Her Side It was Friday, May 17 and I wasn’t even supposed to be at the Polynesian Cultural Center, but my plans changed and I ended up tagging along with my cousin Madison. We started at the Samoa village, then made our way to the Aotearoa village. The Whare was packed, so we sat near the back. When the performers took the stage, Madison asked who I thought was cute. I scanned the stage, and then I saw him. On the left. Curly hair. Something about the way he performed caught my attention. He had this energy that stood out from everyone else, and I told Madison, “The one on the left with the curly hair.” We “happened” to go to the next show, the weaponry demo, hoping to see him again (definitely Madison’s idea). She even volunteered to go on stage. And once again, he completely captivated me. Later, while heading toward the Fiji village, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to go back. We didn’t see him at first, and I thought maybe that was it, but Madison pushed me to try again. And that’s when I saw him, standing under a tree with two coworkers. Our eyes met. My heart jumped. I walked up, tapped him on the shoulder, and just said, “Hi.” He turned around like a deer in headlights. I asked, “Can I have your Instagram?” He said yes. I asked his name, and he said “23.” I was confused but rolled with it. Hours later, I got a message: “Hey… highlight of today was meeting you.” That time, he told me his real name — Harry. We went on a few dates, and everything just clicked. We made it official on June 5. People always say you’ll just know when you’ve met the one, and for me, it wasn’t a big moment or some perfect scene. It was just this calm, steady feeling of being safe, seen, and completely understood. And I knew. His Side The day was Friday, May 17, and started like any regular day. I went to class, then to work at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I was under the tree, getting ready for our next show with Alex and Darian, when I saw her walking across the bridge. She had this confident energy that caught me instantly. I thought maybe she needed help, but she walked straight up and asked, “Can I have your Instagram?” I was stunned. I said yes, grabbed her phone, and, completely flustered, accidentally told her my name was “23.” After she left, Alex looked at me and said, “What was that? Was that code?” I was so caught off guard I couldn’t even remember what I’d said. All I knew was she had this presence I couldn’t shake. I wanted to see her again. Our first date was the following Thursday, May 23. I was running late from work and hit traffic, but when I finally picked her up, she smiled and said, “It’s okay, let’s just go.” We drove to Ono Grinds and Makeke in Wai Kai. We grabbed food, laid out on the lawn, and just enjoyed the night. We saw the sunset, the full moon rise, and even shooting stars. It felt like something out of a movie. But more than that, it felt right. I remember thinking, if this is what life feels like with her, I never want it to end. That’s how I knew she was the one. Now Here We Are... From a bold hello under a tree to a love that feels like home, everything led us here. From the very beginning, we both felt something rare and undeniable. We knew right away that this was something special, something we didn’t want to let go. We’re so excited to celebrate this next chapter with all the people who mean the most to us. We hope you’ll join us in honoring a love we never want to end.