A Three-Act Wedding In Williamsburg, With a Rain-Soaked Opening Scene
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Outside the doors of Radagast Hall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, winds howled and rain lashed against the brick facades. A Nor’easter was busy attempting to barge in on a celebration. The storm was relentless, a scene that would usually result in a canceled production or at the very least a dampened spirit.
Yet inside, the atmosphere radiated pure love and joy. For Samantha Thornhill and Jack Rupple, their romance has always played out like a movie. They have also been sure that things would pan out in their favor. So when a storm decided to intrude on their special day, they embraced it.
Within the walls of the historic beer hall, the air fumed of savory pierogi dough and the sound of jazz playing softly floated through the room. The weather outside had no effect on the magical night that was unfolding.
“We didn’t want a wedding factory,” Jack says. “We wanted the music to be unbelievable and the people to be right. Everything else falls into place.”
The Prologue: Stanzas Across the Atlantic
Samantha and Jack first met in the summer of 2016 at a mutual friend’s house party on the Upper West Side. The two immediately clicked, as they shared the same interests about art, theater and music—but the timing was off. Jack was living in D.C at the time, preparing for a big move, while Samantha was establishing her career in the city.
“I just never really felt like I met someone on the same frequency as me,” Samantha says. “Immediately, I just loved how chatty and cultured he was.”
For two years, they were background characters in each others lives. Simply just another follower on Instagram. But things took a turn in 2018, when Samantha posted on her story asking for poetry recommendations.
“It started with 12 weeks of poetry... and devolved into writing letters to each other,” Jack recalls. He admits he was shocked when she actually bought the books. “I was like, ‘This is crazy. No one wants to read any poems, let alone like this tome of poems.’”
What started as an Instagram story and poetry recommendations turned into a modern-day courtship that had a twist of old-school romance. Being long distance, the two wrote letters and exchanged poems. Their first date took place when Jack came home for the holidays.
As they were finishing up their dinner, the night sky outside turned a vibrant blue. A crowd swarmed. It was the infamous Queens transformer explosion of 2018. “I thought it was an alien invasion,” Samantha laughs. “I was like, ‘Of course this would happen the night of our first date.’” It was a fitting beginning for a couple who would eventually conquer life’s thrills together.
The Plot Twist: A “Notebook” Proposal
By early 2024, the couple was ready for the next chapter. During a trip to Australia, Jack planned a sunrise proposal behind the Byron Bay Lighthouse. He planned this moment to take place during golden hour, but was surprised with a monsoon on the day of.
“I woke up at 4 a.m. and it was pouring rain,” Jack says. “I completely panicked.”
They hiked to the lighthouse, drenched and shivering where Jack dropped to one knee. “It was a magical moment.” Samantha says
In a stroke of serendipity, a stranger filmed the moment and airdropped it to them. “It was some Notebook shit,” their waiter later told them at their celebratory dinner.
The true test of their resilience came just two months before their wedding. In August 2025, following an MRI for a shoulder injury, Samantha was diagnosed with Stage 1 thyroid cancer. She underwent an operation just weeks before her bachelorette party.
“I do think in a lot of ways going through a scare like that right before a really serious decision is like a blessing in disguise because I think for both of us, it really shored up the fact that we are so all in for each other,” Samantha says.
Production Design: Vintage Formal
In October 2025, the couple turned the beer hall of Radagast Hall into a “living love story.” Their vision was “Old School NYC meets Hollywood.” The dress code was “vintage formal,” which allowed guests to choose an era that made them feel beautiful.
Jack wore a red velvet tuxedo with black lapels, while Samantha was in a liquid silk satin gown. The reveal during their first look was visceral. “I literally turned around and went, ‘Jesus Christ,’” Jack says. “I just was crying... I thought you’re so beautiful. This is insane.”
Destiny found its way even through Samantha’s dress that she chose over a year prior to her surgery. The dress featured a high, mock-neck collar. “One unexpected silver lining was that the neckline… ended up perfectly covering my scar,” she says.
Her look was completed by a sentimental ‘something new,’ a veil gifted by the costume designer from her high school theater who worked closely with Samantha’s late grandmother.
The Script: A Three-Act Ceremony
As a full circle moment, they asked their friend Jenna, who introduced them, to officiate. Together, they scripted the ceremony not as a religious service but as a narrative following a three-act structure to honor their passion for the arts.
“I promise you, this was one of the best ceremonies I had ever been to, and it was my own,” Sam says.
Every choice carried meaning. The music was intentional, blending “It Had to Be You,” “Falling Slowly,” and the Jurassic Park theme song. Readings included excerpts from When Harry Met Sally and Good Will Hunting, alongside original poems the couple wrote for one another.
But the most labor-intensive detail was the one that touched the guests the most. In light of how their connection rekindled, Samantha and Jack wrote a personalized haiku for every person in attendance.
“There were some where I hated our decisions in life,” Jack jokes. “It was a slog, but I think it was one of the best decisions we made.”
The After-Party: Jazz and Resilience
True to their Old Hollywood vision, the reception prioritized dancing. “A wedding that you can’t dance at is the worst wedding in the world,” Jack says. “I don’t care about the food as much... the people and the party is what matters.”
During the cocktail hour, a local jazz duo that the couple discovered playing on the streets set the mood. For the first dance, Samantha’s best friend sang a rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “You Send Me.”
As the night went on, Sam changed into a vintage dress, she wanted to embody “Studio 54 meets a mid-2000s homecoming.” A highlight of the night was a surprise choreographed dance performance by Samantha and her sisters.
Their perfect night closed out with their guests belting “Empire State of Mind,” the ultimate theme song for a couple who found love in the city. As the two exited their celebration, they realized the rain mirrored their engagement in Australia.
“I always thought New York City was my greatest love story,” Sam told Jack in her vows. “Until you proved it was just the setting for ours.”
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