Meet: Samantha + Chris

How adorable is this couple?! They have a great story to tell + have been one of those pairs that have just been truly enjoying the entire wedding planning process. Check out this fun interview with Samantha + Chris as they plan their April 2012 wedding. P.S make sure you read the proposal story.. I caught myself reading with a huge grin!
Photos courtesy of Chris Gillyard Photography
Where did you two meet?
We met 12 years ago at our state-bowling tournament for our youth programs. At that time, Chris was in the 6th grade while I was in 4th grade. We didn't think we would see each other after that weekend, but Chris and his family decided to join the same Saturday morning youth league as I was in instead of us bowling at different centers. After that we continued to become friends and eventually became best friends. Even though we went to different high schools, we still managed to stay close as I would go to a majority of his home baseball games and he would come to my high school bowling matches if he didn't have one that day as well and we would see each other every weekend. After high school, we both attended the University of Central Florida where we joined the bowling team. From there we became very close, and moved our best friend relationship into a dating relationship.
How did he propose?
Chris had been planning a surprise weekend date for our 3 year anniversary on October 28, 2010. When I cam home from work that Thursday (10/28) night, I found tickets for The Script concerns the next night and Busch Gardens/Howl-o-Scream for Saturday. I was really excited because I LOVE The Script and have never been to Howl-o-Scream. Originally we were going to eat at Kobe's Japanese Steakhouse before the concert on Friday, but they weren't open so we ended up at Olive Garden by Downtown Disney (which is my 2nd favorite restaurant). While we were finishing up our dessert and waiting for our bill Chris grabbed my left hand, as if just to hold my hand, he started to mess with my promise ring he had given me for our 1 year anniversary. This is when I immediately slapped his hand and said "what are you doing, you can't take off this ring until you put another one on." Little to my surprise, he was! Chris said, "Well what if I am", pulled out the box and put it in front of me and said, "Will You Marry Me?" During the meantime, I am in complete shock and kept saying "you're lying" even with the box with the ring that was starting me in the face. Of course, I finally realized it was really happening and I said YES :)
Why did you choose April 21, 2012 to marry?
To be completely honest, we picked April 21, 2012 because I didn't want to have my monthly friend during the wedding or on our honeymoon. This date gave me plenty of time for this because at that time we weren't sure if we were going on our honeymoon the day after our wedding or the week after. Other than that, we knew we wanted it either in March or April of 2012 to give me time to finish school and still be able to plan. We decided on April 21st so our wedding would fall after lent and Easter.
Which vendor has been the most important to you and why?
Although all of the vendors have helped us with the planning, At Last has been the most important to us. Even though we haven't done much with them yet as our wedding is still a year away, we know that they will be there to answer any questions we have to help our day go smoothly and be stress free! Without them, I would probabl be bridezilla! :)
What has been the biggest hurdle in your wedding planning?
We have actually been able to book all of our vendors already. Luckily, we fell in love with all of them the first time we met with them and knew they would be perfect for our wedding. We booked everything so early to help us have more tiem to pay off everything. So we would have to say that the biggest hurdle in our planning has been finances. Chris just graduated college last year and is still searching for a "real" job and I will be graduating this May so neight of us have a steady job to not be worried about the finances. We have family helping us and will continue to do everything we can to make this day perfect!
What has been the best decision you have made throughout your planning process?
We would have to say the best decision we have made is to have a longer engagement. Not only did we decide to wait until 2012 to get married to give me time to finish school and plan our wedding, but it also gives us more time to pay off everything. We have a lot of family and friends who live out of town, so having this long engagement gives them more time to make sure they are able to make it down here for our wedding.
What has been the best part about planning your wedding?
I have loved every step of the way! Making all these plans is so very exciting and I can't wait until our wedding day! Planning the wedding just reminds me that the day is actually going to happen and I will be marrying the love of my life.
Has your groom been involved in the planning? What has been his favorite part so far?
Chris has been very involved in the planning! He has had fun helping with all of the planning. I am so thankful for him being there with me every step of the way to make this day perfect for us!
Will you be honeymooning? If so, where?
We have decided to go on a 7-night cruise to the Wester Caribbean. We went on a cruise last summer for my 21st birthday and had the best time of our lives! So why not celebrate our honeymoon on a longer one! We will be going to Labadee, Haiti, Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Caymen; and Conzumel, Mexico.

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