A couple, together for 8 years before getting engaged, are in shock at TikTok's reaction to a sweet moment from the Groom-to-be's bachelor party.
Luke Markham imagined a simple, chilled bachelor party for himself. But something unexpectant happened at his party that made the Bride-to-be get emotional.
"I definitely wanted to go to Charleston because it's more laid-back than Miami or Vegas. I had been there before to visit some of my friends who went to college there, so I knew it would be sunny. Plus, it's a direct flight for most of my groomsmen, which is also quite nice," he tells PEOPLE.
The guys were out enjoying themselves and March Madness basketball at Uptown Social when they met another group.
"We had planned the evening around watching the College of Charleston versus Alabama, March Madness game. My best man had been to Charleston for a bachelor party before, so that's also where part of the idea came from to go there, and he suggested the bar."
As they enjoyed the ambiance and the food, they began talking to the group featuring Sam from Charleston, known as @sb.reads on TikTok and her friends.
"I really like to chat with people when I go out. I'm quite extroverted and when I'm in a good mood, surrounded by all my best friends in a warm place like Charleston, I get very, very chatty," he laughs.
Sam remembers her group "standing in the very back of the bar, trying to figure out where we were going to head next."
"My friends Tane’a and Jayla were taking a selfie when Luke walked up to them on his way to the bathroom and started talking to them," she tells PEOPLE. "At first, we were all very confused, but as soon as he said he was here for his bachelor party, my group got so excited and started congratulating him and asking him questions about him and his fiancée."
That's when Luke "started just gushing about how much he loved her," Sam says.
"My friends and I all love love and romance so we just thought it was just the sweetest and most romantic thing ever, listening to him rave about his future wife. What struck me most about the encounter was how excited he was to talk about her and tell everyone, even a group of strangers, how much he loved her. After we took the selfie, he went to the bathroom, and my group left the bar, but he seriously made our entire night, and we couldn’t stop talking about how sweet it was."
On a whim, @sb.reads shared the moment on TikTok. "I posted the video because I just wanted whoever Luke’s bride was to know just how loved she was and I can’t believe it actually got to her."
Luke nor his bride, Sam Brooks, could have imagined that Sam would go home and make a TikTok about the experience. But by the morning, the video had gone viral enough that Brooks' friends started sending it to her.
"I had just woken up and my friend had sent it to me. I decided to sleep in because I had to work on Saturday, and my friend said, 'Samantha. Please open. This is urgent,'" Brooks recalls to PEOPLE.
Barely awake, Brooks clicked the link, and as she realized what she was watching. It was her Luke that went viral.
"I remember thinking, 'This is weird' when they said Sam and Luke, but there's a lot of Sams and Lukes. Then she said they're in Charleston and I thought, 'Oh that's funny, Luke's in Charleston.' And she said the bar, but I didn't know where exactly he'd gone out that night. I wasn't worried about it."
Brooks didn't even get to the end of the video before calling her friend. "I said, 'I think this is about me and Luke,' and she said, 'You clearly did not finish the video.' And then I did and saw the selfie."
"I don't cry a ton, but I definitely teared up," Brooks said. "I FaceTimed him, but he was asleep."
Brooks was keeping an eye on Sam's video, which started getting attention. By the time Luke woke up and got back to her, it was continuing to grow. To date, the video has amassed over 11 million views.
"Then, before I left to go to my friend's birthday, I made a response, thinking, 'Let's see what happens. Maybe it goes viral, maybe it doesn't.'"
It really hit Luke once the views got into the millions for both Sams, with Brooks' response at well over 9 million views to date.
"I was like, 'Oh, a couple of hundred views, that's cool,' — power of the algorithm and all of that. Once it got over a million I realized, 'Oh wow, people quite like this.'"
The couple will head to the altar at the beginning of June and say this has just sweetened an already exciting chapter that comes after 8 years of dating.
"It's really nice. We're always running around, laughing, having a good time. So it's cool for everyone to see how great Luke is. All the comments are insane. It reminds me that not everyone has a Luke and makes me realize how lucky I am to have Luke in my life," Sam shares.
"It's been just amazing," Luke agrees. "I think it's a testament to how people generally are. They're really happy to see genuine love, which I guess I conveyed my genuine love for Sam. She's the best and I love telling people about her because I really love her."
"It's quite nice and it makes the next two months extra special and then it makes the rest of our lives just a little bit more special," he adds.
"Yeah, it's a fun story to look back on. We'll tell the kids, 'Look, dad was super cool once,'" Sam laughs.
The couple both shared a special shout-out to Sam, thanks to her efforts.
"She made such a great video," Luke shares. "I was watching it with my groomsmen and we were like, 'Wow, she's great.' She presented it well and just adding the selfie at the end was a nice touch.'"
Both Sams have been in touch and are planning to meet when Sam from Charleston is next in Massachusetts, where the couple reside.
"It's nice because TikTok's a place that can sometimes be all about the drama, so it was nice she did something that was really positive," Brooks says.
Sam adds, "Connecting with her has been so fun as I think we are both in shock about how much this has blown up and she was so kind and appreciative of me posting such a sweet moment."
"I am just happy that Sam got to see the video and knows how loved she is, and I’m happy that people are finding joy and hope in knowing that there are good people in the world and wholesome moments and people and relationships like this exist," @sb.reads notes.
"I am so happy that Luke and Sam now have so many people rooting for them and their love. I know I am."
Source: People