have intention and thought behind it. A gift card won at work followed by an “I don’t have anyone else to bring so do you want to go” doesn’t really qualify for either.Their TRUE first date in Sam’s eyes would actually take place years into their relationship at Yamashiro Steakhouse perched in the Hollywood hills. It took a while for Chris to get in touch with his romantic side.In the months following the gift card “date,” the two grew closer, visited each other around the country at various locations they were working, as she lived in North Carolina, and he in Newport Beach, California. They decided to call it “Official” in May of 2017.That year brought many more changes with the company that they worked for, trending toward the end of its life, so Chris took a job at Federated Insurance in Los Angeles. They spent the first year of their life together about as long distance as they could be without leaving the lower 48.In 2018, after Sam spent the better part of a year working with a company founded by their friend, and now officiant, Nate Curtis, she decided to fulfill a childhood dream of hers and go to law school. It just so happened that the best option for her schooling was in Los Angeles about 15 minutes from where Chris lived.As the two built their professional careers in Los Angeles, they only grew closer and fell deeper in love. (Awww.) Chris bought an engagement ring in 2021 and asked for the blessing of Sam’s parents during their annual Christmas road-trip to see the East Coast family. He failed spectacularly to propose during his beautifully planned and almost perfectly executed detour to Sedona, Arizona on the last leg of their drive back to California. He was acting weird and didn’t know how to explain why they needed to make the detour, so he got nervous and kept right on driving.So the two were engaged in January 2022 instead, sitting in the garden of Yamashiro Steakhouse looking over the lights of Los Angeles as they began to sparkle as day gave way to night. The site of their first date was a very clever and romantic pivot by Chris after his first failed proposal.The two spent the next 3 years looking at wedding venues across the east coast, and after close to 20 visits, they gave up completely on the east and decided to get married at a Zoo close to where they live in their very favorite town in California, Santa Barbara.That brings us to where we are today; Five years of dating, four years of engagement, an adorable pit bull named Cappy, an incredible bond between two very loving families, and these two best friends bringing you here - a beautiful venue with ocean views, mountain vistas, and giraffes that you can feed.You’re welcome. :)Authored by: Christopher Muckey

A Brief History of Us

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

Important logistical Detail: There is a walk from the entrance of the zoo to the area where the ceremony where be held. Account for an extra 3-5 minutes to get from parking to the ceremony site.

FAQs

Hotel Recommendations Below

(For Flights - LAX will be less expensive but still over 1.5 hours away from Santa Barbara. Check google flights for cheaper flights into Santa Barbara)

We were able to get a room block which provides at least a small discount to our guests. Rooms will cost $270 - 350 a night with the block. All you have to do is give Chris's name when you call for booking.

Best Western Plus Santa Barbara (ROOM BLOCK AVAILABLE)

No room block available, but this is where Chris &amp; Sam will be staying the night before and night of the wedding. 3 min drive; 11 min walk to the venue

Santa Barbara Inn

More reasonably priced; right across the street from the beach; stayed here once and it was clean and cute; 3 minute drive to the venue (only a 7 minute walk!)

The Mar Monte Hotel

7 minute drive to the venue. Centrally located and walking distance to shopping and dining.

Hotel Californian

Hyatt Place Santa Barbara

Very cute. Small rooms and older hotel, but we've stayed here and it's clean and the people are nice. 7 minute drive to the venue.

The Milo

Travel

Weekend Itinerary

Registry Links

Below are a list of other ideas of things we would love or need, but that we don't have a specific link for:

- toaster- dish towels- baking sheets- cheese grater- over mitts/potholders- butter bell- duvet insert (king)- towel warmer- mixing bowls

Chris & Sam