we're getting married

Their story technically starts long before they met. They went to the same middle school, where Alex first heard about Winnie because one of his friends had a crush on her. And even though they lived just one block apart, their paths never really crossed. Not yet. Both were supposed to go to college in Boston, but life had other plans. Instead, they ended up at Stony Brook University—and met at a party on 9/9/2016 during their very first week of freshman year. The timing wasn’t what they expected, but it was exactly right. Their first date was at Red Lobster, which would’ve been perfect, except for the small detail that Winnie doesn’t like seafood (something Alex didn’t know at the time). It didn’t matter. They clicked immediately, becoming best friends in a way that made it impossible to imagine being apart. So inseparable, in fact, that Winnie once won a college club superlative for never being seen on campus without Alex. Alex is a talker—a yapper, if you will—always eager to share his life and excitement with others. Just weeks after they met, he introduced Winnie to a friend as his girlfriend, even though they’d never had the conversation. Winnie just smiled and went with it. And that was that. Through college, grad school, job changes, and cross-city moves, they remained each other’s constant. When Winnie moved to Boston, Alex visited so often he might as well have been paying rent. When Alex got his first job in Philly, Winnie followed him there. On the weekend after their sixth anniversary, Alex proposed on a private beach in Puerto Rico. Only problem? The ring didn’t arrive in time, so Winnie thought it was a joke, and immediately proposed back. When the ring did arrive, she was too excited to wait for another grand moment. She chased him down to propose again (third time’s the charm). Together, they’ve built a life filled with late-night skewers, intense ping pong games, too many inside jokes to count, and a love that’s as playful as it is steady. He taught her how to slow down, take risks, and love deeply. She taught him how to embrace the unknown and follow curiosity by exploring countless new hobbies and traveling the world. They are each other’s biggest fans—and fiercest competitors—and now they share a home in Queens, New York with their rescue cat, Enoki. Their story isn’t typical. But it’s theirs—genuine, a little chaotic, and full of love. On 9/9/2025—exactly nine years after that first night—they’re getting married. Right on time.

We met on 9/9/16, and the date has become a special part of our story. In Chinese, the character for “nine” (九) sounds like “long” (久), symbolizing longevity — so 9/9/25, our 9th anniversary, feels like the perfect day to begin a marriage that lasts a long, long time.