Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Mendenhall Inn

Reception

Fall

Please RSVP by September 1st with your meal choice! 

The Mendenhall Inn is fully booked for the Friday of the wedding! There are a few hotels in the surrounding area if you still need over night accommodations.

Our Wedding

It&nbsp;started&nbsp;from&nbsp;a&nbsp;mere&nbsp;meet&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;job&nbsp;and&nbsp;introduction&nbsp;by&nbsp;another&nbsp;co-worker&nbsp;inquiring&nbsp;how&nbsp;Sam&nbsp;could&nbsp;obtain&nbsp;an&nbsp;OC,&nbsp;aka&nbsp;pepper&nbsp;spray&nbsp;from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Less&nbsp;Lethal&nbsp;Department.&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;looked&nbsp;puzzled&nbsp;for&nbsp;a&nbsp;second,&nbsp;(Sam&nbsp;claims&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;long&nbsp;second&nbsp;and&nbsp;maybe&nbsp;that&nbsp;was&nbsp;on&nbsp;purpose)&nbsp;as&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;failed&nbsp;to&nbsp;realize&nbsp;she&nbsp;was&nbsp;left&nbsp;handed&nbsp;and&nbsp;she&nbsp;had&nbsp;her&nbsp;pepper&nbsp;spray&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;opposite&nbsp;side&nbsp;of&nbsp;her&nbsp;belt.&nbsp;Simple&nbsp;small&nbsp;talk&nbsp;thereafter&nbsp;led&nbsp;to&nbsp;them&nbsp;bringing&nbsp;up&nbsp;shows&nbsp;they&nbsp;enjoyed&nbsp;on&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;as&nbsp;well&nbsp;as&nbsp;outdoor&nbsp;sports. This&nbsp;kept&nbsp;them&nbsp;intrigued&nbsp;but&nbsp;the&nbsp;overarching&nbsp;irony&nbsp;on&nbsp;their&nbsp;initial&nbsp;attraction&nbsp;stemmed&nbsp;from&nbsp;a&nbsp;staring&nbsp;contest&nbsp;around&nbsp;2021,&nbsp;where&nbsp;all&nbsp;wore&nbsp;masks.&nbsp;As&nbsp;they&nbsp;attempted&nbsp;to&nbsp;keep&nbsp;things&nbsp;light&nbsp;during&nbsp;these&nbsp;unscripted&nbsp;moments,&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;would&nbsp;fail&nbsp;each&nbsp;time&nbsp;attempting&nbsp;to&nbsp;hold&nbsp;his&nbsp;own&nbsp;when&nbsp;looking&nbsp;into&nbsp;Sam's&nbsp;eyes.&nbsp;Neither&nbsp;of&nbsp;them&nbsp;knew&nbsp;what&nbsp;their&nbsp;relationship&nbsp;would&nbsp;result&nbsp;in,&nbsp;but&nbsp;they&nbsp;knew&nbsp;there&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;connection&nbsp;and&nbsp;were&nbsp;eager&nbsp;to&nbsp;find&nbsp;out. Their&nbsp;first&nbsp;official&nbsp;date&nbsp;was&nbsp;to&nbsp;an&nbsp;ice&nbsp;maze.&nbsp;They&nbsp;continued&nbsp;to&nbsp;date,&nbsp;playing&nbsp;board&nbsp;games,&nbsp;hiking,&nbsp;etc.&nbsp;&nbsp;The&nbsp;dates&nbsp;got&nbsp;crazier,&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;having&nbsp;just&nbsp;completed&nbsp;his&nbsp;skydiving&nbsp;license&nbsp;showed&nbsp;Sam&nbsp;the&nbsp;thrill&nbsp;of&nbsp;jumping&nbsp;as&nbsp;well&nbsp;....and&nbsp;it&nbsp;stuck. Things&nbsp;progressed&nbsp;and&nbsp;by&nbsp;spring&nbsp;they&nbsp;knew&nbsp;they&nbsp;had&nbsp;something&nbsp;special.&nbsp;They&nbsp;had&nbsp;so&nbsp;many&nbsp;little&nbsp;things&nbsp;in&nbsp;common,&nbsp;but&nbsp;the&nbsp;more&nbsp;they&nbsp;spoke,&nbsp;the&nbsp;more&nbsp;they&nbsp;realized&nbsp;they&nbsp;had&nbsp;the&nbsp;big&nbsp;things&nbsp;in&nbsp;common&nbsp;too.&nbsp;Topics&nbsp;such&nbsp;as&nbsp;where&nbsp;they&nbsp;wanted&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;in&nbsp;life,&nbsp;their&nbsp;goals,&nbsp;and&nbsp;their&nbsp;values,&nbsp;were&nbsp;aligned. Numerous&nbsp;trips&nbsp;were&nbsp;made&nbsp;back&nbsp;and&nbsp;forth&nbsp;after&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;left&nbsp;for&nbsp;his&nbsp;tour&nbsp;in&nbsp;Toronto,&nbsp;Canada.&nbsp;These&nbsp;moments&nbsp;were&nbsp;soaked&nbsp;in&nbsp;as&nbsp;they&nbsp;traveled&nbsp;a&nbsp;total&nbsp;of&nbsp;two&nbsp;countries&nbsp;and&nbsp;eight&nbsp;cities&nbsp;together. In&nbsp;November&nbsp;2023&nbsp;they&nbsp;both&nbsp;visited&nbsp;Brandt's&nbsp;family&nbsp;in&nbsp;Florida.&nbsp;Sam's&nbsp;parents&nbsp;had&nbsp;traveled&nbsp;down&nbsp;as&nbsp;well&nbsp;and&nbsp;they&nbsp;were&nbsp;having&nbsp;a&nbsp;BBQ&nbsp;in&nbsp;Brandt's&nbsp;sister's&nbsp;backyard.&nbsp;Towards&nbsp;the&nbsp;end&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;night&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;slipped&nbsp;away&nbsp;with&nbsp;his&nbsp;sisters.&nbsp;Sam&nbsp;was&nbsp;outside&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;parents&nbsp;watching&nbsp;football&nbsp;on&nbsp;tv.&nbsp;Sam&nbsp;then&nbsp;needed&nbsp;to&nbsp;use&nbsp;the&nbsp;restroom&nbsp;and&nbsp;went&nbsp;inside.&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;and&nbsp;Lynda&nbsp;were&nbsp;inside&nbsp;near&nbsp;the&nbsp;bathroom&nbsp;lighting&nbsp;candles...&nbsp;this&nbsp;was&nbsp;odd&nbsp;to&nbsp;Sam.&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;played&nbsp;this&nbsp;off&nbsp;stating&nbsp;the&nbsp;candles&nbsp;were&nbsp;being&nbsp;lit&nbsp;for&nbsp;scent&nbsp;purposes&nbsp;for&nbsp;another&nbsp;family&nbsp;member.&nbsp;Unbeknownst&nbsp;to&nbsp;Sam,&nbsp;she&nbsp;had&nbsp;walked&nbsp;in&nbsp;on&nbsp;them&nbsp;setting&nbsp;up&nbsp;a&nbsp;very&nbsp;special&nbsp;surprise. Some&nbsp;time&nbsp;later&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;asked&nbsp;Sam&nbsp;to&nbsp;come&nbsp;inside.&nbsp;He&nbsp;led&nbsp;her&nbsp;to&nbsp;that&nbsp;same&nbsp;room&nbsp;which&nbsp;was&nbsp;now&nbsp;fully&nbsp;lit&nbsp;by&nbsp;candles,&nbsp;pumpkins,&nbsp;and&nbsp;other&nbsp;seasonal&nbsp;decor.&nbsp;Brandt&nbsp;got&nbsp;down&nbsp;on&nbsp;one&nbsp;knee&nbsp;and&nbsp;gave&nbsp;a&nbsp;speech&nbsp;about&nbsp;them&nbsp;and&nbsp;their&nbsp;story.&nbsp;He&nbsp;ended&nbsp;it&nbsp;stating&nbsp;how&nbsp;they&nbsp;are&nbsp;just&nbsp;beginning&nbsp;their&nbsp;forever.&nbsp;She&nbsp;said&nbsp;Yes!&nbsp;And&nbsp;the&nbsp;Family&nbsp;celebrated&nbsp;together.

