One of the most valuable lessons that I think I’ve earned in my adult life is the tenuousness of friendships. Like flowers, friendships must be tended and nurtured in order to foster growth. Samantha and Stephen entered my life a few years ago while I was still working at a grocery store and they were regulars who bought veggies daily. Their spirit, enthusiasm and honesty struck an immediate chord with me, and despite my best efforts to ruin things, we managed to become good pals. In my eyes, they are the type of folks who exemplify what it means to be truly kind, good natured, loving, compassionate, empathetic, and just goddamn cool.
When the moved across the country from Portland to Brooklyn, is was hard to see them go, and it left a noticeable hole in the fabric of our friend-group, if that’s a thing. And, in their absence, the difficulties that come with trying to maintain long-distance relationships became readily apparent. But Sam and Stephen are great friends. The kind of friends you think you might have your whole life. And I think that that is why everyone who knows and loves them knows that their marriage is the real deal: They’re best friends, and they’re the kind of best friends that have one another for their whole lives.
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So kudos, congratulations and cin chúc mừng to these two. They’re some of the best folks I’ve met so far, and I can’t wait to see where their lives take them. Hopefully you all enjoy these shots of their marriage; it was a pretty special affair.
