Childhood sweethearts marry at The Repulse Bay after 23 year separation
Childhood puppy love often fades like a summer haze, but that wasn't the case for Sarah Ho and Wilson Ng.
Fashion print designer Sarah, 28, and accountant Wilson, 29, tied the knot on October 20 at The Repulse Bay after meeting as young children.
"Our mums were best friends and when they met, all the kids used to play together," Sarah said. "I remember clearly that Wilson was my partner for this silly game we used to play. When his family left for America, I refused to partner up with any other boys. In fact, I stopped playing that game for good."
Although they didn't see each other for more than 20 years, Sarah never forgot her first love. "When we reunited, he looked exactly the way I had imagined and had a smile that almost made me pass out," she said.
Wilson felt the same when he met Sarah again about a year ago in London, where she was studying fashion design at Central Saint Martins.
"I lost communication with Sarah when my family relocated, but every once in a while I would miss her," he said.
With Sarah living in Britain and Wilson in the United States, it took a nudge from destiny for their paths to cross once more.
Sarah asked her mother for Wilson's telephone number to congratulate him when she heard that one of the Ng sons was getting married. "I sent him a text message … and from then on we started texting," she said.
Growing up, Wilson often heard news about Sarah.
"Without realising it, a small part of me always thought of her as the perfect girl. Imagine my surprise when one day, after 23 years of silence, I finally got to talk to her, albeit electronically," he said. "I knew I had probably put her on a pedestal, but getting to know her better I realised that I could never imagine how great she really was … I couldn't wait another second to see her."
Sarah soon realised Wilson was all she could think about and decided to visit him. But before she got around to it, Wilson turned up in London.
"I knew that with each passing day it was a missed opportunity to meet her and make my life complete," he said. "The realisation came 10 minutes before I bought a ticket for a long ride to a country I'd never been to, to see a girl I hadn't met in all those years."
Wilson showed up in a suit and with flowers. Over the next few days, Sarah was his tour guide of the city's romantic sites.
"We talked about everything," she said. "I couldn't believe that this incredible guy had been in my life all this time and I didn't even know it."
The day after he returned to the US, Wilson rang a jeweller. Less than two months later, he hopped on a plane again - this time with a ring in his pocket.
Walking home after dinner, they had almost arrived at Sarah's apartment before Wilson got the courage to propose.
"Just before we got to her place, I asked if we could walk around some more, to the point where she was wondering if I had gone crazy. I finally got the courage to get down on one knee and asked her to give me a chance to make her happy."
Sarah said yes immediately.
"I know this sounds cheesy, but I really felt that he was the one the moment I met him again," she said. "It was as if he just appeared out of nowhere and all I could think about was how lucky I was that he found a way back into my life."
