June of 2019, Samantha decided it was time to start her tattoo sleeve. After copious amounts of research, she knew she wanted it done at Boston Barber Tattoo Company in the North End. After following a number of artists on instagram, she called to talk to the receptionist to see which artist would best be suited for what she was looking to do. The receptionist recommended Brian for his style of tattooing but explained he was "traveling" and wouldn't be taking appointments until October. It was a long wait but she agreed, gave a deposit and waited.

A few days before long waited halloween appointment with Brian, she had a consult at the shop. She walked to the north end on her lunch break, to meet with Brian. They bounced around some ideas before coming up with a cohesive design. 20 short minutes later, Sam was walking back to her office to finish the work day while Brian was smiling down at his sketches from their consult.

The day finally came where Sam left work early to head to her tattoo appointment. She was excited to start this process with an artist she had quickly grown to trust.

Throughout the 6 hour appointment, Sam was so curious with Brian's back story and how he was single...

They spent the whole appointment talking, laughing and getting to know each other. Sam was flirting because the more she got to know him, the more she wanted to keep getting to know him. Brian stayed professional, he could feel their connection too but also had his cardinal rule about not dating his clients.

After the tattoo was finished, Sam had come to the conclusion that despite her best flirting efforts, maybe Brian wasn't interested.. since she mentioned quite a few times she had no plans for their favorite holiday and he hadn't asked her to make plans.

Right as she was packing up to leave, he finally asked her out!

"would you be interested in going around the corner for a few beers with me?" -Brian

"really?! Absolutely!" - Sam

and off they went. They had a few double IPAs, continuing to laugh and enjoy eachother's company. Sam kissed him mid-sentence. He smiled, they took their first picture together.

The rest of the night was history. They've been together every night since then....

on their one year anniversary, they decided to finally visit Nashville TN. They booked our trip, despite the pandemic, to relax & refresh after a crazy year! Unbeknownst to Samantha, Brian had been custom designing the perfect ring for MONTHS, to have it ready for this very special trip together.

"I told Brian I wanted something completely representative of us, our relationship and our love. He poured his love into every single detail of this ring and it shows! I nearly cry every time I look at it." -Samantha

Brian did countless hours of research on unique center stones that would represent their creepy & black aesthetic that has leaked into every aspect of their relationship. He encountered a new trend of salt & pepper diamonds, absolutely stunning unique and perfect for his fiance! Not in the wheelhouse of his Boston based jeweler though, which required a loose diamond dealer from San Francisco to be added to the team. They flew in 5 loose, salt & pepper center stones for Brian to see. He chose one which was slightly larger than the setting he designed, but the jeweler made it happen. Brian picked a beautiful rose cut, salt & pepper diamond with rounded prongs. He worked with the jeweler to create a an under halo of extra diamonds for even more sparkle.

The finishing touch on this one of a kind ring, was getting the 18k white gold plated in black rhodium (5x) at another jeweler in Hanover, allowing for the ring to look black in certain lighting while still sparkly and timeless.

After finally picking up the ring, Brian also ordered a custom crushed velvet box with their initials engraved into the top from The Mrs. Box AND a t-shirt for Samantha to wear for the last day of their trip to properly celebrate their engagement.

"I wanted Sam to get the attention she deserved with her custom t-shirt to wear with her ring as we finished up our trip in Nashville" - Brian

Dressed up as Michael Myers and one of the nurses he killed from breaking out of the mental hospital, they started the day of their anniversary (halloween) with a bar crawl around downtown. After wrapping up, they returned to the hotel to change before bar-hopping for the rest of the night. Listening to live music, talking to locals and enjoying a few beers was the perfect ending to an incredible year together. A few bars into the night, the lines had gotten longer but they had made their way into "The Second Fiddle" where the band was amazing! Enjoying their choice, Brian had gone up to one of the lead singers of the band (without attracting much attention) offering $50 to play "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton as he proposed to Sam. The band was so thrilled to be part of this, playing his request for their very next song. As they started playing, Brian went up to Sam saying "hey babe, you know how you've been dropping hints about a ring? well I have one for you..." (getting down on one knee).

Sam turned around and instantly starting balling, caught by complete surprise! She had no idea that Brian had created the beautiful custom ring beyond anything she could have ever imagined, for this trip... and there he was down on one knee in a crowded bar in downtown nashville on the night of their 1 year anniversary!!! Amidst her tears, she said yes!

you can see blips of the proposal on Samantha's instagram @samm_carson