Q. How did you guys first meet and fall in love?

A. We met while working at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. For a while we were simply ships passing in the night - in different departments, different schedules, and with a few overlapping friends. We knew the basics, occasionally hung out in larger groups, but nothing too interesting. But after COVID-19 turned the zoo on its head, we ended up in the same department and got to know each other quite well! We began dating in mid 2021 and now the rest is history!

“So did you elope over the weekend or anything interesting?”

Q. How did you know you wanted to marry each other and who wanted to tie the knot first?

A. Given that we had been in each other's lives for a few years, we both knew the basics - hobbies, preferred foods, and similar friend circles. So the talks of "what next" came quickly and easily. There really isn't a "who knew first"! We had jokingly discussed wedding venues, guest lists and most importantly the types of foods we would serve at a hypothetical wedding. About 3 months into dating, Zach called his mom about something random and she asked "so did you elope over the weekend or anything interesting?" (we had not). So maybe she was the first one who wanted us to tie the knot!

Q. Why did you choose HIDDENSPACE, how did you hear about us, and what made you decide on this specific ring?

A. Both of us have always loved nature, the outdoors, and the slightly non-traditional. So when instagram started showing Sam the occasional engagement ring, she did what all mildly unhinged people do - sent the pretty ones to her partner of 6 months!At some point a pattern emerged - HIDDENSPACE! So Zach contacted them to make a custom ring. He was given pretty firm directions from Sam: No diamonds, a unique center stone and a sleek profile. The folks at HIDDENSPACE put together a kite shaped moss agate with black accent stones. A perfect fit to all the requirements!

Funny side note: Shortly before shipping the social media team posted Sam's ring to their instagram & she did her usual routine of sending it to Zach saying, "How pretty!" Sam had no idea that was her ring at the time though - so a few weeks later when he proposed she put two and two together!

Q. Tell us about the details of the proposal & the wedding. How did you feel? How did it go?

A. The Proposal: Because Sam is a sucker for photos, it was an early expectation that we would be having yearly photos done. The first year we went to the top of a mountain in South Carolina and had some of the most beautiful photos taken. The following year we were living in a unique 120 year old loft - so figured why not capture that and have a moody in-home photo session! Little did Sam know, Zach had already contacted our photographer to let her in on his secret. So we ended up getting engaged right in our living room! Which was a very nice, relaxing and private moment. Experiencing such a private event with only ourselves (and our amazing photographer who got all the perfect candid photos).

The Wedding: Even though we had talked about our future, hypothetical wedding many times - neither of us had ever guessed where we would get married. To back track a bit, Sam grew up near Orlando, FL and ended up working at Walt Disney World for nearly 5 years. So when we got frustrated with the tediousness that is wedding planning she sent an email to Disney's FairyTale Weddings on Christmas Eve in 2022. Turned out that Disney had everything we were looking for in a venue - in house planners, floral, musicians, and chefs. The ability to manage multiple allergies, handicap accessibility, and generally just take care of anything and everything. Given that all our friends & family are spread out across the globe, we figured we might as well give everyone a destination worth the travel! So in early November 2023, 50 of our favorite people gathered at the "The Most Magical Place on Earth." We spent the entire weekend riding rides, eating snacks, and laughing. It was so heartwarming to see our friends make new friends. Now how do we know they all really love us? Because we got married before sunrise. That means everyone was up and ready by 5am to catch the charter to our wedding venue: The Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom. At 5:30AM, we walked towards the Tree of Life, experiencing this entire theme park all to ourselves. We were married by one of our best friend's (she calls herself the ultimate wingwoman!) in front of our friends and family just as the sun began to rise! Then we headed over to the Coronado Springs Resort to have breakfast, drink mimosas and dance the morning away. For any Disney food lovers out there - yes, we had Mickey Waffles & POG mimosas as part of our reception. By noon, everyone was exhausted - so after a much deserved nap, many of our guests joined us for an informal after party at EPCOT, where we drank around the world and ended the evening watching the fireworks! It was a jam packed weekend full of chaos, miles of walking, and joy.

"We both work remotely and have been traveling the country in our RV with our 2 dogs for the past year and a half."

Q. Tell us about your favorite memory together.

A. Our favorite memory is the ones we are making right now! We both work remotely and have been traveling the country in our RV with our 2 dogs for the past year and a half. So far we have driven 6,000 miles and slept in 10 states so far! From the white sands of Florida, to the chaos of St. Louis, and the beautiful winding roads of the Shenandoah valley - there is nothing better than experiencing the country with your favorite person! We've climbed mountains, crossed creeks, eaten at new restaurants and seen many of our friends while on our travels.

Q. Any advice to couples or newlyweds? Anything else you’d like to share with the world?

A. Take a road trip (or a few dozen) with your person! If you can navigate getting lost, stuck in mud or hungry in a car - then marriage will be easy!