On a random night in Singapore, I went out to dinner for (what i thought was) a girls night. To my surprise, Aidan had showed up! I remembered meeting him maybe once a few years back, but we quickly gravitated towards each other and went in for the hug. He ended up sitting next to me at dinner where we began catching up on each other’s lives and how he had just come back to Singapore for a few months due to work. We had gotten along really well and the conversation seemed to flow naturally, so I casually asked for his number. Initially I was just excited to have a new friend in town that I could hang out with on the weekends. However, little did I know, it was the start to our love story. And in such a short amount of time, he quickly became everything I had been looking for.
Celeste xx
We first met on November 25th, 2015 in Singapore. I had just moved back to Singapore for work and was invited out to dinner to catch up with old friends. It was there that I saw Celeste and thankfully, there were no other seats left so we plonked ourselves next to each other!
We shared a pulled pork taco meal, and the first thing I remember was noticing every time I went to pick up another taco, 3 more were missing. Somehow Celeste managed to eat and finish multiple tacos without making a sound and when I wasn’t looking. Apart from my amazement at her food magic, we really hit it off and talked the whole night. Towards the end of the evening, Celeste turned to me and mentioned that she needed more friends in Singapore. She smoothly asked for my number and hoped to organise something that weekend.
Our relationship grew over the next 3 months and within a blink of an eye it was my last day before heading back to New Zealand to complete my undergrad degree. Classic me, waiting until my final minutes before leaving to the airport before asking Celeste out officially. I must have done something right…Aidan
After spending our childhood and beginning of our adulthood in Singapore, we decided it was time for a change. A work opportunity came up which I didn't hesitate to accept, and Aidan was accepted to complete his Masters Degree in Melbourne which was something he’d been working really hard for.
It was difficult to think of leaving behind our beloved hawker food and iced milo’s, as well as our families (duh), but we were excited for our new adventure. So within a few months, Aidan and I had relocated to Melbourne! Since then, we’ve been able to create a home for ourselves in a brand new city where we now have a ton of memories together and are looking forward for many more to come.
Everyone always asks me if I knew he was the one...and the truth is, I did! I saw it coming from a mile away that this was someone I could see myself building a life with. We both met at a time where we weren’t looking for anything in particular, but how we grew together in such a short period of time showed me that our connection was special enough to last a lifetime.
On the morning of our engagement, I had no idea what was in store for me. Aidan had subtly been trying to get me into a helicopter over the last few months. I woke up anxious thinking of being inside a tiny flying tin can above the mountains.
We get to the helicopter, and Aidan was being weirdly calm and assuring me it was all going to be okay. He then flew us to a remote and secluded place, which now has so much meaning and will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Upon landing, we walked around the lake and typical us, started skipping rocks - it was a skill we had been working hard at! As we continued to walk along the shore, I noticed Aidan getting a bit more antsy and quiet. Next thing I knew, he had grabbed my hands and got down on one knee. There I was standing in the most beautiful place I’d ever been with the love of my life, who was asking me to be his wife. It was all a blur as I look back and try to remember the little details, minus the vivid memory of my ugly crying face (of course). But what I do know for sure is that it was without a doubt the happiest moment of my life.Celeste xx
She was the one I knew I wanted to be with, and she deserved something special.
So away I went, every break during my masters I flew back to New Zealand and studying like mad for helicopter exams and completing endless hours of flight training. I absolutely loved it, passing over the Southern Alps on a clear winters’ day, seeing all of the peaks and gullies that many people could only dream of doing. I knew this had to be the place.
After nearly a year of flying in my free time, it came to the week of the engagement. I had just finished a lesson with my instructor and thought let’s see if I can book in a date to do this. I approached him and asked when I could potentially pop the question. His response... “Yeah. 2pm tomorrow”.
I thought to myself, this actually works out well, you don’t have enough time to freak out and over think it, and she will have absolutely no idea what’s going on because you’ve been planting this in her head for months.
With the champagne chilling under her seat, off we went! We landed in a raised secluded beach amongst the mountains. Working myself up to transition from skipping rocks to the most important speech of my life, I managed to pull myself together and ask her to be my wife. The rest of our life lays ahead and the best is yet to come.Aidan