Despite both of us attending the University of Illinois, being in Greek life, being in the Marching Illini and Athletic Bands, having the same mutual friends, and even attending the same parties, we never crossed paths in our time in Champaign. However, these shared experiences and love for the University of Illinois is part of what brought us together. Notice the two of us in the top right of the photo.

We finally finally crossed paths on Hinge! Seeing that we each went to Illinois, were both in the Bands, and both in Greek life, we swiped right. After snapchatting for weeks and Sami asking for Ethan's number while tipsy at a Goo Goo Dolls concert, we made plans to finally meet each other in St. Louis. Despite going to the Brewery Lights in the rain and trying (but failing) to keep both of us dry with one umbrella, we had a magical first date. Several dates later, Ethan asked Sami to be his girlfriend over a Casey's Pizza while laying on the floor of his Williamsville apartment.

A few months into dating, Ethan got a new job and moved down to O'Fallon, MO. Unfortunately this was right when the pandemic hit in March of 2020. Despite not being able to go out to bars and restaurants, we became closer than ever. We saw each other most days and learned that no matter how much time we spent together, it was never enough.

After making it through the pandemic and finally having normal date nights, we realized we could live with each other and not kill the other person. We moved into our first apartment together in Chesterfield! While it was not easy sorting through which furniture to keep, several IKEA and HomeGoods trips, and maximizing every square foot of storage space we had, we turned that apartment into a home. We had countless memories in that apartment, from birthdays and date nights to COVID quarantines and even a virtual Christmas.

After months of secret shopping and a few trips to jewelry stores, Ethan bought Sami her dream engagement ring. With the help of several friends, Ethan was able to pull off a beautiful proposal at Forest Park on Art Hill overlooking the Grand Basin. Despite being freezing cold and windy, our engagement was perfect in every way.

Shortly after our engagement we moved to a house in the Italian neighborhood in St. Louis known as The Hill. Because we have a big, fenced backyard, we finally decided to add to our family with our first puppy! In August of 2023, we got a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and named her Cannoli! Knowing she would be long, mostly brown, and living across the street from an Italian bakery, we thought this was a very fitting name. She is the most playful, silly and cuddly puppy we could have asked for, and we can't imagine our little family without her. She certainly helps fill our house with love (and lots of fur).

This is the part of Our Story yet to be written. We have so many memories together as a couple that we are so grateful for, including several vacations in the states and an unforgettable trip to Greece. We are so excited to celebrate our love with our friends and family and to make a lifetime of memories as husband and wife, and would be honored to have our loved ones to help us write this portion of Our Story.