'Hello there
Anne was a Drexel University senior completing her final human resources co-op at the Sheraton-Maui in January 2010.
One night after work, she met up with friends and friends-of-friends at a bar. "I'm David," said one man she didn't know. Then later, he said his name was Freddie.
"You said you're David. Why did you give me two names?" she asked.
"I didn't want you to forget me," said the then-long-haired, headband-wearing Maui native, who was home working construction after earning his chemistry degree from Missouri's Lindenwood University.
"I thought he was a little obnoxious," Anne said. "I also thought he was really cute."
"I thought she was obnoxious," David said, laughing. "I guess she was just pushing back to me whatever I was saying to her."
Two weeks later, a friend of David's interested in a friend of Anne's devised a triple-date plan at a sushi restaurant. It started out incredibly uncomfortable for all six participants.
"Anne and I started making fun of how awkward it was," David said. "By the end of the night, we were the only two not having an awkward conversation."
They talked about their close-knit families - hers based in Bensalem and his in Maui. They passionately discussed soccer. And they spoke of their ancestry.
"My dad [John] is Portuguese, and my mom [Donna] is Hawaiian, of native Hawaiian and Portuguese descent," David said.
"I'm 100 percent Vietnamese, and talking to someone who is from such different cultures really intrigued me," said Anne.
They saw each other as often as possible until Anne returned to Philadelphia. David returned to Missouri to look for work. "We went our own ways, but kept in touch," he said. "Neither of us dated anyone else," said Anne. "We were just doing our own thing."
In July 2010, Anne's family had a Shore house in Ocean City. "I got in my truck in Missouri and drove to New Jersey to see her - I drove a solid 17 hours," David said.
Being together again made them undeniably happy. Two weeks later, Anne had a job interview in California and David drove again from Missouri - west this time - to pick her up at the airport. Anne later moved to San Diego to take a job with HEI Hotels and Resorts - the company she still works for as corporate director of talent acquisition. David moved to his sister's home in suburban Los Angeles, and found a job in hazardous waste disposal.
Six months later, HEI transferred Anne to the corporate offices in Connecticut. David hadn't planned to leave family or work in California, but seven months after Anne left, he found an environmental services job in Connecticut to join her.
The strong connection to their families that they admired in each other threatened to become a relationship obstacle. "We come from different worlds that are so far away from each other," David said. "From Connecticut, we could fairly easily spend time with her family. But I kept talking about wanting to move to Maui, to move home."
One day in 2013, David discovered that a Maui utility company was looking to hire an environmental specialist. He was not at all hopeful, but applied anyway. He had an interview, and then a job offer.
"It was something I just couldn't turn down," he said. Anne agreed, and with her support, they were again apart.
How does forever sound?
In February 2014, David suggested that they meet close to the middle in a place they love - Vegas.
They stayed at a resort on nearby Lake Mead, and rented paddle boats to appreciate the scenery.
They reached the middle of the lake, and David began saying something about love and forever. "I started crying," Anne said. "I took out the ring," said David.
Anne convinced HEI to let her work remotely, and in May 2014, moved to Maui.
It was so them
The morning of the wedding, David was up at 6 a.m., making two kinds of bubble tea for their guests - the same tea they sell on weekends from the Bubble Tea Express.
The couple were wed in a traditional Catholic ceremony performed by Father Quan Tran, who performs the most important ceremonies for Anne's family.
David wore a green maile lei that his sister Jaime made. David also got his wish for snow, one of his favorite aspects of the mainland. Some of their wedding guests experienced it for the first time.
The couple's first dance was to Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," sung by David's sister Jonnie and groomsman Dane, as Dane played guitar. Dane also served as emcee.
Anne's father, Ken, gave a toast, as did her sister and maid of honor Mai-Uyen. David's father asked the 75 guests to encircle the couple as he blessed the meal and the marriage.
The couple changed into traditional Vietnamese garments and traveled from table to table, receiving wedding cards and the guests' blessings and thanking them for their presence and gifts.
The following day, all the guests gathered at Anne's parents' home for a Lunar New Year feast prepared by Anne's mother, Dang, and other family members.
Awestruck
After a perfect day, Dane got his guitar and the couple and the hardiest of their guests gathered for an after party. "We went back to our room at 4 a.m., and even after that, we didn't want it to end, so we sat up and talked for hours. It was a really special moment for me," Anne said.
"The day was so crazy, and then once everything was said and done, it was just me and her, and I couldn't have asked for anything more," said David, who is now 28.
They talked about their history, and the many obstacles they had overcome to get to their wedding day. "Our love always felt bigger than anything else, and we worked hard for it, and finally, here we are, married," said Anne, now 27.
Discretionary spending
A bargain: The couple spent $150 on reception flowers, which David's sister Jaime arranged. Groomsman Max and his girlfriend, Annmarie, shipped Hawaiian flowers as a gift, and these adorned a table honoring Anne's late grandmother, Nhuan, and David's, Jackie.
The splurge: Even with Anne's company discount, it was the reception venue. "In the end, I was really happy it was at the hotel," David said. "They took good care of us, and we didn't have anything to clean up."
The getaway
The couple, who live where many couples honeymoon, spent time and money coming East to wed. They are saving for a future trip.
Love: BEHIND THE SCENES
Officiant: Father Quan Tran, St. James Roman Catholic Church, Elkins Park.
Venues: Ceremony, Saint Ephrem Catholic Church, Bensalem. Reception, Le Meridien Philadelphia hotel.
Photography: Andrew Ludewig, MTI Photography, Deptford, N.J.
Flowers: Bridal and bridesmaid bouquets from Bee's Flowers, Philadelphia; reception flowers purchased at Produce Junction and arranged by Jaime Martinez, sister of groom.
Music: Groomsman Dane Fujiwara.
Dress: Maggie Sottero, design from Angel Bridal, Haddonfield, N.J.
Wedding planner: Amanda Chrin, catering sales manager of Le Meridien Philadelphia.