Three Local Couples Say “I Do”

From vows to venues, dive into all the big day details at three local wow-worthy weddings

January 29, 2026

Samantha Williams Travis and Jacob Travis

Pelican Club, Jupiter

There may be many fish in the sea, but for Martin County–born sweethearts Samantha and Jacob Travis, theirs is the only love that’s ever felt like home. Hooked since their freshman year at South Fork High School and first drawn to each other on the sands of Stuart Beach, their romance reads like a love note to the coast that raised them—and continues to shape their story.

The pair grew up alongside one another—Samantha on the softball field and Jacob on the baseball diamond—charting their course from high school to the University of Central Florida. After graduation, they settled into life back home in Stuart, with eight years of dating behind them and a proposal now coming into view.

Samantha Williams Travis and Jacob Travis exchange vows. Photo by Tommy Allore

When Jacob returned from a three-month work training trip, he knew the time to ask had finally arrived. Dreaming up the perfect proposal for his future bride, he devised a seafaring expedition on Hobe Sound as the surprise. “We both really like lobster diving, so I made a treasure chest, and the inside of it said, “Will You Marry Me?” shares Jacob. With the chest hidden behind a rock in the depths of Peck’s Lake—made conveniently traceable thanks to a GPS tag—he captained what Samantha believed to be a Father’s Day outing. “It was almost lobster season, so I was told we were just testing our diving equipment,” she recalls. But their dive beneath the surface soon proved otherwise. “It was perfect,” she adds. For Jacob, the moment carried a certainty he’d long harbored. “When I first met her, she blew me away. And I knew she was the one pretty much from there.”

The couple toured a range of venues, from ranches to beachside hotels, but only one truly aligned with the coastal life they love. The Pelican Club, a familiar sight on their boat rides to Jupiter, instantly felt right. “It was just so beautiful being right there with the blue water by the inlet,” muses Samantha. “It’s something that we always dreamed of.” They tied the knot at St. Christopher’s Catholic Church in Hobe Sound (with the same priest who had performed all of Samantha’s sacraments officiating their marriage) before celebrating under Fourth of July fireworks—a fitting finale for this Stuart fairy tale.

Samantha and Jacob cut their wedding cake, made by Sweet Tiers by Elena Vara. Photo by Tommy Allore

Big Day Details

Photographer: Allore Photography by Tommy Allore

Videography: Eclipse Films and Photo by Colleen and Frank Garrod

Ceremony Venue: St. Christopher Catholic Church, Hobe Sound

Ceremony Officiant: Father Aiden Hynes

Reception Venue: The Pelican Club, Jupiter

Wedding Coordinator: Brittany Black

Stationery and Invitations: Etsy, Simply to Impress, Zazzle

Samantha Williams Travis and Jacob Travis hosted their reception at the Pelican Club. Photo by Tommy Allore

Hair and Makeup: Kayla Flores at Salt Beauty Bar

Wedding Dress: Nicole Maree Bridal

Wedding Dress Alterations: Lisa Muise

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Azazie

Groom’s and Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Florals and Decor: Creative Florals by Lynne Tweedale

Catering: The Pelican Club

Music: DJ Donny Events

Steel Drummer: Smitty

Wedding Cake: Sweet Tiers by Elena Vara

Wedding Cake Topper: Etsy

Transportation: Cobblestone Limousine

Wedding Website: The Knot

Guest Favors: Handmade oyster ornaments made with the help of mother-of-the-bride Joyce Williams, bridesmaids Alexandra Apito and Savannah Curry, and friend Lori Moxley

Ariana Rachel Gorman and Joshua Bailey Gorman

Ever After Ranch, Indiantown

ack in high school, Josh was the popular upperclassman and Ariana’s longtime crush. The eventual Mr. and Mrs. couldn’t have known it then, but a post-graduation digital encounter was about to shift their path from sharing high school hallways to sharing a life together.

Ariana Rachel Gorman and Joshua Bailey Gorman. Photo by Jennifer Sampson

“I always thought he was cute, and my friends knew I had a crush on him,” admits Ariana. For Josh, the spark came later when a casual reconnection on Snapchat pulled them back into each other’s orbit. “The first thing she said was, ‘I think we go to the same gym and the same church,’” he recalls of their early exchanges. “She also followed up, saying, ‘I think we went to the same school,’ so it seemed like she liked me at first.” A gym meetup followed by a meal at Chick-fil-A in downtown Stuart sealed the deal—and the rest, as they say, was history.

