How We Met

We met during in 2005 at Stanford University. Deland was on campus that summer taking classes and doing research; Michael was interning at a design firm in Mountain View. Michael's then-roommate invited Deland over for one of the communal hippie dinners, and we met for the first time on the porch of Chi Theta Chi. Michael had just biked 10 miles in the hot weather and appeared sweaty, half-naked in a white undershirt and helmet hair... After dinner, we watched Deland's dance videos from high school, and then Michael decided to show Deland around the roof of the house, where he whipped out his guitar and started to serenade Deland under the stars... and the rest is history!

HOW we got engaged

Michael popped the question in Seoul during a 48-hour layover on the way home from Deland's work trip in Beijing. After spending the day walking around the city, visiting Changdeokgung Palace, eating dumplings, we ended up at the Cheonggyecheon River Park. Coming from an urban planning background, Deland had been raving about seeing this "must-see" former-freeway-turned-park for ages... and we went! We were sitting along the water, watching the birds and fish go by, and on the banks of this beautiful lush river park in the middle of a bustling metropolis of 10 million people, Michael pulled out a silver fortune cookie, with diy red lining, inside which contained a ring and then proposed.

We're so excited for you to celebrate our love and the next phase of our lives!