Steph's version of our story:

It all started with a DM on Instagram... Nam first messaged me in 2017 on Instagram to introduce himself as my new "teammate" as I had just started working with the same powerlifting coach as him and that's when he tried to make his first move. Nam was persistent and determined to make me his. He would drive 2 hours from the OC to LA, sitting in traffic on the 405, just to go workout with me and then grab a bite. 99% of the time I did not even invite him to come join me. He would ask what time I was working out and he would just show up at the gym 😂

From Day 1, Nam always made an effort to show me the type of guy he was and the lengths he would go for me even after friend zoning and pushing him away for over 3 months. While our love story started off as one sided in the beginning, after many months of Nam's persistency and determination, I grew to realize that I really enjoyed talking to him and he was the one I wanted to see all day, every day. I remember distinctly realizing this turning point when I went on my solo trip to Japan and noticed myself constantly wanting to text him and provide him updates of my travels.

We enjoy doing everything together - from powerlifting, eating out, cooking, learning how to buy and manage rental properties and picking up new hobbies like DJing. We have always vibed really well together and he is my best friend. For those that have met Nam, everyone knows he would literally do anything in the world for me with no complaints and always with a smile on his face. He has shown me what unconditional love is and I am forever grateful for that and am so excited for all of our closest friends and family to be a part of our special day!

Nam's version of our story:

One fateful day, while scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled upon a video of @steph__choi with the most captivating deadlift face I'd ever seen and in the captions I saw my powerlifting coach tagged so I slid in her DMs to properly welcome her to the team. Steph replied pretty quickly and we started talking about just any random topic we could think of ranging from working out, favorite foods, travel stories (mainly hers though because I hadn't traveled much at this point), etc. The conversations felt effortless and flowed so easily that I didn't have to think about what to say to keep the conversation going which was a nice change because I hadn't felt that comfortable and open with anyone in awhile.

We eventually started to go to the gym every other weekend morning and grabbing lunch before parting ways. I was never really a morning workout kind of person but I found myself full of energy, excited to drive up the 405 to meet with her but then dreading the moment we'd finish eating cause that meant I wouldn't see her again for a week or more sometimes. Eventually we started to do things outside of the gym such as going to OC/LA fair, going to shows, trying out new restaurants, etc. and things were going great - or so I thought.

One day she asked me if I had feelings for her and I admitted to it hoping that it was reciprocated but to my disbelief she said that she thought we'd be better off as friends. Man, those words cut deep but I said that's okay if that's how she felt and we could just be friends. We continued to hang out here and there but it wasn't as frequent as before. I could tell she was trying to make sure she wasn't leading me on but I still found myself eager to hang out and see her whenever I got the chance. Eventually all those miles I racked up on the 405 paid off because she eventually told me she wanted to give dating a try after months of being friend-zoned.

The rest was history! Since then, its been a crazy 6 years with us relocating to different states and cities, adding Kilo to our family, buying multiple properties, and going through a pandemic but I couldn't have asked for a better partner and best friend to share all of those experiences with.

S&N

Wedding Day