First Date - We met while we were living in Chicago, where we each went to grad school. I knew Allie was an amateur EDM DJ, so I took her to a Chainsmokers concert for our first date. On our way to the venue, a rainstorm hit and caused a massive traffic jam. We spent the next hour sharing stories about our lives and travel adventures. We discovered that we had been to several of the same places, including crawling through the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam (if you ever get the chance, pass on that). Once we arrived, Allie stole my hat (pictured) and we spent the rest of the night dancing. We’ve been inseparable ever since.

Field Museum - The Field Museum is special to us because Nathan took me there to celebrate my birthday shortly after we met. It was my first birthday after graduating from business school and many of my friends had already moved away. Nathan seized the opportunity to spend the day together and made it special for me. We spent hours touring the Field’s exhibit halls, including a traveling Jurassic Park exhibit, and later snacked on Chicago-style Hot Dogs along Lake Michigan before heading to dinner. Over the years, we have been back to the Field many times and could not think of a more perfect place to celebrate our marriage with our closest friends and family.

California - Although we absolutely love Chicago and it will always have a special place in our hearts, we only had a finite number of -28 degree winters in us. Each of us had loved the time we spent in California previously. Allie first came to the U.S. as a Chinese exchange student and graduated high school in California. I had almost moved to California for college and law school. So, it was only natural that we would start our lives together here.

Engagement - I thought we were booking a last minute trip to Chicago to celebrate our 2-year anniversary, but Nathan had already been planning this for months. He recreated several of our best dates and memories. Back in 2017, a few months after we met, Nathan was walking along the Chicago River by himself when he realized he wanted to marry me (he later told me about this “marriage” spot and we often pointed it out when we were in the area). For our 2-year anniversary, Nathan surprised me with seemingly impossible “last minute reservations” to The Office, a private speakeasy, and to Acadia, a Michelin-starred restaurant where we had celebrated our 1-year anniversary before going to a Kygo concert. On our way back to the hotel, Nathan insisted we get out of our Uber to walk the last few blocks and I reluctantly agreed (it was absolutely freezing). Unknown to me, Nathan had sneakily planned so we would walk by the exact “marriage” spot (pictured). When we got there, Nathan gave me a hug, got down on one knee and proposed.

Wedding - We are so excited to be able to share this special day with you AT LAST! We cannot wait to be together again!