Yentli was finishing her final year at Princeton, and Sam was working in the area. At the end of our first date on October 23rd, 2015, we knew to stop searching. But there were some hiccups! Mainly, a deer…
“I was making the equivalent of a graduate student stipend at the time, and on my way home from our first date, I hit a deer. It ended up being a pretty expensive first date if you count the car deductible.
I had to uber to Princeton’s campus for a while to see her. It was worth it!”
— Sam
“It was a logistical nightmare to see each other during the first few weeks of our relationship! We were pretty inseparable though.
A week after we met, we celebrated Sam’s birthday in NYC. He wore his ‘Birthday Suit’ (HAHA); I was an mRNA macromolecule with a 5’ cap and 3’ poly-A tail. ”
— Yentli
And really fast, we fell in love.
This is us at Yentli’s December 2015 senior formal.
The conversation of “should we stay together?” when Yentli moved to another state.
Yentli moved to Boston in June 2016 to work as a lab technician as she applied to MD-PhD programs. We had to decide before then whether or not to try long-distance. We had one conversation…and decided we would. It inherently involved many drives to and from Boston for Sam.
Cooking time!
While in Boston, Yentli lived at Beacon Hill Friends house, a quaker co-op. She had 20 loving house-mates at any one time, and Sam became a part of the community.
During this time, we found out that we made wonderful life partners.
We’ve gone back to Princeton every year there’s not a pandemic.
It’s kind of sweet to get the chance to go to back to where it all began. We eat at the site of our first date, hang out with our friends, and Sam…well, he has become on honorary Princetonian. After all, the jacket looks better on him!
We grew close to each others’ family, treasuring holidays and brief visits alike.
We felt mutually adopted into each others’ homes and recognized the beauty of our lives merging in this significant way.
Sam visits Puerto Rico for the first time…
And so obviously, we had to take this picture.
…And Yentli visits Spokane, WA.
Did you know there is a river running through the city? And can you guess what the backdrop to our wedding vows is going to look like?
And so many beautiful holidays together & with family.
Our time in Boston drew to a close when Yentli committed to University of Pennsylvania’s MD-PhD program and we moved to Philadelphia. This marked a new chapter in our life and coincidentally, our first vacation: a week in France.
Our time in France taught us that we were made to last. So many little things went wrong: we got caught in a thunderstorm during a bike tour of Paris, the national train strike disrupted 3 days of train travel, Yentli got a bad case of food poisoning…yet we LOVED IT. We laughed as we ran through the rain, we instantaneously booked trains and took detours in different cities, Yentli ate banana crepes for days. We wouldn’t change a thing, and we realized that difficulties don’t have to get between us—instead, they can bring us closer together.
Below: Sam intently eats gluten-free baguettes on trains, we fall in love with quaint French towns and wine country, and Yentli is a goof.
Our families came together for Yentli’s white coat ceremony, and we had so much to celebrate together during that week.
“I knew that I was starting a difficult, difficult 8+ year journey. I also recognized that there is no one I’d rather start and end this journey with than Samuel Riegel.
On an unrelated note, this is the most graceful picture I found of the occasion.”
- Yentli
Sam proposed at the end of Yentli’s first year of medical school, on May 5th, 2019.
We went wine tasting at Grace Vineyards, in PA.
“We’ve both been fully engaged in our relationship from the beginning… so of course the natural thing to do was to actually get engaged! We were planning to go on a hike, but it had been raining all day, so I suggested we go wine tasting at a nearby vineyard instead. Afterwards, as we were walking around the grounds, I asked the question — and she said yes!!”
- Sam
SHE SAID YES!
“Well, more like I cried a lot and said yes over and over again. I can’t believe he managed to surprise me like this!
There was never a doubt. I was so excited to commit myself to him for the rest of my life.”
- Yentli
And now we’re here! The pandemic has been…well, a difficult time of *pandemic* proportions.
Like many, Sam and I have struggled with balance, with finding meaning in our every day. Yet find that meaning we have: with our friends, with our family, with our calling, and with each other.
Below are some images of what we’ve been up to! Mainly, nature (pictured), and a fair amount of movie nights (not pictured).
We care so deeply for our friends and family. If we’ve learned anything in 2020, is that community in its many forms is what breathes life into our everyday.
We’ve had a longer engagement because of the pandemic, so we’ve taken this time to plan the weekend of our dreams for you, our wedding guests. Come for the vows, and stay for the community. Hiking (ie this view), orchard picking, beer gardens, live music, and a celebration on the water are some of the events we’re planning for this weekend of fun in Spokane, WA. Let us know on the save the date if you’re available on Saturday (before) or Sunday (after) of the wedding, and we’ll take care of the rest!
A view of Spokane valley from Arbor Crest winery—our favorite live music & wine venue!
We can’t wait to write you into our Story once again!
This is a non-exhaustive slideshow of some of our favorite moments with friends and family. Send us photos you’d like to add to Sam.Yentli@gmail.com as we countdown to June 4-5th, 2022. This is also where you should reach out about any wedding-specific questions, concerns, and comments!
