we can't wait to celebrate with you soon

Like all great modern love stories, ours began with a swipe. It was June 2022—John had just moved to DC from Chicago two weeks prior, eager to find a de facto tour guide (girlfriend?). He was so committed to the cause that he had already lined up four dates that week—efficient, if nothing else. Meanwhile, Kaiwei had just moved into her first solo apartment, reveling in her independence, swiping for fun, and fully enjoying her single era. But fate (and Hinge) had other plans. John remembers his excitement as he looked through Kaiwei's profile, and promised himself he would ask her on a date the moment she responded. They met for drinks on a rooftop in Adams Morgan, bonding over their shared careers in the social impact sector (lolz) before diving into a deeply important debate: the best ice cream in DC. As a true Midwesterner, John swore by Jeni’s, a powerhouse chain. Kaiwei, a firm believer in supporting local and also just being objectively correct, lobbied for Ice Cream Jubilee. A bet over who was right turned into a spontaneous trip down the street to the better choice, Ice Cream Jubilee, followed by a dog park excursion (sans dog, fun but kind of weird). Kaiwei remembers laughing so hard that she became painfully self-conscious of how contorted her face looked (a lot of tooth and gum)—turns out, that set the tone for the rest of their relationship—spontaneity, big belly laughs, zero composure, fun but kind of weird, and good snacks. In John’s Uber ride home, he deleted his dating apps, called his twin brother, and said, “Imma put a ring on it.” And put a ring on it he did!! From that point on, Kaiwei and John were inseparable. After a second date at Tidal Basin watching the sunset over a picnic of raspberries and champagne, a third date cooking pasta together, and a fourth date where John meticulously planned a DC grilled cheese crawl, complete with an evaluation template scoring all the grilled cheeses against a pre-determined set of criteria: Taste, Aesthetic, Portion Size, and Complimentary Items, Kaiwei was sold. He hit on all her love languages: food, planning, organization, analysis of said food, and competition. That night, in a Vietnamese street food speakeasy on 14th street, they squeezed into a little booth to toast and recap the night. The group next to them asked how long they'd been together. John said four dates. To them, it had felt like four years :’) Fast forward through 2.5 years of adventure, including hatching and raising six baby chicks in their 725-square-foot apartment, putting everything they owned into storage and living nomadically out of three suitcases for eight months across nine cities, and finally settling back down in DC with a new home in Capitol Hill that they absolutely adore. On June 29th, John took them back to their second date spot at Tidal Basin, laid out raspberries and champagne, and got down on one knee. We spend every day together from morning gym sessions to late-night (9:30 PM) TV binges, often working side by side on the couch, in a never-ending loop of conversation and laughter. Have we developed extreme separation anxiety? Absolutely. Would we change anything? Not for the world. Thank you for being part of our story <3