During a morning commute to San Francisco, Sam was reading a book while Chantal was listening to a podcast on BART. They caught each other's eyes immediately, hesitantly glanced at each other throughout the train ride, but neither said anything to each other. Fast forward a year later, they ran into each other at a coffee shop in Oakland, instantly recognized one another, and exchanged phone numbers. Just kidding! They matched on Tinder in 2015. They hit it off on their first date - they bonded over their love for music, movies, and dry humor. It took about a year for stars to align. They reconnected in 2016 and have been deeply in love ever since.

Chantal, in typical Filipino-time fashion, arrived late to their first date at Marc 49, a now defunct Oakland bar known for cheap drinks and running out of food. When she walked up to Sam at the bar and introduced herself, Sam was pleasantly surprised to find that she was more attractive in person than her Tinder profile (an exceedingly rare occurrence). As they attempted to order food from the depleted menu, the conversation (along with cheap drinks) began to effortlessly flow and they both realized that this might be that elusive good match. As this realization hit them, they burst out in laughter and spent the rest of the date laughing about nothing and everything.

They became an official couple at an Airbnb in Hollywood Hills in May of 2016. Chantal invited Sam to drive from Oakland to Los Angeles to attend her best friend Az’s 21st birthday party. Although new to the group, Sam didn’t hesitate to hangout with Chantal’s best friends. Understanding that this was his chance to get in good with her friends, Sam helped as much as he could with party prep — he ended up making around a hundred jello shots and picking up a massive amount of ice. At the end of the night, Sam and Chantal stepped aside from the group and walked out to the terrace overlooking the city of Los Angeles. As they soaked up the view of the city skyline, Sam asked Chantal to be his girlfriend. It was the perfect end to an already amazing night.

In October of 2022, Chantal and Sam drove to Yosemite National Park to see the Sequoias and ended the trip in Santa Barbara where they camped on the beach. Since they both love being in nature, exploring new places together has always been something they’ve enjoyed and prioritized in their relationship. It's always been incredibly important for them to get away from work obligations and dedicate time together without any distractions. On their last night, they prepared dinner together, as they always do. Sam had been planning on proposing on this trip but was struggling to find the right time. While they ate and opened another bottle of wine, Sam played his favorite Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and decided he would pop the question when Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds played. Sam got down on one knee and popped the question and Chantal screamed “what the f- YESSS!”