Jenny Chen & Vincent Tu

Jenny Chen and Vincent Tu lived across the hall from one another at UC Davis for a year without truly meeting each other. But good fortune gave them a second chance.

During a summer session, the two ended up in the same physics class. The tests came fast, so the two spent a lot of time studying together and then grabbing food. The bedrock of their relationship was formed. From neighbors to study partners, friends to lovers. Vincent says, “It was just really comfortable, really easy. We got to know each other pretty well pretty quick.” Jenny agrees, “It was different from other relationships. I felt I got along with him really well.”

After undergrad, the two never parted. Six years from their first meeting, on a chilly November day, Vincent managed to convince Jenny to take a walk down the pier while waiting for friends. On the way back, Jenny noticed a cluster of people looking down at something, so they investigated. Arranged down on the sand below were the words “Marry Me?” “I said to him ‘Oh my God! Someone is getting proposed to!’ As I said that, he got down on one knee.”

When it came time to plan the wedding, the couple worked with Crystal Lequang of Amazae to realize their vision.) They wanted to get married in a hotel with some history to it, with a classic ballroom. They found the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and thought it was perfect.

Jenny’s artistic side greatly influenced the wedding, “We wanted something romantic and glamorous but with a touch of whimsy...something surreal.” She undertook several DIY projects, from practicing calligraphy to make and write the escort cards, to hand crafting and framing 99 paper flowers for the candy table. For cocktail hour, the room got covered in shades of deep red with jazz playing in the background as guests sipped their drinks.

The September wedding was in preparation for an entire year, right up until 4:00 a.m. the morning of the rehearsal dinner. “We were both pretty nervous during the ceremony. Before our reception started, Crystal took us through the ballroom before the guests came in. We could not believe how perfect everything turned out.”

Before the night was over, guests were treated to a special duet from the newlyweds. The two sang “I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Deathcab for Cutie, with Vincent accompanying on guitar. Laughing, Vincent says, “It was one of the songs I knew how to play when we were dating, and when we were hanging out I’d play and we’d randomly sing to it.”

The celebration lasted long into the night, and the bride and groom were exhausted and elated when they got back to their suite. They had accomplished something amazing bringing so much together in a week. As a way to unwind, they escaped to Maui, and relaxed far away from the busyness of NYC. The two agree, “it’s been a fun adventure so far.”