Our Love Story

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Tegan and Sam first met at church years ago. However, it wasn't until a few years later, after the first long covid lockdown, that they reunited in the foyer at church in January 2021. They talked for over an hour, apparently Tegan looked very interested in Sam but, this was not the case. Sam just thought he was all that and more. From that moment they would keep an eye out for each other and say hi whenever they saw each other.

 

One day Sam asked Tegan what she was doing after an event, and she said "nothing, what are you doing?", to which Sam responded, "nothing, do you want to go out for dinner?" And Tegan said sure. Tegan, then spent the night trying to work out if it was a date but, also at the same time trying to make it not a date. Sam wanted to go to a fancy restaurant and Tegan suggested casual fish and chips on the beach at St Kilda instead... Sam asked many questions throughout the night with Tegan walking away wondering what it had all meant. This fizzled into nothing and another covid lockdown started, they would not see each other again for 9 months.

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During the lockdown, they realised they had much in common. They struck up conversation every few weeks but always kept it very professional talking politics and worldly events.  It wasn't until the end of that lockdown that Sam asked Tegan to hang out. The following weekend Sam picked Tegan up and they headed into the city.  Spending the whole day together walking and talking with Tegan assuming they were just friends.

 

They hung out a couple of times in Melbourne with Tegan still thinking they were just friends.  Sam sent an article about an eclipse to Tegan, confusing Tegan as he said nothing except send the article. She asked Sam if he wanted to watch the eclipse and he said "yes" and then proceeded to organise the greatest night at the You Yangs. At the end of the night Sam asked Tegan if she would go to dinner with him the following week and she said yes.

 

During that dinner Tegan had to ask "is this a date?", Sam said "yes". From that point on they hung out a lot in Elwood (where Tegan was living) and Geelong (where Sam was living and born and bred). They both fell in love very quickly and six months later Sam took Tegan on a surprise date to Swan Bay. He bought them both gumboots as it was a wet and windy day. Donned in Geelong Cats beanies and puffers they trudged across a railway line and through muddy marsh lands until they came to a little opening where a blue boat was waiting. Sam pulled it into the water and told Tegan to hop in. He rowed them to a small island and said they were going to go fishing. Sam set up the fishing line and Tegan sat and fished while Sam went to the 'bathroom'...

 

He was taking a while and Tegan started to get suspicious. Sam eventually returned and said he wanted to go for a walk around the island, Tegan asked "can I come?" He said "okay". They both went around the island trudging through the mud and ocean that was hitting the sand and seaweed edges. Sam kept getting his gumboots full of water while Tegan remained completely dry. Sam suggested they look for pretty shells. This surprised Tegan as Sam had never suggested such a thing before. Tegan started to think something special might be happening and thought the island would be perfect but all of a sudden Sam said they were done on the island. They got back in the boat and Sam started to row. He didn't row back to where they came from though, he rowed to another part of the shore. They got out and started trudging through the shoreline again as if looking for something. Tegan suggested they walk up above on the cliff but he insisted on being in the water. He turned around and went the other way after a while he called out and said look at this!

 

Tegan looked down and in the water amongst the froth of the ocean was a glass bottle. For a split second she thought wow what have we found but quickly realised Sam must have done this. She picked it up and inside was a note. It looked old (Sam had used the classic tea and burning edges trick) and she opened it up and read the note. It was a love note from Sam. When she looked up he was on one knee with a ring box asking her to marry him. Right at that moment the sky opened up and a ray of sun came beaming down right where they were. She said "yes".

 

Sam struggled to row them back to where they came from. He had then organised an antipasto platter at his house and a surprise dinner that night with all their closest friends and family, including two of Tegan's siblings who flew interstate to be there.

 

Another six months later and they had the best day of their lives at their wedding day!