After three years together, Josh decided to pop the question amid the mountains of Missouri, where his family resides. Choosing a favorite childhood cave overlooking the river as the perfect spot, he enlisted loved ones to help pull off the surprise. “I had no clue, really,” notes Ariana. “I knew we talked about it, so I did have my nails done, but his sisters were very involved and made sure I wore makeup.” With family tucked just out of sight, Josh led his would-be bride to the overlook and got down on one knee while his sister Summer captured the moment on camera from a nearby bush. After Ariana said “yes,” Josh queued up Coldplay’s “Yellow,” a song the pair had claimed as theirs after countless drives. “He tried to be romantic and just danced with me in the cave after he proposed,” smiles Ariana. “It was sweet.”

Inside the reception. Photo by Jennifer Sampson

The two tied the knot in a rustic celebration at Ever After Farms in Indiantown—a venue they had chosen while dating, and whose tree-lined ceremony space, Ariana notes, looked just like her Pinterest boards. Having both families gathered, she remembers a tender moment with her mother ahead of the nuptials. “Once my gown was on, it was very emotional,” she says, made even more poignant by the couple’s photographer and a longtime family friend, Jennifer Sampson, who wiped away tears while helping Ariana into her dress. For Josh, who recalls the eventful day as somewhat of a blur, the sight of his bride is one he won’t soon forget. “I definitely remember watching her walk down the aisle, of course, and I was trying my best not to cry.” As the night drew to a close, Ariana and Josh slipped away for a private dance to the soundtrack of high-school songs they grew up on—proof they’re still smitten, even after “I do.”

Big Day Details

Photographer: Jennifer Sampson

Videography: Mikhail Guseynov of Quality Media

Ariana Rachel Gorman and Joshua Bailey Gorman share their first dance. Photo by Jennifer Sampson

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Ever After Farms, Indiantown

Stationery and Invitations: Canva

Hair and Makeup: Olga and team at Wild Tress Hair & Makeup

Wedding Dress: Mollé Bridals

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Birdy Grey

Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Florals: Sarandipity Floral Weddings & Events by Sarah Schnitzius

Decor: Ever After Farms

Catering: Paellauno

Music: DJs Shelby and Micah Drum

Wedding Cake: How Sweet It Is by Patty Lucidi

Rachel Stewart and Davis Freeman

Private Home, Stuart

t’s not every day that first dates turn into forever on dating apps. Rachel never expected her first-ever digital match to be her last. Davis, weighing a move out West, never expected a reason to stay.

Rachel was new to online dating, but when she spotted a photo of Oregon’s Crater Lake on his profile—a place she’d just visited—a conversation quickly ensued. “What drew me to [him were] his outdoor travel photos, and we immediately started chatting about our [travels] around Oregon and other places,” she shares. Davis, who had already experienced his fair share of first dates on the apps, was instantly taken by her smile. “We just had really good conversations the first couple days, and then it didn’t take long for us to go on our first date,” he remembers. Meeting for happy hour at Spritz in downtown Stuart, the pair shared drinks and appetizers before strolling along the boardwalk. Contrary to the well-meaning advice from Rachel’s more seasoned online-dating friends to “just give him an hour and a half max,” their outing stretched to nearly three. “That went out the window,” laughs Rachel.

The bride's parents' home set the scene for the couple's nuptials. Photo by Meagan Puett — The bride’s parents’ home set the scene for the couple’s nuptials. Photo by Meagan Puett

What began as an easy connection grew into a year-and-a-half relationship that eventually had Davis packing his bags to move into Rachel’s Stuart home. As their partnership deepened, conversations about taking the next step naturally followed. “We had talked about it six months before, and I asked if she wanted me to surprise her with a ring,” shares Davis. “Knowing her, she wanted to design it herself,” he adds with a smile. Ordering the bespoke ring during a December trip to Guatemala, Davis chose the pair’s upcoming ski getaway to Bridger Bowl, Montana as the ideal setting to propose. Rachel had sensed the moment might arrive on the trip: “We both really prioritized travel, so I figured a trip would be a special time. I just didn’t know [when it would be].” Once on the slopes, beneath a clear blue sky, Davis dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him.

When it came to choosing a venue, they looked no further than the riverfront home Rachel’s parents built, a decision she describes as “the easiest” of the entire planning process. With the property’s verdant backyard transformed for the celebration, thoughtful personal touches shaped the day from the start. From animal-themed earrings worn by Rachel’s bridesmaids in a nod to the bride’s “earring game,” to enlarged cutouts of their beloved pets—felines Pip and Pud, and Sid the pig—making an appearance on the dance floor, every detail felt distinctly theirs. Amid the day’s festivities, it was the couple’s first look that stayed with Davis. “It sort of calms the nerves and you get to see the person you love before everybody else does,” he reflects. “Yeah, it was all lovely,” affirms Rachel with a smile.