Boarding a flight to Boston from Los Angeles in January 2018, Alex Zhou noticed a cute guy helping someone with their bag. The guy, Eddie Lynn Kay, turned out to be her escort.
She spent the flight wearing headphones, watching “Merlin,” a TV show, on her iPad. Hours later, as the plane began its descent, the two introduced themselves and Mr. Kay said that if she liked “Merlin,” she would enjoy another show called “Chuck.”
They spoke as the plane landed and departed, and as they arrived at the airport, an unusual move for Ms. Zhou. “Normally, I shut down random strangers pretty easily when they try to talk to me,” she said.
But when they reached a bathroom, Mr. Kay broke free and they went their separate ways.
A week later, Ms. Zhou said she Googled: “What’s the limit to add a random person as a friend on Facebook?” The results said they should have mutual friends. they didn’t. He ignored them and sent Mr. Kay an invitation anyway.
The next day, Mr. Kay texted her, they started chatting, and several weeks later, on February 19, they went on their first date in Boston: lunch at the now-closed Gourmet Dumpling House. Mr Kay chose the restaurant because Ms Zhou, who was born and raised in Nanjing, China, told him she missed quality Chinese food.
Ms. Zhou, 32, moved to the United States in 2009 to study at the University of Southern California, where she received a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He then earned a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also earned a master’s degree in economics from Brown, where he completed his Ph.D. in finance this week.
Mr. Kay, 41, was born in Elmhurst, Ill., but grew up in Irvine, Calif. He has a degree in computer science and engineering from MIT and works as director of engineering at Devoted Health, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based company that provides health care services to older Americans.
They planned to see “Black Panther” on their first date, but the tickets were sold out. The screening of the film was a good excuse for another meeting a few days later, although recently, Ms. Zhou confessed to Mr. Kei that she secretly watched the movie with a friend between their first and second dates.
They started dating exclusively, met each other’s respective families in California and China, and bought a house together in North Providence, RI, in 2020. In November 2021, they went shopping for engagement rings. “I’ve always wanted to get married,” Mr. Kay said. “I’m a romantic. I like to watch romantic comedies, Korean dramas with love stories.”
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The following month, Ms. Zhou flew to Cambodia for fieldwork, which was part of her Ph.D. program. He returned in late January 2022, in time for Mr Kay’s birthday, an opportunity he hoped to use to propose to her. But his mother, a doctor, advised Ms Zhou to self-isolate to avoid spreading Covid-19.
“She hid in the guest room, the doors closed, and we didn’t eat meals together or see each other for a week just to be safe,” Mr Kay said of Ms Zhou. The opportunity passed.
On Valentine’s Day a few weeks later, Mr. Kay thought he had another chance. He ordered takeout from their favorite restaurant and bought flowers. But as they started to eat, she felt herself having an allergic reaction.
“Apparently the restaurant had messed up my order, which was not supposed to have egg in it,” he said. He took Benadryl and a nap and spent the rest of the night monitoring his symptoms in case he needed to go to the hospital.
The third time was the charm. On March 5, 2022, he took Ms. Zhou to dinner in Boston at Gyu-Kaku, a Japanese barbecue restaurant. “I know Alex is easily embarrassed and doesn’t like public spectacle,” she said. So he kept the ring in his pocket until they got back to the car, where he finally asked her to marry him.
They held a wedding ceremony for 120 guests at Hakone Estate and Gardens in Saratoga, Calif., on April 6, complete with cherry blossoms. They were officially married on April 18 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the home of Cindy Zhao, a friend of the couple who received a one-day official from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to perform their intimate ceremony.
Chinese-American singer Katherine Ho, who sang Coldplay’s “Yellow” in Mandarin in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians,” performed several songs, including one of Mr. Kay’s favorites, Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.” Ms. Zhou’s family members flew in from China and to accommodate them, the MC and DJ were both bilingual. Ms Zhou and her maid of honor translated the ceremony speech as well as her and Mr Kay’s vows into Mandarin.
“It was a dream wedding,” Mr Kay said.