It all started in San Francisco.. the city where two stories that were meant to find each other, finally crossed paths.

Samantha and Joseph met for their first date which was Sushi. From the first few minutes, it wasn’t the type of date where you wonder what to say next… it was the kind where talking felt easy, familiar, almost like remembering someone you’d known before. Two hours went by without either of them noticing! laughing, sharing, discovering, leaning in closer across the table. As the check came and went, it seemed that time was slipping by too fast!

As soon as Samantha got back to her apartment in the SF and Joseph back to his apartment in Mountain View, he was already asking when he could see her again.

The second date was in the kitchen - cooking a dish neither of them had ever made before. The meal turned out "....decent?" but the experience… that was perfect. They stood next to each other stirring and chopping, laughing at the mess, realizing that the meal didn’t matter at all — being together did. After the third date, there wasn’t even hesitation — they both admitted something rare and real was happening. And on May 15th, 2023, they became officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

That summer, in August, they took their first road trip to Las Vegas so Samantha could meet Joseph’s parents - and they were warm, loving, and immediately welcoming, Samantha realized where the kindhearted nature and good nature came from.

Then during Thanksgiving, Joseph came to Sacramento to meet Samantha’s mom — and she liked him instantly. He fit into the room like he belonged there.

Then Christmas arrived — and that Christmas became more special than they knew at the time.

Samantha’s mom, Melinda, had just been placed on palliative care and given six months. So that Christmas became precious in a way that only love understands. It was just the three of them — matching pajamas, quiet moments, twinkling lights in Sacramento’s Fab 40’s — making memories that were soft and sacred. A holiday held gently and close to the heart.

In February, Samantha moved to Sacramento to care for her mom full-time while still working remotely. And every single week, Joseph drove from Mountain View to Sacramento on his days off (a 3.5 hour drive one way) — just so he could be there, so he could sit in the living room with them, so he could share time with Melinda. So Samantha never carried any moment alone.

On March 25th, 2024, While Samantha was out of her mom's apartment, Joseph- with sweat on his brow and a belly full of butterflies nervously asked Melinda for her blessing to marry Samantha. She told him she would be thrilled to call him her son–in–law. Joseph finally sighed a big breath of relief!

They planned a family trip to Disneyland for early April — where Joseph's parents would meet up with the three of them, both families together for one last happy memory…

but on April 2nd, 2024, Melinda passed away.

It was heartbreaking and life–shifting for Samantha. And through it all — Joseph was her anchor. Her steady place. Her comfort. Her safe home.

Months went by, the grief was enduring and hard but in October 2024, Samantha moved from San Francisco to Mountain View and officially moved in with Joseph. The holidays that year were tender — quiet, full of longing — but they also made new traditions together. Two Christmas ornaments each picked out. Decorating the tree together. Favorite nostalgic movies. Tiny pockets of joy in the middle of healing.

Then — March 25th, 2025 — exactly one year after Joseph had asked for Melinda’s blessing — he took Samantha on a day trip to Point Reyes. She once joked a few trips back that "this would be a pretty nice place to get proposed to".

And this time, he set up a picnic, got down on one knee, and spoke from his heart — asking her to spend forever with him.

Samantha said yes — with complete certainty — knowing her mom was smiling down approvingly.

Now they stand at the beginning of the next chapter, filled with love, strength, shared memories, new traditions, and a future they get to build hand–in–hand.

S&J

Wedding Day

5:00 PM–6:00 PM

Ceremony

8:30 PM

Reception