I remember the first day we met, and I remember the exact date because I kept a diary of the “firsts” timeline: first date, first kiss, first... you get the jist. It was a friday afternoon, waiting for my bus by the Paccar building at UW. Dennis, my one college friend who also commuted up north, arrived at the bus stop with a few friends, and one guy I had never met or seen before. I could tell he looked mixed but didn’t think much else. This was the night that the CSA Talent Show was being held. I asked Dennis if he needed a ride but he said Jon was going to take him. After the talent show, I was trying to convince him to go to Meesum with us. But he declined. I told Dennis that I’d bring him home. My lazy ass didn’t want to walk to Meesum, so I asked Jon if he could drive us there. I sat in the back of his car and asked him what his major was and what year he was, I liked his voice and was intrigued. As he dropped us off, I was sooo tempted to say, “hey I just met you, and this is crazy! But here’s my number, call me, maybe!” Thankfully, I didn’t, otherwise I would not be writing this. At the end of the night, I asked Dennis about Jon, but his words were, “uh sis, he’s out of your league. He likes to party a lot and go clubbing.” Boy, was that a turn off... But the next week, Dennis was planning a birthday dinner and little did he know I was planning a surprise birthday party for him. I told him I was unable to attend his dinner. He then told me that Jon would be sad. To my dismay, I was surprised Jon had been asking about me. So I kept prodding Dennis to tell me what he had said about me, and he told me that Jon thought I was cute. THIS NEVER HAPPENS! Mutual attraction never happened for me, until now! So I got in touch with Lewis and asked him to invite Jon to Dennis’s surprise party. Jon attended Dennis’s surprise party that Devin and I hosted and the rest is... you’ll just have to ask me privately because Jon gets a little embarrassed about it.

Jon and I tried to get into Disney’s California Adventure early so we could get an early fastpass time for Radiator Springs Racers. The earliest time we could get was at 1:25pm (and at 10am, Dennis Tran and Charlie Tran had to hide from us because I had no idea they were there). We strolled around the park before our fastpass time. The sun was out, the air was crisp. I had caught a cold the day before but nothing could ruin this moment. People passing were smiling and laughing at us- it was Pluto hiding behind and following us around. Then we got in line at one of the holiday food stalls, and a couple gave us their Festival of the Holidays Sip and Savor pass because they were leaving. I thought, “Wow, this day can’t get any better!” Finally, our fastpass time has come. During the ride, Jon said “put your hands up” at the picture spot. After the ride, I rushed to the picture so I could get the code and download it. I walked right past Dennis and Charlie. In the picture, Jon was holding a decoy ring up but the banner was blocking it so I didn’t see it right away. I turn around and find Jon kneeling down. I was so confused as to what was happening right in front of me until he pulled out the real ring (that Dennis was safeguarding before this moment) and the rest is history... And no, I had no idea he was going to propose to me! Here’s the link to the video: https://youtu.be/AwaCcJrTpOI

You may be asking, is our wedding date a coincidence? Or is it significant? The answer is we will be getting married on the 8th day of the 8th month after being together for 8 years. In Chinese culture, the number 8 is lucky. Multiples of 8 mean happiness. Also, it falls on a Saturday!

Jonathan's Best Man, Edward, actually came up with the hashtag. It's a play on words with Jonathan's paternal part of his hyphenated last name and the word, "borrowed". So, it sounds something a bit like, "A borrowed love". The official Merriam-Webster definition is: to receive with the implied or expressed intention of returning the same or an equivalent. However, instead of "returned love", we'd like to emphasize "requited love".

Lillian and Jonathan started planning this wedding soon after they got engaged back in December 2018. They had no idea that a pandemic would affect their planning and preparations for the big day. As stressful as it is planning a wedding, one can only imagine what a pandemic can do to you emotionally, mentally, and physically. They had hoped that their wedding plans wouldn't get affected but they have decided as a team that this wedding must go on. The unfortunate turn of events are that they may need to make some tough decisions as they get closer to the date. In hopes of Phase 3 coming soon, they are hoping that Phase 4 will be on full swing by August. Unfortunately, all logistics must be considered two weeks before August 8th - this includes but is not limited to, catering and seating with social distancing in mind. With that said, they may need to let some guests go if they cannot accommodate all of their Yes's. We love you all and we wish that all of you can attend. Unfortunately, the venue must comply with the current state mandates and the number of heads allowed include vendors and staff among the guests. This weighs heavy on our hearts and we wish that we do not have to do this.