
Last December, our team had the amazing opportunity to travel to Japan with two beloved friends of ours, Vincent & Ivana. Ivana is one of our work colleagues from the office, and we find it so valuable how much she trusts and appreciates our work.
We had the best time (as one would when traveling to Japan). We ate, we laughed, we ran, and visited some astonishing places. With this gallery, Vincent & Ivana were kind enough to chat with us about the story of their relationship. Last month, they had recently tied the knot, and are now living in Melbourne together.
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1. First of all, congrats! How has married life been?
V: Thanks! There hasn’t been much change surprisingly. I get to eat Ivana’s home cooking pretty much every day though, which is great!
I: To be honest, it's the same as before. I think it's because we have dated for 7+years, which has been a looong time.
2. Let's go back in time a bit – when and how did you two meet?
V: We officially first met on an English placement test for Trinity Foundation Studies.
I: We first met at Trinity College Foundation Studies' orientation day back in June 2012. That day, we had to sit for an English test that was supposed to allocate us. The test seating arrangement was in "last name" order, so I had to sit beside Vincent (his last name is Yuwono and mine is Wutami). After the test ended, I tried to talk to him, knowing that he is Indonesian from his name (but that was it, at least for that moment).
V: Ivana probably recognised that I am Indonesian so she greeted me first. I then met her again in the evening unexpectedly because I was invited to dinner by my other friends. We started talking and hanging out together after that.


I: Since we were all new to Melbourne, one of the more proactive students often invited everyone from our batch for outings and dinners. This is where I mostly met Vincent initially. I later found out that Vincent and I happened to be in the same class for one of our subjects (Literature), so I naturally got a little closer to him (many times I would ask him literature stuff because he was a lot better in English and I have never studied literature in my life before.)
We hung out with our group of friends really often, but when I started to feel comfortable around him — I noticed that Vincent is very gentle and honest, unlike many others — I would sometimes go out alone with him. A few months later, Vincent asked me out. We dated for 7+ years before getting married :)


3. How did you realise that you wanted to be with this person for the rest of your life?
I: One of the main reasons was his traits/personalities that are unlike most others. Vincent is really mature and me, being quite young when I first started dating him, learnt a lot from him. I believe that how I think now, or my principles, are partly influenced by him. Vincent is also a reliable and family-oriented guy, two important traits for me personally.
V: I can’t say there is a particular time or moment, but she has seen the best and worst side of me during our 7 years and has always been on my side. So I want to do the same for her.
I: For me, it was not really the thought of "I want to spend the rest of my life with him", but more of a "I don't really remember my life before him and can't imagine life without him.”

4. So, Japan! Tell me all about it!
I: Japan was memorable because it has always been Vincent's favourite vacation place.
V: I always remember the time we spent on Takayama Old Town because it is something that the two of us always wanted to do. It was just a stroll along the streets, and eating all the street foods we can find. But I would say that DisneySea was probably the best because I have been telling her I wanted to go to a Disney park with her for the longest time, so it was a dream come true for me :)






I: The trip was our first without our parents. Vincent and I have always dreamt of going to Disneyland/Universal Studios together, both finally realised during our Japan trip. Moreover, the photoshoots, although tiring, were fun and meaningful.
5. That’s so sweet! Okay, last but not least, what are your hopes/plans for the near future?
V: I’m on my last semester of graduate school so I want to finish it ASAP. That way, I can start working full time and support Ivana much better. We are planning to stay in Melbourne so hopefully, Ivana’s spouse visa goes smoothly.
I: I hope that we could grow even more together in the future, while loving each other like we always have. I also hope for us to always be happy.
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Vincent and Ivana officially signed their marriage papers on February 19th in the Old Treasury Building. The civil signing was attended by their closest friends, and they plan to hold a wedding later in the year.
*interview has been edited for clarity
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