Our Story — Teck Yan & Julie

Teck Yan and Julie cheek to cheek, laughing in warm tungsten light

遇

2018

How we met

Julie and Teck Yan first met in 2018 through Coffee Meets Bagel - though the story really started a year earlier, when Julie visited Malaysia and fell in love with the country so much that she jokingly wondered if she could find a Malaysian man in Canada. Around Christmas of 2017, Julie’s friends created a dating profile for her. Around the same time, Teck Yan’s friends helped refresh his profile too - softening his very specific height requirements and upgrading his bio/profile pics. Eventually, their profiles crossed paths, and they met for a memorable brunch that friends still refer to today as the “coin story.” When the bill came, Teck Yan reached into his pocket and mentioned he had some coins left over from grocery shopping. He then proceeded to pour a pocketful of coins onto the table and carefully count them out one by one stacking them into increments of $1. The server, trying very hard to be kind, carefully swept the stacks of coins into his apron to bring back to the till. In hindsight, Teck Yan later realized that the moment could have completely ruined the date, but to Julie, it was oddly refreshing - honest, funny, and very much Teck Yan. This marked the beginning of many memories and adventures together.

Teck Yan kissing Julie's hand while she laughs in tinted glasses

戀

2019-2025

Food, Travel & Everything In Between

From the beginning, food was one of the things that brought them together. One of the first meals Teck Yan ever cooked for Julie was bak kut teh, still one of the most memorable! Since then, their relationship has been filled with food adventures, late-night cravings, and trips built around what to eat next. They survived the pandemic together, including the questionable decision to cut each other’s hair, and shared the kind of laughter that left them doubled over with stomachs hurting and tears in their eyes. After the world opened up again in 2022, they traveled through Japan, exploring Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, staying for over a month and making Japan one of the most special places in their hearts.

Julie's hand with the engagement ring resting over Teck Yan's, scattered across mahjong tiles

問

2025

The Proposal

In 2025, Julie and Teck Yan traveled back to Japan, this time for a roadtrip across Hokkaido where Teck Yan proposed, though not exactly according to plan :') He had actually been carrying the ring throughout the trip through airport TSAs and across Hokkaido in his crossbody bag, waiting for the perfect moment... A flower field was considered first, but the flowers were wilting and the crowds were growing. Later in the trip, he found what he thought would be the perfect spot: a quiet forest area with little shops and a tea house tucked away inside but by the time they arrived, it was already getting dark. Determined to make the moment perfect, he suggested they come back the next day instead. Unfortunately for Teck Yan, Julie was completely exhausted the next day and unknowingly thwarted the proposal plans altogether. So after days of carrying the ring around Hokkaido and running out of opportunities, Teck Yan finally proposed during their stay in Noboribetsu Onsen, at one of the last stops of the roadtrip before returning to Sapporo. In the end, it turned out to be the perfect moment after all, especially since visiting onsens had become one of their favourite things to do together in Japan <3

A small handcrafted wooden Sabah hut souvenir with a palm tree, from Kota Kinabalu

囍

2027

Tying the knot in Kota Kinabalu!

It almost feels like a full circle moment - Years before they met, when Teck Yan was on a school trip in KK he bought a small hut-shaped object as a souvenir and told himself he would one day give it to his future girlfriend. Years later, it became one of the first gifts he brought back for Julie from Malaysia. To this day, they still aren’t entirely sure what it’s actually supposed to be. A pencil holder? A decoration? Something else entirely? We’ll let everyone decide for themselves!