A Follow-Up to the Marriage Proposal that Appeared in Last Month’s Magazine
Oh, what a privilege it was to answer the phone and hear the voice of a young man requesting to place an ad in Maine Seniors Magazine—with a public marriage proposal!
Yes, Sam Weise did just that as we here on the magazine team were working on preparing the February 2021 issue. When speaking with Sam, I did wonder about his age. He sounded youthful.
Sam told me both he and his girlfriend are 30 years old. I couldn’t help but ask, “Why Maine Seniors Magazine?”
He shared with me that his girlfriend loves the magazine and reads it cover to cover every month. Being a newcomer to Maine, his girl Erin had said that she enjoyed reading all the stories about Maine folks.
Erin and Sam met from a dating app.
They knew within 24 hours that they had each found “The One.” They spoke for hours on the phone, and then met for dinner. Their connection was, “undeniable, and really special,” Sam said.
Sam, who is studying to be a rabbi in New York City, relocated to Maine almost a year ago. His parents and he had vacationed in Maine for many years, and they maintain a home here. So, during the pandemic, it seemed like a good idea for Sam to stay at his Maine home when education facilities closed.
Erin is originally from San Diego and now lives in Portland, Maine. She has taken easily to the area, feeling so connected to nature in beautiful Maine. She says she always takes particular delight in the sun rising over the ocean in the early morn here—something she never experienced in California. Maine scenery has had a huge impact on her. “I think having so much space and quiet and beauty surrounding us made it possible to make big choices,” she said.
When Erin saw the proposal ad Sam placed in the magazine, she screamed with such love and joy! She gasped! “Which was hazardous,” Sam said, “because we were eating dinner, and she had just taken a bite of couscous. Then she started trying to pull the page out of the magazine, thinking that it was something I had printed out myself and slipped in there. That’s when I told her ‘No, it’s in all of them!’ I got on a knee and asked if she would marry me. She caught her breath and said yes!”
“Yes, yes,” they wrote me, with the attached letter.
Erin and Sam are planning a fall wedding in Maine. They feel blessed and happy to begin their lives and become a family together in our state.
In Sam’s words, “This year has been so full of surprises, some really difficult and sad, and some really beautiful and wonderful.” It’s clear that for Erin, this proposal was certainly one of the wonderful ones.
Ahhh, love! It is so grand!
Dear Mary,
Erin and I are engaged!! She was totally shocked, and we are over the moon. I didn’t catch it on video—couldn’t figure out when she was going to read the thing! But her reaction was priceless and something I will remember forever. She said she has never felt more special.
We did it!! Thank you so very much for your help with this. Today is Shabbat (the Jewish sabbath)—we are going to bask in this wonderful moment all day. Wishing you a Shabbat shalom!
With immense gratitude,
Sam
