Desmond proposed to Kanny in January 2024 during a holiday to Taiwan with a group of friends.
Describing himself as someone who “doesn’t really make grand gestures”, Desmond said he was cracking his head for a perfect way to propose, and was told by friends the key to moving Kanny would be to have others present.
He did not know how to gather all his friends for the moment, but it so happened that he was presented with the perfect opportunity when over 10 of his pals could make it for the trip together.
He proposed at Yangmingshan, which is also why they decided to hold the wedding at a hilltop location here.
“There were also cable cars in the background, which made for good photos. We will be able to look back and remember ‘Oh, that’s how the cable cars looked like’. We’re both bad at remembering things, and it’s something that will remind us of the moment,” he laughed.
Desmond did not propose with a ring either.
“Kanny is not the kind to wear rings, and is also prone to losing things. I remembered her telling me about a beautiful watch, so I proposed with it — it’s harder to lose, and she will actually wear it, unlike a ring,” he quipped.
The watch that he proposed with is a silver “classic model” from Cartier, and it was a piece that Kanny had always wanted.
Desmond’s friends were a key part to his proposal. Not only were they present for the special moment, they also helped with keeping the watch and scouting out the location ahead of time.
Desmond revealed that he and Kanny were never the type to think about marriage.
“It’s not that we never want to get married, but we never saw the need. But we’ve been together for so long, so we decided to continue our lives together with a change in status. We don’t want to wait for another five years where we might possibly look wrinkly and old in our wedding photos, and end up regretting not getting married earlier,” he said.
He continued: “We’ve never discussed getting married or having children in the past, ‘cos we were both more focused on our careers.”
The couple now has plans to have kids in the future, and are “traditional” in the sense that they want to be married before welcoming little ones.
However, Desmond also adds: “We’re not young anymore, so we’ll leave it up to fate. It’s not safe for women to have kids at an older age anyway, so we’re not going to force it. If it happens, it happens.”
When asked what he’s most looking forward to after getting married, Desmond said: “I wasn’t exactly hiding my relationship before this, so I don’t think I’ll feel any different. It’s just a nice feeling of having a ‘renewed status’ of being [someone’s husband] lor.”
After a slight pause, he added with a chuckle: “Oh, and look forward to giving ang pows [during Chinese New Year] lor. Aiya, sian.”