Dear family and friends, We hope this finds you well and you are staying healthy during these uncertain times. We are writing to let you know it's been challenging to plan our wedding celebration due to COVID-19. So, we decided to have an intimate ceremony. While we wish we could celebrate this special day with all of our friends and family, we just couldn’t wait to say ‘I do’ and make it official! But don’t worry, there will be a larger party in the Philippines next year to celebrate our first anniversary together, so be sure to look out for those details in the coming months. For our friends and family based in the US, we are hoping to have a small outdoor celebration this summer. We greatly appreciate your continued love and support, and while we feel it was the right decision, we hope you understand it wasn’t easy to make.   With love, Samantha and Hans  

We first met at a training seminar at work where Sam was a new employee. That's when she first caught Hans's eye. A few months went by and they interacted again at a company sports fest, where they went head to head in a Tug of War contest. Both were so competitive that the rope broke, and Sam pulled so hard that she fell back into the office door behind her. Sam won the match but Hans definitely ignited a spark and caught her interest. A few more months passed, and both Sam and Hans went to the Philippines separately around the same time. When Sam got back to California, she saw Hans's Instagram stories and was so thrilled seeing his posts about the Philippines that she slid into his DMs. She joked about bringing back some "pasalubong" (Philippine gourmet snacks), but he actually brought her a big bag of pasalubong which was way more than she expected. To thank Hans, Sam offered to buy lunch which happened to land on Valentine's Day 2018, where they discovered their common interests in fitness, traveling, outdoor activities, and family. They were inseparable ever since and the rest was history.

It was the first day of a brand new year, and we planned on meeting family for dinner at my cousin's to celebrate the New Year. Hans left in the afternoon to run an errand for his dad, but I knew there was something fishy when he had styled and put on hair gel right before he left to "move heavy boxes in the garage." Hans was running late and said he would meet me there. So I went ahead to my cousin's house, and upon arriving, I was surprised to see an empty and dark patio, with music playing in the background. From afar I saw a string-lit wall of pictures - a timeline of Hans and I's adventures and highlights together, from where it all started in 2018 until current, with the most recent memory from Christmas day. It was bright and beautiful. I kept asking, "Where's Hans?" A few moments later, Hans walked behind me, gave me a big hug and kiss, faced me, and got down on one knee and asked me to go on another adventure with him. While bent on one knee, he pulled out the ring box and asked, "Will you marry me?" After ugly crying for a few moments, I immediately said "YES!" It was one of the happiest days of my life.

Hans: My favorite date was on Friday, March 22, 2019 where I took Sam to a comedy show at the Improv at Irvine Spectrum to see Jo Koy perform live, but before that we went to dinner at Kabuki. After our meal I was so shy and nervous that I didn't know how to ask her but I finally had the courage and just said it and asked her to be my girlfriend and she said "Yes". This was one of the best nights and dates ever as we laughed away the rest of the night and had a fun time together. Sam:  I enjoy all of my dates with Hans so this was quite hard to answer. But if I had to pick one, it would have to be when Hans took me to see Cirque du Soleil for the first time in Las Vegas. We got all dressed up, lookin' good, and before the show we headed to Yardbird Southern Table & Bar and had a very scrumptious dinner (chicken and waffles with watermelon!). Afterwards we walked to the venue and sat down and enjoyed the show. We then walked around the Las Vegas Strip and watched the lights, the people, the bright atmosphere around us, and I remember enjoying these moments even more because I was sharing it with my best friend.