We met when we were kids at the start of a new school year! We barely knew anything about each other for the next five years... In 2018, we went on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic together and our tickets just so happened to be next to each other. From that moment on, we grew to become best friends.

We started officially dating on December 18, 2019 right before a carols and cocoa night at school. For the past three years, we have been doing long distance between Troy, NY and Williamsburg, VA while we earn our undergraduate degrees.

On May 25th, 2024 we went on a date to Grounds for Sculpture (which is something we had been planning to do forever and never got around to it). Tess had absolutely no clue that anything was going to happen, so she happily tried to lead her way around the park to her favorite spots. Eventually Manu brought her to a tree with a plaque on it which says, "One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching. LOOK UP" As Tess looked up into the tree, Manu knelt down, gave the most beautiful speech (of which Tess remembers almost nothing), and asked, "will you marry me?" When we arrived home, Tess was surprised by our family and friends and we had an epic celebration, complete with water balloon fights, biryani, and the most amazing people in the world.