It’s my absolute pleasure to bring Verina and Fred onto the Journal today to share their love story. From the moment I met them, it is clear how much these two adore each other. Verina is also a very talented photographer (find her work here!), and Verina and Fred will often do photoshoots together. Verina and Fred also have an adorable little boy, Fred VI (named after his dad!), whom they lovingly refer to as “Jūn”. They live and work in Lehi, Utah.
Where/when/how/why did you two meet?
Freddy and I met on his twenty-first birthday through our mutual friend Gavin. I had gone to school with Gavin and ran into him at a homecoming luncheon. We got talking about my mission to Taiwan, and Gavin asked if I knew his best friend Freddy from high school who also served in the same mission. Funnily enough I knew exactly who he was talking about. Freddy and I had never officially met, but I knew exactly who he was. How could anyone miss someone so handsome? Gavin invited me to Freddy’s birthday party that night, and that’s where we officially met.
Who said "I love you" first?
It was definitely me! I’m pretty sure it slipped out my mouth when Freddy was dropping me off one day. I remember closing the car door and saying “love you!” and then blushing and watching an embarrassed smile from across his face as I turned to leave.
What is your philosophy for keeping your love strong?
Fred and I come from very different cultural backgrounds. We have always known that it would be inevitable that we’d change as people individually and together over the years. Knowing this, we keep our love strong by growing together. Even though we both have changed over the years, we’ve been determined to stick together even when it gets tough. Communication with a lot of kindness, humility, and forgiveness is key to keeping our marriage strong.
“We have always known that it would be inevitable that we’d change as people individually and together over the years. Knowing this, we keep our love strong by growing together.”
What is your favorite thing to talk about?
My favorite thing to talk about is growth! I love going on long car rides with Fred because that’s when we really get talking, and I love touching base and talking all about growth. Growth is everything to me! It means changing, achieving goals, making dreams come true, and traveling!
What is your favorite activity to do as a couple?'
My favorite activity to do as a couple is going on photo shoots together! Freddy recently got me my first film camera, and I can’t wait to start using it together. It’s a Kodak reusable Ultra F9 film camera.
What is your favorite way to show your love to each other?
One of our favorite ways of showing we love each other is making food for each other and making a little heart sign to each other wherever we go.
Tell me about your favorite trip together as a couple.
Our favorite trip together has definitely been the one we took to San Francisco in May 2022! It was the first trip we took together as a little family with our son Freddy Jūn. We always talk about the importance of being in the right mental space when on vacation or traveling. This time we got to that space much faster than we have in the past. It allowed us to relax a little more and enjoy the little moments.
Thank you so much, Fred and Verina for sharing your love. Your relationship is #goals! You can find more of Verina at her website: https://www.verinachenphoto.com/ her instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/verinachenphoto/ and https://www.instagram.com/verinachen/ , and on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/c/verinachen