Samantha and Cory had their first date on November 12, 2022 at McGinty's Pub in Lakewood, Ohio. The two went for a drink and ended up talking for four hours about anything and everything. They had grown up in a ten minute radius from each other in Pennsylvania but didn't officially meet until their separate moves to Ohio, years later. That first date led into many more until the two became inseparable. Cory made it official by asking Samantha to be his girlfriend on December 26, 2022. They both expressed early on in their relationship that they knew the other person was the one for them. They grew more and more excited about their future together and decided to buy a house in 2024. The two got their keys to their home and began the next chapter of their lives by moving in together on March 2, 2024. Exactly one week later, Cory took Samantha's mom, Natalie, and his mom, Karen, to go with him to buy an engagement ring. Cory then proposed at Edgewater Beach on April 27, 2024. All Samantha wanted out of a proposal was to be completely surprised when it happened and with the help of friends and family, that became a reality. Cory made up plans that would take him from the house all day and two of Samantha's best friends, Taylor and Caleigh, formed fake plans with her as well. The three of them got ready for what Samantha believed to be a dinner, gifting Samantha with a new dress to wear, and then they dropped her off at the proposal location. Cory waited at the bottom of a long staircase and there, on the beach, with the city in the background, the two got engaged. To end the night, Cory had planned a surprise engagement party at Georgetown Vosh with all of their closest friends and family.