Hello everyone!

This is Jessica writing. Dave’s version of our story is “You were cute & I liked you”… so I decided to just leave him out of this part.

For those of you that don’t know, Dave & I went to Pearl River Central High School together in Picayune, MS. We never dated, but we did grab each other’s butts during break. We should have known then.

Dave was two grades ahead of me, so he left & went off to college. He went to PRCC & then ended up at MS State. Being an LSU fan, all I can say is ew. After college, he settled down in Nashville, TN.

Once I graduated high school, I went to PRCC & finished out college at Belhaven University. My plan was always to be near home, so I moved to Gretna, LA right outside of New Orleans.

In the summer of 2020, I was at the beach with my bestie Hannah & her family. Yes, I know there was a pandemic going on, but we social distanced. During this trip was when Dave messaged me out of the blue. I was beyond confused as I hadn’t spoken to him in about 10 years. I think my exact reaction was, “Uhh, why the (bad word) is David Sampson messaging me?”. Apparently, it’s because I was cute, who knew?

Dave & I regularly messaged each other for a few weeks, so I decided to make a trip up to Nashville! I’d technically known him for years & he had a pool—it was a no brainer. When I got to Nashville is when I really met the love of my life, Sumo Sampson. This furry, stage 5 clinger stole my heart & his dad should be eternally grateful. Sumo’s a bit chunkier now, but I still love him.

Dave was cool too. It was skinny Dave summer, so we basically spent a lot of time drinking vodka, laying by the pool, & reading (which are all of my favorite things to do). Sumo, of course, would be running circles around the yard. I made several trips to Nashville that summer & Dave to Picayune or Gretna. Eventually, we decided we liked each other enough to make the long-distance thing work. I think we did pretty damn well considering I’m writing this for our wedding website now.

Dave met my family in September 2020. It was a college game day & we were all watching the MS State vs LSU game. Dave decided to roll into my family gathering wearing his MS State shirt. My family thought that was pretty badass so they loved him instantly & MS State won that day.

Dave was scared for me to meet his mom. He’ll NEVER admit that, but he totally was. I’m very loveable, so I’m not sure what he was worried about. Also, his mom is a saint, so of course I loved her instantly!

In October of 2021, Dave finally moved back down to Picayune. So instead of being an 8-hour drive away from each other, we were only 45 minutes away from each other! Once 45 minutes became too far away, he moved in with me & the rest is history.

Dave proposed to me in Atlanta, GA after we visited the pandas at the zoo. I told him I never wanted a proposal in public or with all my family around—it’s just not my thing. I’d rather he just propose to me on the couch while we’re watching a movie or something. So he listened & proposed on the couch in our Air Bnb. I was obsessed & laughed at him (please reference the photo below for laughter). After engaged, we proceeded to get all the free shots & champagne from everywhere we went in Atlanta.

All in all, Dave is my best friend & literal teammate. He makes me laugh more than anyone I know & puts up with all of my shenanigans. He enables my serious reading addiction & takes me to Barnes & Noble + Target anytime I ask. Also, if he wasn’t around to cook for me, I’d be eating pizza rolls for the rest of my life. Basically, he’s the love of my life & he makes me so incredibly happy. I’m assuming he has similar sentiments about me, since he proposed.

If you’re still reading this VERY long story, I thank you. Everyone we have invited to our wedding is special to us in some way & we cannot wait to celebrate with all of you. See you in September!

Love,

Jess