Draper Utah Temple

Temple Sealing

This Is The Place Heritage Park - the Garden Place

Wedding Luncheon

Reception

Our Wedding

Editor's Note: I have no idea how Andrew convinced me to let him be in charge of writing our story. Just know that all events are told strictly from his point of view, and any details should be considered unverified until I’ve approved them personally.-Sami How we met:&nbsp;Sami and I met on September 16, 2024, at a stake YSA pizza and outdoor games activity. At the time, we were both students living just north of BYU. We lived in the same apartment complex, so we were both invited to the same activity. I went to the activity with some of my roommates at the time. While I was in line getting pizza, I saw a group of girls sitting on the grass. I asked my roommates if they wanted to make some friends and suggested we sit by the girls. They agreed and we joined the girls on the grass. I thought one of the girls was especially pretty. I later found out her name was Sami.&nbsp; I had just had surgery on my shoulder a few weeks back, so I was wearing a large and very noticable sling. Sami asked me how I broke my arm (it was really my shoulder), so I made a joke and told her that I had broken it bull riding. After a minute had gone by, I told her the real way I had broken it. She still seemed skeptical—falling off an electric skateboard was only slightly more believable than bull riding. After talking for a few more minutes and finishing our food, I asked Sami and her friends if they wanted to play 9-square. I was in a sling, but I figured that would just boost my odds of impressing her. It took Sami a few minutes to join the game, but I got a little giddy when she did. While it may seem childlike, I tried to aim the ball at her square every time she got in and then playfully tease her when she got out. Really, I just wanted her to notice me. Between rounds of 9-square, we kept talking, and I started learning just how incredible this girl was. I learned that she was studying economics, had just gotten home from a mission, and wanted to pursue a career that would push her academically. All these things made me realize she wasn’t only smart, but also high-achieving. These traits were super important to me.&nbsp; At some point, my roommates were ready to leave, so I told them to head back to the apartment, and I’d find a ride home. I knew everyone at the activity was from the same place, so I was hoping to get a ride home with Sami. When she was about to leave, I told her that my roommates had all left me and asked for a ride home. One of her roommates drove with us. On the way back, we kept on talking, and I realized I might be developing a crush. I didn’t want to scare her off by singling her out just yet, so I asked both her and her roommate if they wanted to to to the BYU devotional with me the next morning. They both said yes. The next day, to my surprise and delight, only Sami showed up for the devotional. This was perfect because she was the one I liked. I can’t remember the topic of that devotional, but I remember my heart was beating fast the whole time.&nbsp; In an effort not to let the devotional be the last time we see each other, I asked her if I could make her lunch sometime later that week. I figured food is always a good way to sweeten the deal. Three days later, I picked her up from campus after class and made her lunch before working on homework together. We ended up working on homework together often for the first few weeks because we were both busy people. By this time, I had realized I really liked this girl. She had everything I was looking for in an eternal companion—a close relationship with Christ, a hardworking and high-achieving spirit, and a shared love of the outdoors. I had pretty much made up my mind about dating her. But even though I was convinced, I could tell that she was still very anxious about it, so I tried to take things slow. I didn’t call our activities “dates” until we had already hung out almost every day for two weeks.

Our First Kiss:&nbsp;On one of our ‘not-a-date’ hangouts, I invited her over to my parents’ house while I was watching my siblings. This was really just a test to see if she liked me. My house is about a half-hour drive from Provo, so in my mind, if she was willing to make the drive, she must be interested. Miraculously, she showed up! She met some of my siblings, and we played Mario Kart. After, just the two of us went outside and sat in some of the hammock chairs in my backyard. By this point, I had learned that I couldn’t be subtle if I wanted her to notice my flirting. In an effort to be as unsubtle as possible, we started talking about the fact that she hadn’t ever kissed anyone. I asked silly questions like “What would your ideal first kiss look like?”. A few minutes after the conversation, I asked her if she wanted to see a pretty view from our roof. It was a little climb to get there, but I knew she was athletic, so it would just be an adventure.&nbsp; After getting onto the roof, we kept on talking. When the conversation reached a lull, I looked over at her and scooted an inch closer. While still looking straight ahead, Sami said “No”. Surprised, I exclaimed, “You didn’t even know what I was going to ask!” She responded with, “I knew exactly what you were going to ask, and the answer is no!” I guess maybe she picked up on more than I thought. We climbed down from the roof, still not having kissed, and decided to watch a movie. Even though she wasn’t ready for a kiss yet, she still let me put my arm around her during the movie. I figured this meant I hadn’t blown anything yet.&nbsp; Over two weeks had passed from the time we met until we went on our first “official” date. I picked her up with flowers and took her out to dinner. After dinner, we watched her favorite movie. I was determined to kiss her, so I tried to drop not-so-subtle hints during the movie. I learned that if you want to kiss a girl, don’t try to do it during her favorite movie. After the movie ended, neither of us were quite ready for the date to be over. It was about 10pm by this point. Sami asked me if I wanted to go see a “castle” in Provo. She took me to the Castle Amphitheater at the east end of center street in Provo. We went for a late-night walk and found ourselves at the top of the stairs inside the castle. I asked if I could kiss her and she said yes. She was a little nervous, but it was a perfect first kiss.

