From the Bride:

We met in elementary school. We have been best friends since the 4th grade, but we didn’t first date until our senior year of high school.
We went to our junior year prom together, then senior year homecoming which was when Craig finally had the guts to ask me to be his girlfriend. I (Sam) wore Craig’s football jersey almost every year throughout high school and was just waiting for him to ask me out.
We had a very small class in our hometown school so everyone knew everyone. I always said I would never date him because he was too good of a friend, but I remember my mom and grandma telling me that “one day you’ll would date that boy” and I always just blew them off saying no way! I was wrong, they were right. Craig has always been my best friend, he was always there for me no matter what, and that’s how I fell in love with him.

On our first date, we went to see The Martian. I asked Craig to go with her and she drove her mom’s Jeep. It was at our mall theater and we were practically the only people there. I remember being able to tell how nervous Craig was because when he finally grabbed my hand halfway through the movie it was a GRAB! He grabbed my hand so fast that I jumped and we both laughed. Just funny awkward young teenagers!

Craig proposed! After being together for 5 years. So (I) could always tell when he was most likely going to propose to me and I always would say something like “you’re not going to surprise me.”
Well, on a cold November day we were all bundled up and went out to my families horse pasture to check on my horses and just say hi to them. I was over petting my horses Spirit and Rain and he was with our other horse Freedom. He called me over because there was “something,” stuck in her mane and he couldn’t get it out. So I walked over and saw a ring in her mane and it completely went over my head. I was asking who was in our pasture and lost a ring and how would it get stuck in her mane. Then Craig had to slow me down, and asked me if I would marry him! I of course said yes. I guess he surprised me!

We decided on an East Tennessee wedding because we love Tennessee! We had traveled to Nashville a few years back and had the best time. So we were wanting to make another trip that way soon again. We were actually planning on having a larger wedding back home in New York State, and having our honeymoon in pigeon forge, but planning that one just wasn’t feeling like us. I happened upon Star Noir Studios photos and the Chapel in the Hollow on Pinterest and while looking for photographers and fell in love. We planned out the whole thing really fast and then talked with my mom about doing this instead and she loved the idea and was fully supportive of the adventure!

We are looking forward to just being together! I am excited to see Craig in a suit again! We’ve both grown up and changed so much since high school I am just looking forward to seeing him in a suit and all dressed up again. And then we are really looking forward to our photo time! We never get a chance to take photos together so this will be so fun!

For fun, we love to watch movies. Take our dog Ronin on hikes (often while Craig plays disc golf). We like to ride and spend time with my horses, and play card games like uno!