On February 27, 2023, at a board-game night hosted by our friend Davis, we met for the very first time. Argo was the friendly, joyful guy from an Indian family teaching in Shenzhen, and Abbey was the kind-hearted adventurer from Inner Mongolia who’d studied in Edinburgh. Both extroverts in our own ways, we clicked instantly—and that spark set everything in motion.

Our first date on March 11 was a sunlit picnic in Shenzhen’s Botanical Gardens. Between laughter and shared snacks, we discovered a mutual passion for travel, family, faith, and building a bright, loving future together. Then on May 2, beneath the glowing lights of the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong, Argo officially asked Abbey to be his girlfriend, and with Victoria Harbour sparkling behind them, she said yes! In the months that followed, we traveled across the U.S. (from New York to Charleston, where Abbey met the Samantaray family. Back in their home in China, Abbey introduced Argo to her Wang family as well!

Exactly one year later—May 12, 2024—we were honoring our “silly video” tradition (that we do in each place we visit) in Civic Center Park, Shenzhen, and Argo surprised Abbey by dropping to one knee. Of course, she said yes again! On May 20 (Chinese Valentine’s Day), we made it official by securing our marriage license. Since then, we’ve enjoyed our passion of travel in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan. We built our lives with the purchase of our first home in Shenzhen, and welcomed a cuddly cockapoo named Noodle into our family!

Now, with our wedding set for August 2, 2025, in Charleston, we can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter with you, our loved ones—hand in hand, heart to heart, and passport at the ready!