Wedding Day

Pavilion at Sunken Meadow

Ceremony

Reception

Fall

Our Wedding

As you may know, Sam has been going to Fire Island since she was a baby.&nbsp;Joe always wanted to work on the Fire Island Ferries and started working there as soon as he was old enough.&nbsp;When Sam was a teenager she noticed a cute deckhand, later turned captain.&nbsp;She started calling him "boat boyfriend" to her friends.&nbsp;Both Sam and Joe have always been interested in photography, so when Instagram first came out, Sam searched #fireisland to admire other people's photographs of her happy place.&nbsp;She came across some pictures that "boat boyfriend" posted and decided to follow him.&nbsp;Joe recognized her from the ferries and they continued to like and comment on each other's pictures for a few months.&nbsp;Long before Instagram DM's were a thing, Sam discovered an app called Instamessage and posted a picture of the logo on her own Instagram.&nbsp;Joe commented asking, "what's that?"&nbsp;That is when, in 2012, Sam told her best friend, Danielle, to start writing her wedding speech.Hook, line, and anchor - he slid into her DM's.&nbsp;Sam and Joe bought a house in Brightwaters at the perfect time - right before the housing market skyrocketed - they closed on their house in April 2020.&nbsp;Between cosmetic renovations and waiting for months for furniture to be delivered, they are finally making their house a home.&nbsp;They love to go bike riding around their neighborhood, around the Brightwaters lakes, and down to the Great South Bay.&nbsp;Joe thought it would be perfect to propose right in their own neighborhood so they could relive the beautiful memory regularly.&nbsp;It was the end of Sam's first week back at work in September 2021.&nbsp;She had just finished setting up her classroom before the kids started back at school the following Monday.&nbsp;Joe told Sam he made dinner reservations for that night.&nbsp;On her way home, he said he was at TJ Finley's with Sadie (their pawfect pup) and one of Joe's best friends, Eric, if she wanted to meet them there.&nbsp;Sam didn't think he was going to propose because it seemed to be a very casual evening and she figured whenever he proposed, it would be in Fire Island.&nbsp;Joe wanted to go for a sunset bike ride before they went to dinner which was nothing out of the ordinary since they're those - beach cruiser, cute wicker basket, matching cup holder - bike people now.&nbsp;They rode down to the bay and then started heading back home.&nbsp;Joe wanted to stop at the lakes to watch the sunset.&nbsp;It was there that he got down on one knee and asked Sam to marry him, in which she replied, "You better believe it!"&nbsp;When they got home, they were so excited to tell Sadie and James (their purrfect cat) that they were officially going to be a family.

The Story of Captain & Ginger

Our Story

Photos

Danielle Sears

Ashley Cantor-Birnbaum

Sal Dilegge

Eric Di Lernia

Andrew Sears

Madison Williams

Wedding Party

Q + A

It is important that if you are staying at the hotel that you book before August 23, 2022

Hyatt Regency Long Island

**The following day, September 24, from 11am - 1pm, we will be hosting a brunch at the Hauppauge Palace Diner.**﻿

Hotel Block

Things to Do

Registry

Samantha & Joseph

Samantha & Joseph

Hotel Block

Hyatt Regency Long Island