“What a thoughtful message. He actually read and referenced what I wrote on my dating profile!” That was my first thought when I read Ryan’s first message for me on OkCupid. I had liked his profile prior and was considering sending him a message after I had gone through all the other thoughtless, mass-produced “Hi”, “It’s my birthday” messages. It was a pleasant surprise for me to see a very long and very thoughtful message from a cute guy who seems to share my values.

After a few back and forth, I asked to meet in person. We agreed on ChaTime in Dinkytown (back when it was on SE 4th Street and not 14th Ave SE). It was a December evening in 2017. I opened the door and entered the store as I scanned the room for a face that matched what I saw online. No matches yet. Then, a tall person who entered the store seconds before I did, turned around. We made eye contact and both immediately figured out that we were each other’s date for the evening.

I ordered my usual go-to bubble tea order, while Ryan did the same because he had little bubble tea experience at that point. And he liked it. “That’s a positive,” I thought. We sat at a small table by the wall and chatted. And chatted. Then it was closing time so we had to leave. We abruptly parted that evening, and I thought the date didn’t go too well because there were a few awkward pauses during the evening.

However, Ryan reached out to a schedule a 2nd date few days later. Since it’s winter, I suggested going to the Science Musuem of Minnesota (SMM). To my delight, he agreed. I’ve always wanted to go on a date at SMM since going there on my own. The 2nd date was great! I got to ride in Ryan’s car for the first time; I got to show him my favorite seats in the SMM omnitheater; we got to have fun exploring the exhibits together.

At the end of our fourth date, I initiated our first hug. Ryan said he was going to ask for a hug too, but I was convinced that I would have left the car before he had a chance to ask if I did not already plan on asking. On January 07, 2018, we officially became a couple. Through the next four years, Ryan saw me through the 2nd half of my graduate school (Chemical Physics PhD, for people who don’t know me well), I saw him through a few job changes; we’ve had fun, we’ve had disagreements, and we’ve grown together. We officially got engaged on December 25, 2019, legally tied the knot in a small courthouse ceremony on April 5, 2021, and will soon host a ‘real’ wedding to celebrate with family and friends.

Ryan, thank you for being my goofy partner and for being so supportive. Looking forward to more adventures together!

Wedding Reception

About the Venue