Samantha & Peter

We are thrilled to unite our family and friends to celebrate in this special place where we took our next steps in our lives together.

Where it All Began

A Smile and a Dance

Despite living in the heart of Silicon Valley where dating happens through apps for many; Samantha and Peter actually met in-person! That special night in February of 2014, began like many others where the two were out with friends. Having a common interest in music and dancing put the two in the same space at the same time. Peter saw from across the room a smile that caught his attention in a big way and was uncertain at first if the attention was directed at him (he remembers turning to his friend John and exclaiming, 'she's preeettty cute').

It was upon the second glance that he knew it was a smile he couldn't ignore and walked up to introduce himself and ask to dance. Samantha described seeing a handsome guy in a suit that kept her smiling until he would notice. Beyond the suit she found him to be down-to-earth and charming and behind that smile he found her to be sweet and perfectly "adorkable".

Peter jokes that to this day he's unsure if his erratic and enthusiastic dance moves are what won her over or if she had simply felt sorry for him and that's why she decided to say yes to dancing.

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dIM SUM DATES

Over the course of many months, Samantha and Peter learned more about one another. She was raised in South Florida while he was brought up in Nebraska. She went to an engineering school in upstate New York, then began working at a start-up, while he stayed in-state and began his career in sales. They both separately found their way out westward to The City by the Bay for work where they would eventually meet.

Samantha and Peter's first date was over a bowl of phở, a place she picked, admitting at first she didn't realize Peter was Vietnamese, (which made for a funny moment). They both shared of their love for food whether trying new restaurants or experimenting in their kitchens. They give all the credit to their mothers whom both were passionate cooks at home and imparted on them the appreciation of a good meal. It was also early on that they learned of their love-hate relationship of competitive cooking shows.

Not only did they both possess adventurous appetites but also had appetites for adventure. Together they have been fortunate enough to have globe-trotted on four different continents and made lifetime memories from the beaches of Southern Thailand to the lively souk markets in Marrakech.

On a day-to-day basis, Peter annoys Samantha with groan-inducing puns and 90s hip-hop while she equally annoys him when she project manages daily tasks and insists on extraneous spreadsheets.

If ever in the area, Samantha will happily direct you to the best tea leaf salad or tonkatsu ramen and Peter can point you toward the best lamb vindaloo or Mission burrito

The Hike of a Lifetime

It was on a short vacation to Hawaii, a place both Samantha and Peter had been before but never together. The original plan (Samantha's anyway) was for a sunny beach retreat that involved umbrella drinks and an overdue meeting with her Kindle. When the island of Kauai was decided on as the place to spend the week, Peter had other ideas. As an avid backpacker thanks to his California friends —ABT shoutout— he immediately researched some hikes they could do together while out there. What he discovered was a big coastal trail hike on the jagged northern coastline of Kauai along the Na Pali Coast. With a great deal of confidence and re-assurance he somehow managed to convince Samantha they could do the entire trail— all 22 miles— in under 2 days.

The Kalalau Trail as it was called stretched for 11 miles one-way to the endpoint of Kalalau Beach and the Kalalau Valley. The hike itself has been regarded as one of the more challenging hikes in America with its elevation changes, unpredictable weather, and at times perilous trail conditions. With the tremendous effort came great reward by way of solitude, breathtaking ocean vistas, natural tropical flora and fauna, waterfalls and rainbows in every valley, and more guava than you could possibly eat. It was nothing short of magical.

On the return trip Peter could not help but to see obvious analogies to this epic trail hike and to navigating life with what would be the most important person in his life. It was a journey filled with the ups and the downs, the incredible times, the less than brilliant times, the predictable moments and the unexpected ones, the sun, the rain, the laughter and struggle, the daily grind and the welcome new experiences. It was working together and believing in one another to inspire and achieve something great.

Peter knew he was ready to ask Samantha to marry him. At mile 18, on the highest point on the trail 700 feet above the water, he knelt down as the sky began to open up and stammered something out that resembled a proposal. To Peter's relief, Samantha fortunately understood his less than eloquent gesture and she said YES! After finishing the final miles, exhausted, filthy, and newly engaged, the two hitchhiked back into town.