Sam and Alex first began exchanging messages on Grindr. Sam was just getting out of a relationship and Alex was looking for friends in the Baltimore area as it was difficult to meet men in their home community. They began talking for a few weeks through the app and eventually decided to meet up.

It all began along the waterfront in historic Fell's Point, Baltimore, Maryland on September 14, 2012, over tapas and sangria. By all accounts, it was a spectacular evening. A breezy 70° accompanied by a perfect sunset to top it off.

“As they say, first impressions matter and both of ours were remarkably exactly the same: each others striking smile. The rest is history!”

They had great chemistry right off the bat and learned how much they both loved family, animals, great food, wine, travel and adventure. During this time, they were both not ready to jump right into a relationship as Sam was traveling for business and Alex was rotating as a nurse. Their schedules were far from compatible.

“As time went on we continued to text, meet up for dates, and talk by phone. Our feelings both started to become stronger for each other but it wasn't until Sam went away to Germany for 2 weeks that we knew we loved each other. At the time, Sam was working with BMW and had to go away for 2 weeks to meet at the corporate headquarters in Munich.” It was difficult for the two to stay in contact from overseas, and that is when Sam realized he didn't want to be away from Alex for any period at all. “It wasn’t long after that the conversation of living together came up. We signed a lease on the very first apartment we looked at! It had a beautiful top floor unit with a view of the Baltimore Harbor.”

Sam took Alex away to beautiful Puerto Rico to celebrate his 30th birthday. Their engagement story is quite funny, actually. Sam knew he was going to propose to Alex on this trip but didn’t know exactly where it would happen. On the second night of the trip, Sam made a reservation at a posh restaurant by the name of Oceano. The plan was to have an exquisite dinner and follow it up with a proposal on the beach just below the restaurant. However, Alex started having an allergic reaction after eating the lobster and he had to escape to the hotel in order to take some Benadryl and lay down. On the next day of the trip, Sam took Alex in a red convertible to the El Yunque National Rainforest for a hike to the top of the mountain there, planning to propose. Halfway up the mountain, Alex was starving and asked to stop the hike early. However, Sam continued to hurry him up the mountain, but Alex was way too hungry and insisted. So, they with hesitation, Sam decided to end the hike early and head back to the hotel for food.

On the fourth day of the trip, Sam and Alex planned a catamaran tour to the stunning island of Culebra. Unfortunately, the previous two weeks for this specific tour had been cancelled due to the weather. At this point, the plans were truly anyone’s guess.

“At the last minute, the company notified us and said the tour was actually going to move forward. We started the tour and for the 2 hours it took to get to the island, the water was so choppy that half of the passengers started violently throwing up from motion sickness. After finally getting close enough to get to the island, we found out that in order to actually get there, we would have to swim. I was so scared that I was going to lose the ring that I eventually decided not to go through with proposing after such a crazy and hectic day.”

On the fifth day and fourth attempt of the trip, Sam and Alex visited a 16th-century castle in Old San Juan called Castillo San Felipe del Morro. “Locals told us that the most beautiful sunset in Puerto Rico can be seen from high up in the castle. Just before sunset, we made our way up inside the castle. We found a nice spot perched on the side of a castle wall as the sun began to set. At that moment, I reached into my pocket and asked Alex to be my husband. Alex said ‘yes’! And followed his answer by ‘am I supposed to cry now?’” Alex and Sam kissed and finished watching the sunset while holding hands. “Afterwards, we made our way to a lovely dinner in town as it got dark outside, lobster free.”

Sam and Alex decided to have their wedding at one of their favorite weekend spots on the eastern shore of Maryland, Crow Farm & Vineyard. Prior to the wedding, they had visited there each year for the last 5 years and felt such a sense of family whenever they would visit. During their wedding week, Hurricane Florence began its slow trek up the East Coast and was headed their way, with a huge possibility of ruining their outdoor wedding. Their incredible event planner, Rachel Kendall, and venue ended up finding them an alternative indoor venue 10 minutes away. However, someone was watching out for them, because the storm decided to take a southwestern turn at the last minute and stayed away from Maryland all together. “We never ended up having to switch venues and we were able to have our dream vineyard wedding!”

As Sam and Alex woke up for their wedding day, the temperature began to rise, the rain stopped, and the sun began to peek through the heavy clouds above. A calmness set over the vineyard as Alex and Sam realized that they were spared from a storm that could have derailed the entire celebration. “We started the day with a big family farm breakfast in the main house, followed by some relaxing time at the pool, and then set up all of the centerpieces together on the two long rows of tables in the shape of an equals sign, giving a nod to marriage equality.

At the start of the ceremony, a slight breeze began, and the song "Gold" from Once was played on an acoustic guitar as Alex and his parents were separated by a row of vines from Sam and his parents. “We all walked to the end of the row of grapevines where we all came together with our parents, greeted, hugged and kissed each other.

“It was truly incredible having both of our parents there with us. We have had our ups and downs in the past, so for all of them to be there on our biggest day, supporting us, and walking us down the aisle — it was something we will never forget.”

We grabbed hands and walked towards the audience hand in hand. The ceremony began with a reading of the final paragraph of Justice Anthony Kennedy's opinion on marriage equality and ended with the breaking of glass, a kiss, and a walk down the aisle as newlyweds to the Golden Girls Theme Song, ‘Thank You For Being A Friend’ — Sam’s favorite show.”

The music stopped and Alex and Sam stood facing one another as they read their vows.

A segment of Sam’s vows reads, "Everything about today is symbolic of where we came from and our relationship up until this point… As I think about our history and how we got here, I smile. I remember how when we first started dating you melted my heart when you diligently and covertly took notes in your cell phone of all my likes and dislikes as you got to know me. And then would surprise me with something months later that I had forgotten about.”

In response, a segment of Alex’s vows reads, "I know we are perfect together, because 6 years later, I still get butterflies. I still get butterflies every morning when you have our kid’s race down the stairs to breakfast while I wait quietly in bed upstairs with anticipation to hear who won that day. I still get butterflies when seeing the light behind your eyes and how happy you are when you have the opportunity to see your family, especially, your grandmother. I still get butterflies when your passion and heart shines through when you create a gourmet meal from scratch to show me just how much you love me. And I still get butterflies when we explore new foods, cultures, and destinations together to expand our pallets, minds, and worldwide adventures! "

The cocktail hour included a selection of local Maryland wine and beer, oysters shucked off straight from a boat, and appetizers that paid homage to the grooms’ Italian and Lithuanian heritages as well as both of their home cities, Buffalo and Philadelphia, not to mention specialties related to where they met, Baltimore. A lavish farm-to-table dinner followed the cocktail hour along with an assortment of cupcakes and a rainbow wedding cake. The night concluded with dancing and the perfect stunning sunset to top-off the celebration.

The mood was a mix of unconditional love for one another, gratitude for everyone who was present, and joy that the day was finally here. After the wedding, Alex and Sam began their honeymoon in Athens, Greece. On their trip they visited Mykonos, Santorini, and Sicily, hitting close to home as the area is deeply tied to Sam’s family history. “It was the trip of a lifetime and we were so happy to book through Out Of Office, a travel agency specializing in luxury travel for the LGBTQ+ community!” Alex and Sam are now living their happily ever after together in Baltimore, Maryland.

In closing, we leave our couple with a segment from Sam’s vows to Alex, "It’s been a bit of a winding road, like all couples, we’ve definitely had our moments. But in the end, it always comes back to a solid foundation of trust, friendship, and love."