Akshay and Christina first met on Valentine's Day 2016, but the circumstances couldn't have been less romantic! Akshay was interviewing Christina for their co-ed business fraternity and may have accidentally made Christina shed a few tears... They quickly moved past that unfortunate first meeting, though, and became close friends. The year of friendship culminated in Akshay getting his first (and only!) speeding ticket because he was so excited to see Christina! After a day of showing Christina around his hometown of Keller, TX, the two of them went to Brio's for their first date. Akshay and Christina spent the next few years in Austin kayaking, watching movies at Alamo Drafthouse, and (most importantly) discovering all the wonderful food the city had to offer. After graduation, Akshay moved to NYC and Christina moved to Hartford, CT for two years of long distance marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The two of them moved to Chicago together, and the rest is history!

Akshay's proposal was a true masterclass in the art of deception. The wheels went in motion when Akshay flew to Austin in May 2022 to ask for John and Andrea's blessing. After a wonderful brunch at Snooze, Akshay quickly reached out to Kim Chao to start planning the proposal and a subsequent celebration. Akshay and Kim operated under the pseudonyms "Ashley Song" and "Kevin Huang" (yes, seriously) so Christina wouldn't get suspicious if she happened upon a text or two. "Ashley" and "Kevin" planned a fake picnic in Lincoln Park with all of Christina's favorite foods. Akshay was too nervous to eat while Christina enjoyed the charcuterie laid out before her. After trying for several minutes to get Christina to stand up and face the right direction (Akshay's old roommate Jay was waiting in the bushes to capture the moment), he finally dropped on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. The shock on Christina's face multiplied when Akshay took her to a "private chef's dinner he found on Groupon" later that evening, which was just a front for a reception for family and friends to come celebrate our engagement (thank you so much to everyone who flew out to Chicago to make the day so special!).