Jaw Wedding on 5/22/22 at Gray Bridge Venue in Sultan, WA

How we met

08.02.2012

The story of how we met and quickly became friends can be summarized simply: Move-in day at the University of Washington and a long night of video games. As eager incoming freshmen, introductions were being made in the common areas of the residence halls, and Tim happened upon Taya's open door. Taya invited Tim and a few other new neighbors to play Smash Bros later that night, and after having dinner together the motley crew played and exchanged threatening yet friendly banter until the wee hours of the morning (as model college freshmen do). We didn't know it then, but that first night playing video games and being typical college students created a lasting friendship, and would be the start of our story together.

Our first date

11.15.2014

If you ask any of the wedding party about our first date, they would probably start by sharing how frustrated they were that it didn't happen sooner. Erica, a member of the bridal party, had the particular misfortune of dealing with both Tim and Taya visiting her room, sometimes one directly after the other, trying to navigate feelings and figuring out how to ask the other out. After two years of friendship, we began a period of what we affectionately look back on as "pseudo-dating"—going out to tea, dinner or concerts with just the two of us, neither one of us making a move or referring to our time together as a date, and then going to Erica with compelling news like "I think I like Tim" or "do you think Taya likes me". Finally, after weeks of pseudo-dating, Tim used the key word "date", Taya said yes, and we made plans to meet at the U District Tea Republic the next day. We then had our very first (official) date, sipped our tea together, and laughed about not coming clean about our feelings for each other sooner.

Living apart

6.28.2016

If you've ever been in a long distance relationship, you probably have an idea of how challenging this chapter of our relationship was. After four years of friendship and two years of dating, we both graduated from the University of Washington in 2016. Taya went straight to work at a market research firm in Kirkland, and Tim moved to Southern California to pursue his graduate degree in biotechnology at UC Irvine. The best part of our long distance relationship was that each visit turned into a mini vacation, and between exploring Southern California and visiting favorite spots near Seattle, we had a euphoric time when we were together. But at the end of each trip came the reality of going back home, the painful goodbyes, and inevitable tears. Needless to say, the time between our brief in-person encounters was hard, but we were dedicated and reminded ourselves that this was just a temporary reality. We talked for hours every night over video, planned our next visits, and counted down the days until Tim's graduation.

Coming back together

6.22.2018

After two years of long-distance the wait was finally over. Tim earned his master's degree and graduated from UC Irvine, and we were eagerly looking forward to our next chapter of living together in the Seattle area. Almost immediately after the graduation festivities ended, Tim said goodbye to his cohort and we loaded up his car for the long drive up the coast. After a few pit stops along the way, we arrived in Kirkland, unpacked Tim's things, and then reveled in the knowledge that distance would never come between the two of us again.

The engagement

11.30.2019

After over a year of happily living together and adopting two wonderful cats, we started talking about making things official and getting married. Taking advantage of a business trip that took Taya out of the house for a few days, Tim picked out the perfect ring and planned the proposal. Soon after he received the ring, we embarked on our previously set plan to visit Tim's family in the Bay Area for Thanksgiving. Tim endured a few excruciating days of the ring burning a hole in his pocket, but finally the time came. The day after Thanksgiving we took a short drive to visit a beautiful Japanese garden in the area. The garden was serene and tranquil, and we walked along the path towards Taya's favorite feature in any Japanese garden—the koi pond. After finding the perfect spot, Tim dropped down on one knee and said the magic words "will you marry me?". Taya's answer of course was an enthusiastic yes, and we celebrated our new engagement together. Shortly after we continued walking around the garden, hand in hand, excitedly discussing our future together and how to best share the good news with all of our loved ones.

Why did you choose your venue?:
We both love the beauty of the PNW, so we wanted to find a venue where we could enjoy the outdoors while still being protected by the elements. It is the PNW after all haha. 

What are you most excited to see in the video?:
Happy moments between friends and family :)

Venue - Gray Bridge Venue
Photographer - IJ Photo
Videographer - Best Made Videos®
DJ - Puget Sound DJ
Florist - Pollen in Love
Coordinator - Your Perfect Bridesmaid
Catering - Navi's Catering Kitchen
Photo Booth - Aha Party Co.
Hair and Makeup - Salon Maison