Hannah & Samuel: A Formal Wedding in Wilmington, DE

Hannah and Sam kept things classic for their autumn wedding, which was filled with lush roses and a soft, neutral color palette that perfectly complemented the Gold Ballroom. THE BRIDE Hannah Lee THE GROOM Samuel (Sam) Park THE DATE September 17 Fate seems to play a role in bringing many a couple together. But in some relationships, fate plays a much larger role in helping two people find love. It was seven years after college graduation when Sam, a 27-year-old financial analyst living in Poughkeepsie, New York, headed to Manhattan for a blind date followed by a gathering with friends. Enter fateful event number one: His date called and cancelled. But Sam already had plans with friends, so he met up with them at a hip club in the city. “I had a volleyball tournament the next day, so I decided not to drink,” remembers Sam. So when an attractive young cocktail waitress (Hannah) approached him, he declined the offer to order. “When I turned away, something struck within me,” remembers Hannah, now 28 and a security analyst. “I went back to him and asked if he went to Carnegie Mellon University.” A surprised Sam confirmed that he had indeed, and the two discovered that they had been introduced years earlier when Hannah’s brother and Sam were suite mates. The two played catch up for a bit, and exchanged numbers. “Here’s the craziest part,” says Sam. “Hannah was never meant to work that night!” She was simply filling in for a coworker who was a no-show that evening. “So I’d like to thank my cancelled blind date, and the MIA cocktail waitress, for bringing Hannah and me together,” laughs Sam.