Steph & Rhys

It all started with a rather questionable pickup line…

I’d done a little homework before approaching Stephanie at a work event. Her boss had told me she’d grown up in Japan, so naturally, I went with: “Is that an American accent? Actually… I think it’s Japanese.”

Somehow, it worked.

We talked for hours. I was fascinated by her and how much we had in common. It didn’t take long for me to fall for her, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

Our early days were spent exploring London’s bars, restaurants, and neighbourhoods. Then we got our first home in Chiswick and added paintbrushes and wall-demolition plans to our date nights. We would carpool from Chiswick to work together, taking turns being the one in the passenger seat rolling the seat down to hide when nearing the office and being dropped off around the corner when it was still all a big secret. We wanted to stay in our bubble for as long as possible. Not many couples get the opportunity to take the partnership they've built in their personal lives and bring it into their professional lives, but for us, working together has always felt completely natural. From late nights in front of the fireplace discussing PPA strategies to renovating an entire house in just eight months (without killing each other, somehow!), we've always made a pretty good team.

Singapore was our first real holiday together and our first adventure in Asia as a couple. One afternoon at the Sky Garden, overlooking Marina Bay, became one of those days you know in the moment is special and wish would never end.

Since then, we have travelled to 21 countries together, from seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland to seeing the orangutangs in Sumatra to flying in a hot air balloon (much to my dismay) in Morocco.

After moving our life from London to Amsterdam, we returned to Singapore. I took Stephanie back to Marina Bay on her birthday and asked her to marry me, in the place where we’d been so happy on that first trip.

Thankfully, she said yes.

Now we’ve bought and are renovating our second home, this time in Amsterdam. It’s quite something to look around at the life we’ve built and think it all started with that line. And at the heart of that life is our family. From unforgettable van Houten adventures on the ski slopes of Verbier to the magic of an Anderson family Christmas, some of our happiest memories have been made with the people closest to us. It's these moments, big and small, that remind us how lucky we are to have such wonderful families and how special it is to bring them together.

So next, Provence.

Stephanie spent her childhood summers in the South of France with her family every year. Those summers mean so much to her, which makes it all the more special that we’ll be getting married there. Two summers ago, we went to the South of France for our dear friends’ wedding and had another unforgettable trip, one we wouldn’t stop talking about for months. Our extended suggested itinerary for you all is based on the incredible memories we made on that trip. We hope you love the area as much as we do.