Karina & Sam

Posted by Ryan Hops on May 21, 2021

Karina and Sam first met in college, almost nine years before tying the knot. They grew closely very quickly and their relationship remained just as strong after college, when Karina went to grad school and Sam was commissioned as a Navy Officer. A few years passed and they finally were able to settle in the same town together, right outside of Washington, D.C.

On December 30, 2016, the first snow day of that year, Sam proposed on an ice rink right outside the National Gallery of Art. Karina had a fever that day, but Sam insisted upon them still going out. “He kept mentioning that he had something planned for us all day and I knew something was in the works.” After going to the zoo, an art show, and a romantic dinner, he suggested they go ice skating before heading home. Karina had already been disappointed because she assumed he would have proposed at dinner. “After 10 minutes of skating, Sam tumbles and falls and I rush to him to make sure he is okay. It did not occur to me until he got down on one knee that he planned this all along. I couldn’t see through the tears and the excitement. I couldn’t feel the cold or the numb fingers: just the happiness of getting to marry my best friend.” Even through her initial suspicions, Sam was still able to surprise Karina!

Karina and Sam said their “I Do’s” at a private vineyard right outside of Lisbon, Portugal. They had shared so many happy memories in Portugal when recently traveling across the country, and wanted to bring all of their family and friends to a place that means so much to them. Even with a bit of rain on the day of, Karina’s worries completely dissipated as she knew she was marrying the love of her life.

Congratulations to Karina and Sam! Please enjoy photos from their beautiful wedding below.