It was an idyllic setting for a meet cute: Friends had gathered at the Hotel du Pont for the popular Bachelors Ball during the holiday season of 2018. There, in the golden glow of the landmark locale, two strangers—both single—were introduced. They wouldn’t stay strangers for long.
Both Tower Hill grads, Sam Greenburg and Christy Wray were years apart and didn’t know each other. For Sam, who grew up in Greenville and Marshallton, the ball was a tradition to reunite and catch up with old classmates. Christy, a Newark native who was visiting from New York, had accompanied a friend who just happened to know Sam.
Their introduction might have been nothing more than a passing hello had their mutual friend not had to leave the ball early. Christy opted to stay for a drink at the bar, where Sam approached her and asked her to dance.
One rug cut became two, and soon they were making plans for a date. A few days later, Sam took Christy to Longwood Gardens, where he’s a horticulturist, for its annual holiday Christmas show. Amid the magical display of lights and flowers, there was no question something was budding between them. “But I wasn’t sure what to expect past the holidays since [we lived in separate states]. I figured we would just see where it went,” Christy recalls.
Where it went next was just before Christmas in Manhattan, where Christy and Sam toured Rockefeller Center bedecked with its tree, went ice skating in Bryant Park and paid a visit to the New York Botanical Garden.
“After that, it seemed like…this could be something,” she says. Soon, they made it official. They frequently traveled and made weekend trips, and when the COVID-19 pandemic struck that spring, Christy returned to Delaware to stay with family before permanently settling here. The time allowed her and Sam to experience everyday life together. A year later, they moved in, and a few months following, they were engaged.
In a nod to their first date—and several others since then—Sam took Christy to Longwood in late spring of 2021, where he sprang the big question. Both liked the idea of a summer wedding outdoors, and a garden setting seemed fitting. In July of the following year, they exchanged vows at Christ Church Christiana Hundred, which Sam had attended as a youth, and where their alma mater also hosts its baccalaureate service.
A reception at Winterthur Museum & Country Estate encompassed a whimsical cocktail hour by the reflecting pool, as well as dinner, dancing and toasts in the pavilion. At dusk, the newlyweds slipped out to watch the sunset over the gardens.
“It was a beautiful day,” Christy says. “Magical.”
Details
Photographer: McShea Photography
mcsheaphotography.com
Wedding Planner: Proud to Plan
proudtoplan.com
Guests: 130
Florist: Topo Environments
topoenvironments.com
Ceremony Entertainment: Wilmington String Ensemble
wilmingtonstringensemble.com
Reception Band: Bachelor Boys
bachelorboysband.com
Caterer: Restaurant Associates
restaurantassociates.com
Cake: Desserts by Dana
dessertsbydana.com
Stationery: Whimsy
whimsygreenville.com
First Dance: Ben Rector’s rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
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