When Rowena Kong knocked on Brian Lam's apartment door for the first time over a decade ago, she didn't only enter his life but his heart as well.
Rowena, an office manager for a hedge fund firm, and Brian, a graphic designer, were married on September 11. They celebrated with 240 guests at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.
They first met in 1997 when they were both studying in Seattle. Brian and his sister moved into the apartment opposite to where Rowena and her sister lived.
'Before they moved in, I had already heard about a Hong Kong family that was coming,' Rowena recalled. 'I was very excited because we didn't have many Chinese friends in the US back then.'
As soon as Brian moved in, Rowena popped over to greet her new neighbours.
'I still remember exactly what he wore that day and that he appeared to be very shy,' she said. 'When I went back I told my sister that a very handsome young man lived opposite us.'