Rehearsal Dinner

Reptacular Ranch

Wedding Day

Our Wedding

We first met on October 18th, 2018, at Linfield University in McMinnville, OR. Steven was living in the Theta Chi fraternity house and had invited some friends over for a Thursday night party, including bridesmaid, Madeline Smith. Madeline asked me to join her in “Kwak’s room” before the party, to which I replied, “I have no idea who that is, but sure!” As soon as Steven and I were in the same room, we hit it off instantly—talking, bantering, and flirting. That night was the beginning of something special, and we started spending more and more time together in the following weeks. It took a while for either of us to admit our feelings, but with Christmas break approaching, followed by my trip abroad and move for nursing school, we couldn’t deny there was something more. While I was in New Zealand, we stayed in close contact, and when I returned, Steven picked me up from the airport. Soon after, he officially asked me to be his girlfriend on February 9th, 2019. The next year was filled with weekend drives between McMinnville and Portland, making memories with friends, and learning more about each other. Steven coached college football at Linfield until COVID-19 paused operations in 2020, while I lived in Portland, studied, and worked as an in-home care assistant. Between my nursing classes, one of my first unofficial orthopedic patients was Steven, who broke his foot in a skateboarding accident and went to Vegas with a broken foot. He stayed with his dad in the Hood River area while working on his master’s degree in Education online and having 2 surgeries on his foot, while I drove an hour each way to help take care of him. In December 2020, I graduated summa cum laude from Linfield with my bachelor’s degree in nursing. After graduation, I moved back home to my parents’ house in Athena, OR, to prepare for (and pass!) my licensing exam. Steven eventually relocated to his mom’s house in Southern California to look for jobs, and shortly after, I had emergency surgery to remove my appendix. After recovering from surgery and many calls with my mother to the California Board of Nursing, I met Steven in California. Our early days in California weren’t easy. Job hunting took a while, and times were stressful. We both started out in jobs and an apartment we didn’t love, my phone and car were stolen (on separate occasions!), and we faced many other challenges together. With patience, love, and support for each other, we’ve taken step after step to grow and progress in our lives together. I am now a certified orthopedic nurse working at one of the top hospitals in the country, and Steven teaches English and coaches football at his alma mater, Saugus High School. We live in Santa Clarita, CA, with our two cats and Golden Retriever in our cozy 1-bedroom apartment. We’re so excited to celebrate all we’ve overcome and accomplished together, and we can’t wait to start this new chapter surrounded by some of our favorite people! ❤️7.26.2025❤️

Our Story, told by Sarah

Our Story

Photos

Alyssa Finifrock

Madeline Smith

Bailey Hillmick

Violet Kwak

Samantha Moellmer

Mina Cheriki

Samuel Gomez

Paul Still

Adam Still

Luke Wheeler

Ty Moya

Adam Sinatra

Wedding Party

Q + A

Hilton Garden Inn Burbank Los Angeles

From the 210 fwy Exit Osbourne, turn left and proceed under the freeway, make a left at the 2nd light (Osbourne Street) and go past the 7-11 on the left. Note: once you exit the fwy it is about 5 miles to the ranch. On this road, you will pass the California Polo Club on the left. You will lose cell phone reception once you pass the California Polo Club. GPS systems should still bring you to our ranch without a problem. You will continue on this road, passing Middle Ranch on the right, a worm farm on the right, and the Padilla Ranch on the right. Once you pass the big white and blue sign for the Padilla Ranch, you will see a street sign that says Gold Creek Road. You will make a right onto that street (a right turn is your only option). At that point you will go up a mountain (don’t worry, it’s all paved ☺); you will be on this road for about 1 mile. You will pass a park called "Oak Spring” while on this road. After passing that, our first entrance will be about 100 yards from the park. Please pass that entrance and keep going on Gold Creek Road until you reach the parking and event entrance area.

Travel

Things to Do

Registry

Sarah & Steven

Sarah & Steven

Photos