We're getting married!

"Alex was part of the chess club. And, I don't know how to play chess. So I sat down for a game with Alex and said, 'I don't know how to play chess, but I know a Queen when I see one." - Groom

"Tommy and I had finished summer courses at UCR where we had been around each other even more than usual. After moving back home for the rest of the summer, and despite the hour(s) long phone calls about our days taking up most of our summer evenings, I couldn't explain how our friendship was changing. It didn't seem like we wanted to be apart from each other for long, so we took turns planning what adventures we could go on when we saw each other next. I planned a 'surprise adventure,' to the Long Beach Aquarium where he mentioned not having been before. He, promptly, drove from San Bernardino to pick me up from my parents' in Whittier. Being too excited to get to our adventure, I had forgotten to print the tickets. He kindly offered that his cousins in Long Beach could print them for us. I thought Tommy would send his cousin the email, go into the house to get the tickets and we would head out. Instead, he invited me in to his family's house where the entire Samel family--cousins, nieces, nephews, Oms--were in the living room, and introduced me. Slightly terrifying on my end to meet most of his close family members on a first adventure, but everyone was kind and did not make me feel out-of-place. On our way to the Aquarium, I sat in the car wondering if this was anything more. Tommy noticed and asked, 'Are you okay?' 'Yes... but, I'm just wondering about something.' We both sat in silence before Tommy said, 'Yes.' Confused, I said, 'Yes?' 'Yes, as in, yes this IS a date.' We have spent the last 9-going-on-10 years together since then." - Bride