The Barn at Valhalla

Ceremony

Cocktails

Dinner & Reception

Fall

Our Wedding

We met in 2012 while we both studied abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. We became good friends over a number of shared Japanese culture classes, travel experiences, explorations, and time together while Samantha helped found and work at the university Writing Center. 

How We Met

After a year that went by too quickly, we went our separate ways at the end of our Spring Semester, 2013. Steven went to work on trails up in Maine and Samantha finished up her teaching degree at Appalachian State University.

After College

After almost seven years apart, we got back in contact with each other in December 2019. Steven was living in Pensacola, FL and Samantha was living and working in Durham, NC. When Covid hit in Spring 2020, Samantha put together a group of her closest friends to participate in a TTRPG game called Monster of the Week that we played weekly over Zoom. Our gaming group was finally able to get together in person for the first time in June 2021. After a week hiking and playing games in Asheville, NC, it became increasingly clear that we couldn’t continue on without each other. Almost two month later, Steven moved to Durham, NC.

Reunited

In September 2023, we went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip with our closest friends, Megan and Myles, to go see our favorite band Ayreon in a very rare concert abroad. We traveled between Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands for two weeks. Steven proposed while on a hunt for a bridge we just weren't able to reach in a little city in Germany the day before the concert. It was sweet and silly and just perfect.

Engagement

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

Hampton Inn & Suites Chapel Hill-Carborro

Hyatt Place

Accomodations

Is this your first time in North Carolina? There are lots of fun things to do and places to visit during your downtime while you are here! Here are some of our favorite places:

NC Activities

Registry

New Home

jayfrost.wedding

Samantha & Steven

Samantha & Steven

NC Activities