Our Staring Contest Gone Right

Our Story

Photos

William (Chip) Chalupa

Sondra Chalupa

Timothy Smith

Belinda Smith

Kyjuan Taylor

Kirstin Chalupa

Juan Barcelo

Bri Fredriksen

Joseph Castillo

Morgan Carre

Mackens Semerzier

Landon 

Harper

Wedding Party

Q + A

For those flying into the area, your closest airport will be Philadelphia (PHL) and is about 30-45 drive to the Mendenhall Inn. 
 
Baltimore/Washington (BWI) is also about an hour and a half away, and depending on the airline might be more cost effective. 
 
There is limited, (and by limited, I mean there is none once you get close to where the reception/hotel is) public transportation in the area, so if you choose not to rent a car you will be primarily relying on Uber/Lyft which is not always available in the area either.

1. Go to the website below.
2. In the top right there should be a tab that says "Hotel Accommodations". A drop down menu should appear, with an option that says "Book Now". Click that!
3. Go to the "Group Bookings" and click on the option that says "Click here for group reservations"
4. Enter the code above to reserve under our group.


*If it says no rooms available you can always call the hotel at 610-388-2100 ext 0

*If you book with the code, rooms are fully refundable up until about a week beforehand (it will give you the date when you book). There is another wedding onsite that evening so I would encourage you to book early! 

Inn At Mendenhall

Travel

Gorgeous gardens with a conservatory, perfect for walking around to take in the crisp Pennsylvania air.

Longwood Gardens

Laid back craft Beer Garden, with live music Thursday through Sundays. *Sam used to bartend here!

Kennett Square Creamery

Take a tour of the Herr's Potato Chip factory!

Herr’s Snack Factory Tour & Gift Shop

Are you feeling victorious? Maybe a little Hip Czeched? Craft brewery with tons of fantastic beers!

Victory Brewing Company Kennett Square

Address is for the parking garage, but this cute little town has just a little bit of everything. Restaurants, nail salon, boutique shopping, etc on picturesque streets. A few of my favorites are La Michoacana Ice Cream and Lily's Asian cuisine!

Kennett Square

Winery with a cute tasting room. They also have their sister company's cider there too!

Samantha & Brandt

Samantha & Brandt

S&B

Wedding Day

3:00 PM

Ceremony

6:00 PM

Reception

Please RSVP by September 1st with your meal choice!