The Greenhouse at Appalachian Rose Farm

Welcome Party & Rehearsal Dinner

Makinna & Sam's Wedding

Ceremony

Reception

After Party

Farewell Hike

Our Wedding

After gaining travel experience for his occupational therapy career, Sam decided to continue his adventures in Alaska. After talking to a friend who had worked there, he figured it would be an interesting and cool place to live and work for awhile. Soon after arriving, Sam began working at K-Beach Elementary School where he met a special education teacher who he would be collaborating with that year, Makinna.Makinna and Sam became immediate friends and found they had countless things in common. Their love for their friends and family, their passion for working with children who have exceptional needs, their hobbies, sense of adventure, their love for Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter, and local breweries.Makinna and Sam had their first date on March 3rd, 2023 at a Kenai River Brown Bears Hockey Game. After the game, Sam asked if Makinna would like to meet his dog-daughter, Maggie. That night Makinna got a kiss from both Maggie and Sam. This was the beginning!

The Beginning...

Makinna and Sam quickly fell in love after spending almost every day together. The time seemed to fly by while they stayed at K-Beach Elementary, working alongside each other, for two years. During that time, Makinna and Sam took a trip to Mexico. They had a blast swimming, snorkeling, and visiting historical sites. After their 2nd year at K-Beach was over, Makinna and Sam decided that it was time to take their next adventure to Washington. They drove to Washington and spent a year working with children in Federal Way, while spending time with Sam’s brother Ben, sister-in-law Laura, nephew Grady, and niece Wren. During that year, Makinna and Sam visited many small towns, explored, and took an incredible trip to the Philippines and Japan. They will definitely be returning there someday! This was the middle!

The Middle...

After living together, moving together, and traveling together, Makinna and Sam were more confident than ever that they were meant to be. They could talk about anything, laugh together, cry together, weather storms, and their love grew every single day.Summer soon came in Washington and Sam had a plan. Sam made sure that Makinna's mom, Teresa, his parents, Catherine and Mark, and his Washington family, Ben, Laura, Grady, and Wren, could all travel to the San Juan Islands for a vacation together. On June 23rd, 2025, Sam asked Makinna to spend the rest of her life with him while standing next to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island. Makinna of course said yes and could not be more thrilled to spend the rest of her life with the man of her dreams, soul mate, and best friend.Soon after their engagement, they took their adventure to Kentucky where they are now living and working in Georgetown. They are close to many friends, family members, they are teaching and working at schools they love, and they are ecstatic to celebrate their upcoming wedding with you on September 17th, 2026! This is the end...or is it?

The End...or Is It?

Our Story

Gallery

Nicole Clarke

Ben Wells

Ashley Cook 

Rhiley Halverson

Ben Harris-Medina

Sawyer Linett

Blake Neumann

Holly Williams

Bain Lindeman

Cheyanne Stribling

Will Garcia

Sage VonHeeder 

Will Owens

Jelly Nolden 

Chris Auvenshine

Jena Kruzick 

Houston Farr

Teresa Halverson

Brian Halverson

Catherine Wells

Mark Wells 

Wedding Party

Rehearsal dinner - Dressy casual Wedding - Semi-formal/formal (please no denim, thank you!) After Party - Cozy/comfy/casual

Dress Code

Q + A

Rehearsal dinner - Dressy casualWedding - Semi-formal/formal (please no denim, thank you!)After Party - Cozy/comfy/casual

If you are planning to attend the Welcome Party and Rehearsal Dinner, please plan to arrive Wednesday, September 16th, 2026.

See to map for parking and locations for rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and after party.Rehearsal dinner - The Sierra, the purple circle on mapCeremony - Forest location, the white star on mapReception - The Greenhouse, the green circle on mapAfter Party - The Sierra, the purple circle on map

Rehearsal Dinner, Ceremony, Reception, & After Party

See to map for further parking information.

Further Parking Info

If you are flying in from out of state, we suggest arriving at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport! It is about a 2 hour drive to The Red River Gorge. Rental cars are available at the airport. We are sorry for this inconvenience. If possible, carpooling is always a great way to go! (There is a smaller airport in Lexington that would make the drive about an hour and 20 minutes, however, there are fewer flights to this airport and it is usually more expensive to book.)When leaving the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, get on to I-275 East. Take Exit 84 onto I-71 South and continue on to I-75 South for about 10 miles. From there, take I-75 down to Exit for I-64 East. Take Exit 98 onto Mountain Parkway East. Once on the Mountain Parkway, continue for about 40 miles, take exit 40 to Beattyville, which is the exit for our venue. Please use your phone Maps app for additional assistance.

Flying In?

Driving from Lexington to The Red River Gorge takes about an hour and 10 minutes. You will start on I-64, take exit 98 onto the Mountain Parkway East. Once on the Mountain Parkway, continue for about 40 miles, take exit 40 to Beattyville, which is the exit for our venue. Please use your phone Maps app for additional assistance.

Driving from Lexington?

Below are different ideas and options for staying near the venue.

A hotel choice that is about 7 minutes away from the venue (4.3 miles).

Red River Gorge Inn

Lodge about 4 minutes (2.3 miles) away from the venue.

BedRock RRG

Lodge about 7 minutes (4.2 miles) away from the venue.

Cliffview Resort

This is a photo of various cabins, Airbnb's, and others stays close to the wedding and reception venue. Some of them include Wild Turkey Overlook, Honey Bee Hideaway, Starlight Cabin, among others! If you are interested, typing in our wedding venue location to Google Maps will give an abundance of results to nearby stays. The website below has a link to Airbnb.

Other Stays Near Venue - Airbnb 

This is a photo of VRBO stays close to the wedding and reception venue. The website below has a link to VRBO.*It is suggested to put the venue address in the "find a location to pin" text box so that you can see exactly where the venue is on the map while you search.

Other Stays Near Venue - VRBO

Farewell Hike Information

September 18th, 2026 11:00AMCome join us at 11am for a farewell hike the day after our big day, September 18th, 2026! We will be taking off from The Rock Bridge Trailhead (Creation Falls via Rock Bridge Trail). The image above shows how to get to the trailhead from the venue. The link below will take you to the All Trails Website, which has more information on the hike and its location. All are welcome!

Creation Falls via Rock Bridge Trail Location and Info

Travel/ Q&A

The Red River Gorge has tons of hiking trails and camping areas! Makinna and Sam picked this area because of its beauty and countless hiking adventures.

Red River Gorge Geological Area

The Natural Bridge is an area known for its scenery and hiking. It also features an iconic 200 foot natural bridge, a national historic landmark.

Natural Bridge State Resort Park

Miguel's Pizza is a MUST for pizza and brew! Makinna and Sam love brisket and sweet potato on their pizza!

Miguel's Pizza

Skybridge Station has great beer, gourmet hotdogs, and quesadillas. Makinna and Sam LOVE the hotdogs!

Makinna & Sam

Makinna & Sam

Things to Do

Red River Gorge Geological Area

Natural Bridge State Resort Park

Miguel's Pizza

Sky Bridge Station