Anh and Huy both grew up in Vietnam but met in the UK (in a stairwell, of all places!) while Huy was at Oxford and Anh was studying abroad from the US.  They discovered they had mutual friends, started seeing other, and then parted ways with the promise that they would make it work despite the distance.  Soon Huy moved to the States, but they were still living hundreds of miles apart, Huy in Boston and Anh in DC.  Eventually, Anh moved up here as well, and finally they were both in the same city, even attending the same graduate school (MIT). 

I love their story, as it spans several countries and cities, but I also love the serendipitous encounter they had in the stairwell.  With things like that I often wonder if it really is mere chance or if it’s something closer to kismet.  My ears always perk when I hear any semblance of a coincidence (“What are the chances??” or “It’s a sign!!” is typically my immediate reaction).  So imagine my surprise when, in getting to know Anh, we learned that we went to college right down the road from each other!  She attended Swarthmore while I was at Haverford, both tiny liberal arts colleges in the suburbs of Philadelphia.  What are the chances??  ;)  Our alma maters have a close relationship so we had visited each other’s campuses many times, and we may have even crossed paths once before our first meeting.  Fun to think about.

Anh and Huy found out about me from my previous engagement couple, Yen and An, so they decided to take from their example and start the  shoot around the Public Gardens.  We then took a stroll through the nice neighborhoods in Back Bay.  Here are some of my favorites!

Thanks, Anh and Huy, for a great shoot!  I know you’ll have a fabulous celebration in Vietnam next month, hopefully with some lobster on the menu! ;)