The Wedding Trailer of Vicky and Thomas at Harvard Club

1. What were the theme and colors of your wedding? Old-world autumnal luxe, crimson & metallics

2. How did you decide on this theme? Based on the venue, the Harvard Club, the couple’s favorite season and appreciation for things sophisticated yet rustic

3. How did you meet each other? The couple met at a Soho bar during the Polar Vortex of 2015.

It didn’t take long for either to realize that they were better together. Tom had never met a girl quite like Vicky; her sass and straightforward attitude were a breath of fresh air. Vicky’s extensive travels and recent return from expatriate life in Hong Kong meant she was full of insights and life experiences he’d never had, and soon wished to acquire with her by his side. To Vicky, Tom’s good-naturedness was particularly notable; his uncanny ability to remember the slightest details of their interactions impressed her. Moreover, the way Tom conducted himself in earnest – like calling Vicky after spending an entire day together just so he could hear her voice for another hour before they said goodnight – was enough to win her over. Together they bonded over parallel upbringings of serious discipline: for Tom, the pursuit of a professional career in ice hockey, a sport he played at the highest youth level across the United States and Canada and throughout college as a member of the varsity men’s ice hockey team at Bowdoin College and for Vicky, more than 20 years of switching between piano and cello recitals, including debuts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as a teenager and international tours with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra in Seoul, Korea. Despite vastly different hobbies, the couple channeled their childhood-ingrained training into analyst programs at investment banks after graduation: Tom as a banker at Jefferies in New York and Vicky in sales at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong. As Vicky broke off the finance path to foray into entrepreneurship with her first company, ZAOZAO, a fashion e-commerce platform, she relocated back to New York, where begat the alignment of stars that enabled the two to cozy up at a downtown bar one chilly night.

As such, a short eight months later, an epic proposal ensued.

4. How long have you been dating? Since February 2015, so we’ve been together for 1 year 9 months, married for just over 1 month.

5. How did Thomas propose? On a chilly Parisian morning, Tom orchestrated a proposal that would catch Vicky completely by surprise. He had used the last of his vacation days to join her in Europe, where she was working in London during a regular business trip. What had seemed like a casual decision to take a weekend jaunt to Paris proceeded to transform into an unforgettable memory for the both of them.

Tom started off by making breakfast plans at an obscure hotel for which he had obtained spatial directions (“look out for a footbridge and a thorny vine”) but no address. Irritated by the lack of coordinates, Vicky cursed such imprudence under her breath while Tom bumbled about, searching for a sign. The annoyance dissipated into wonder as the couple strolled across the Passerelle Debilly, with the Eiffel Tower peeping gloriously through the sunrise fog. Naturally, Vicky needed a photo. So, they took turns snapping shots until a bystander kindly offered to take one of the couple together with her professional camera, conveniently dangling from her neck. As Vicky turned to strike a pose, she found Tom expertly re-positioned into a deep lunge with twinkling box clutched in his hands…

As it turned out, there was no reservation. Tom had been stealthily coordinating with the photographer for weeks. The ring had been hidden on his being since he meticulously packed it into a rolled sock back in New York, anxious that his plan would be foiled by airport security screens.

The couple spent the rest of the day eating croissants and shopping along the Champs-Élysées. The day concluded with popping mini rosé champagnes back at the Eiffel Tower, as they toasted their first international travel memory together, which also happened to mark the beginning of their life together.

The decision to wed at the Harvard Club of New York was borne of meaning to the couple (Harvard, her alma mater; New York the city that the couple met in), grandiose beauty of the venue, and convenience of travel for a disparate guest list comprising 8 countries and 32 states. The officiant, a friend of the couple’s and Tom’s former hockey teammate, obtained a Universal Life Church minister ordination for the purpose of the ceremony. In accordance with traditional Chinese customs, an additional reception will be hosted at the bride’s family home in Taiwan in November 2016.