Our first “I love you”:&nbsp;We continued spending time together over the next few weeks, and I was starting to like Sami more and more. On October 10, after hanging out in the morning before class, I turned to leave her apartment. As she began to shut the door behind me, she said “Bye, I love you!” I could tell she said it by accident so I smiled and said something like “Already?” Embarrassed, she quickly shut the door and locked it. As I walked away, I thought to myself and wondered if I was starting to love Sami. She’ll deny it, but I’m sure the “I love you” was her subconscious bleeding through.&nbsp; While I wasn’t sure if I loved her yet, I was certain I wanted to date her. Sami was an amazing girl. Later that night, we went for a walk and I asked her to be my girlfriend. Surprisingly, she said yes. It took me only a few more days of thinking to decide that I really did love Sami. On October 17, she took me on a fall-themed date to Cornbellies. We had a great time, and I remember holding hands and sharing a few cute kisses in the corn maze when nobody was looking. Later that night, I told her I loved her. I told her that if she wasn’t ready, she didn’t have to say it back yet.&nbsp;It took her a few days to say whether or not she loved me back. Those were some of the longest days of my life. On October 24, she told me out loud for the first time. Our love has been growing ever since.&nbsp;

How we decided to get married:&nbsp;This is my favorite part of our story. It took us months to decide we wanted to spend forever together, and it wasn’t exactly a straightforward decision. Being the biggest decision of our lives, we talked about it for months before finally deciding we were ready. Here are some of the biggest factors that helped us decide.&nbsp; 1. Both of us want to follow the same path in life. We both want to serve in Christ’s church, stay temple-worthy, and raise a family in the gospel. We both want to pursue careers that will push us, and we’re willing to support each other in those endeavors, even if it means waiting a few years to have kids and sharing the responsibility of raising them.&nbsp;2. We enjoy doing things together. Skiing together over the winter helped us fall more and more in love. Some of my favorite memories that we’ve made so far are chasing each other down a powdered mountainside. We often dreamed of camping and exploring together.3. We both love each other’s families. We love spending time with each other’s families and feel so much love and support from all sides.&nbsp; After weeks of praying for guidance, I had full confidence that marrying Sami was the right decision. With her at my side, we would have a happy and beautiful life. I decided to tell her that I was ready, and I couldn’t wait another second without letting her know. On March 10, we happened to meet up on campus between the Tanner Building and the West View Building. It wasn’t a special place, but I’ll never forget it. Knowing I didn’t want to wait, I told her that I had made up my mind and I was ready to get married.&nbsp; Sami was still in the process of praying and deciding, and I wanted to give her all the time she needed. This was the biggest decision of our entire lives. About two weeks later, we were sitting in her car waiting to pick up her friend and give her a ride home. Sami told me “I’m ready”. I was so happy to hear the news. We both loved each other and could see a beautiful life together.&nbsp; After the semester ended, we looked at rings and I tried to figure out how I was going to propose. I wanted it to be special, and I also wanted it to be a surprise. But knowing how clever Sami is, I knew keeping it a surprise would be hard. I began planning the proposal about a month in advance and managed to keep it a surprise until the night before. I proposed at Paul Ream wilderness park on May 24, 2025. This place was special for us, because it was one of the quieter places in Provo where we could snuggle in a hammock and get away from the crowds. There was a crystal-clear, shallow stream flowing through the park, surrounded by pretty trees. I had my friends fill the stream with tiny lights while we went out to dinner to the same restaurant as our first date. After dinner, we sat outside the temple, excited for what was about to happen. After the temple, we drove to the little forested area where my friends were waiting and I proposed to Sami. My friends and some of her sisters were hiding and taking photos. When she saw the lights, I gave her a spin then pulled her close and told her the things I had been planning on saying. I then got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. She said yes and started jumping up and down excitedly.&nbsp; Since then, I’ve fallen in love with Sami more and more each day. Sami and I have felt so much love and support from everyone around us. We’ve been guided and cared for in every way. We feel immensely grateful for what we have and what we’re becoming.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Our Story

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Wedding Party

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Sami & Andrew

Sami & Andrew

S&A

Temple Sealing

Wedding Luncheon

Reception