Love After Decades: A Nerdy New York City Wedding with Art Deco Tiara Headband

Christine Cheng and Alex Inman's love story is a tale of perseverance and the power of staying in touch, even when life takes unexpected turns. Their journey started in fifth grade at a suburban Chicago elementary school, where they first met. By their senior year of high school, they were dating, but the distance between their respective colleges—the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford—proved too difficult to manage, leading to a breakup. However, they never fell out of touch, and even as they moved abroad, they occasionally got drinks and texted each other.

In 2022, when both of them found themselves in New York City, they decided to give their relationship another chance. Two years later, on March 14, 2025, Alex proposed to Christine in Japan with a Victorian engagement ring that had caught her eye on Instagram years earlier. The couple wed at New York's City Hall, with the date symbolic for them—while they were dating in high school, Christine had stolen a T-shirt Alex made to celebrate Pi Day and kept it throughout the years. "Yes, we are nerds," says Christine, laughing. "We also liked the symbolism of Pi representing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, with circles/rings representing eternity."

The night before their wedding, Christine, a first-generation Chinese American, held a traditional Chinese hairbrushing ceremony, which Vogue photographed for its "The Makeup of a Marriage" series. The ceremony symbolizes the groom's respect for his bride's family and culture, and it was a beautiful way to start their married life together.

As they begin their new chapter as husband and wife, Christine and Alex's love story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of staying in touch with one another. Their wedding day was filled with love, laughter, and the symbolism of eternity, making it a day they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

[Image 1: A photo of Christine Cheng and Alex Inman on their wedding day at New York's City Hall] [Image 2: A photo of Christine Cheng during the traditional Chinese hairbrushing ceremony]