Van and Ian first met in a grocery store in Olympia, Washington in 2015. Van had come to America from Vietnam when she was 17, with dreams of becoming a healthcare provider. She was working full time at the grocery store to put herself through nursing school, which she had just started. Ian was serving as an army officer and was stationed nearby, and he used to come to the grocery store (both for shopping and in hopes of seeing Van). After talking about things like local restaurants and shared hobbies, Ian finally worked up the courage to ask Van out, and gave her his number if she wanted to join him for dinner. They had their first date at the Dockside Bistro at the Olympia waterfront, on the day before St. Patrick’s Day. They ate and talked for hours until the staff kicked them out, and then walked the grounds by the State Capitol building and watched the sunset.

Van and Ian traveled to Rome in December 2018, where Ian surprised Van with a marriage proposal. He took her to the Via Appia Antica, an ancient road connecting Rome with the rest of the world, to watch the sunset and see the countryside. This spot perfectly captured their personalities; Ian's love of history, and Van's love of a beautiful landscape. Little did Van know, Ian had arranged for a photographer to meet them there and capture the moment. Ian asked the photographer to take a picture of them together, which was Ian’s queue to go down on one knee. He had some brief words prepared to share with Van, and when he asked her to marry him, she said yes. Afterward, they walked hand-in-hand along the ancient road, enjoying the scenery and sunset, and talking about their future life together.

Van and Ian chose Iceland to be married because their first vacation together outside the United States was to visit, and they fell in love at first sight with the Icelandic countryside. They love the rolling hills, green landscape, and numerous waterfalls dotting the country. In particular, their favorite part of the trip was in the Vik area, where they found several hidden places to hike and take in the scenery. They decided to have a private marriage ceremony in this area of Iceland, to mark their love for each other and for this land.