People & Events
We talk to four Hong Kong couples about love, romance and long-lasting healthy relationships.
February is a month of celebration: starting off with the Lunar New Year, closely followed by the day of lovers. For this year’s Valentine’s Day, we join Hong Kong couples as they reflect on their relationship and share diverse stories of romance.
(Answers from Janet)
We were shooting a jewellery commercial together.
I think trust and giving each other enough space are very important. It’s very basic, but it does takes time to achieve.
Our most memorable moment isn’t Valentine’s Day, but our anniversary.
Seeing each other, our children and the people around us being happy brings us most joy.
I’m not telling, as I won’t betray my loved one — a secret is a secret.
For many couples, the goal is to be happy ever after. As we still have a long run ahead, we hope to achieve that — like everyone else — by loving each other till the end.
(Answers from May and Jodie)
We met at an event a couple years ago through mutual friends.
Communication, mutual respect and trust. Taking an interest in each other’s interests, knowing each other well in terms of the weak and strong parts, and being able to support and cover each other. Prioritising one’s partner over one’s self gives a healthy dynamic.
Jodie: The most memorable moment was our official first date. May set up a picnic at Tamar Park and she curated different foods from places that I like. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and the meal together alongside a playlist I created. We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, as it can be every day. We make an effort to have regular date nights and keep the romance. We also take a huge number of pictures and videos together to keep every moment unforgettable.
We’re both very people-oriented — we both love to eat and spend time with people we love, sharing experiences. Also travelling to new places together and discovering the stories behind things we’re interested in keeps us happy.
Jodie: For anyone who doesn’t know May, she’s a softy — her emotions, in terms of being touched, are easily moved by things and people around her.
May: Jodie is the alpha and the rock who’s able to secure us, as well as the decision-maker in our relationship.
Romance should be all the time, so we love to celebrate Valentine’s Day not just on that day but normal days too, perhaps cooking a meal at home just to keep it simple and intimate.
We’re going to get married and have a celebration of us as a married couple, rather than a commitment to start a family at this stage. There are many adventures for discovery, things we’re looking forward to exploring and achieving together before the next stage.
(Answers from Cara)
We were introduced by friends in New York.
For us it comes naturally. We genuinely are each other’s best friends and love being in each other’s company. We share the same interests — we both love to cook and we make each other laugh a lot. We also respect and support each other.
Most recently, the birth of our beautiful daughter Ireland, who brings us so much joy every day.
Sharing all these amazing milestones together. We love just being home and having our family over, cooking for them and taking in all these special moments.
Matt makes a mean breakfast sandwich.
Last year we had an amazing lunch at L’Envol. Matt knows that a good cheese course is the way to my heart. This year will probably involve some kind of cheesy date.
We’ve both always appreciated design, and we love interiors and furniture. We’d love to design and build a home together from scratch.
(Answers from Charlz)
We were introduced by a mutual friend at a friend’s karaoke gathering.
Being transparent is most important in maintaining our relationship. Putting everything on the table and talking about it can help avoid misunderstanding and friction.
A memorable moment was Clement playing a love song to me on his guitar. The most unforgettable Valentine’s Day is yet to come, as this will be our first — we’re looking forward to it.
As simple as waking up next to each other every day.
Clement participated in the Good Night Show hosted on ViuTV.
We haven’t planned much this year as the Covid restrictions mean we’re unable to do much, so we’ll keep it simple and cook a nice meal at home instead. The must-do list this year is not to eat at Carbon, as we go there almost every day — it’s better to do something different on this special day with Clement. We both love Marvel, so we’ll probably re-watch The Avengers together.
We’ve done quite a lot in our time together, including meeting family, looking after each other while ill, going to the gym and working out together, making small tokens of appreciation and giving surprises that make each other’s day better. Perhaps what we haven’t achieved yet is independency, as we literally spend most of our non-work hours together.
PHOTOGRAPHY ALISON KWAN
STYLING JEREMY WONG
LOCATION THE HARI HONG KONG
HIGH-JEWELLERY POMELLATO
The post Be My Valentine: 4 Hong Kong Couples on Relationships & Romance appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.