Our Story
How did you first meet?
We first met while starting medical school at the same time at UCLA, and in fact, we also happened to be assigned to the same building and floor in the on-campus graduate apartments. I remember the first time I met Tan was during move-in week after I kept running into him in the elevator while moving my stuff. After the third ride up the elevator together, I finally asked him, "What's that?" Tan was holding a large black case (his piano), yet he decided to reply, "Oh, this is my cadaver." After knowing him all these years, I can say that I'm not surprised by this answer!
What did you do on your first date?
We first got to know each other through study sessions and other class group activities. At first, we seemed to be very different, but the more time we spent together, the more we realized how similar we were and how much we enjoyed each other’s company. Our first official date was a "day of fun" that Tan planned for us in Irvine. He had quietly picked up on little cues for some of my favorite activities, and to my surprise, it ended up being a perfectly executed day that included mini golf and arcade games, followed by a casual dinner at an Italian restaurant. This was just the beginning of many examples of Tan's thoughtfulness in our relationship.
On Tan's birthday that year, I planned a "day of fun" for us that included a trip to a local scientific museum hidden away in the neighborhood of Venice, quirky but I knew Tan would enjoy it. After spending the day together, we ended up at a cute French restaurant highlighting local produce and fresh ingredients. Since then, our adventures have evolved into exotic trips all over the world exploring different cultures, cuisines, art, and music. We have had some of the best memories together while traveling, and these experiences have brought us closer. Our trips culminated in our travel to Vienna in May 2012, when we fell in love with the city—our final destination before Tan decided to propose.
How did he propose?
After our then recent trip to Vienna, Tan had a brilliant idea for the proposal a year later. We had made plans to travel through Europe again in the summer of 2013, which included a stop in Vienna. On the day of the proposal, we had reservations for lunch at our favorite restaurants in Vienna. We were all dressed up and ready to go, when Tan mentioned that we should stop by a coffee shop on our way over. Little did I know that a normal day to the coffee shop would turn out to be one of the best days of my life! I was beyond surprised and ecstatic when I discovered the transformed beletage that Tan had arranged above the coffee shop.
Is there anything you would like to say to your guests?
In the last seven years, we have grown together, we have taught and learned from each other, and although many things have changed in our lives, our bond with each other has been unwavering. We are so excited to share our marriage with all of our family and friends, and we can’t wait to see you all there on our special day!
