Amber & Amit in Chicago, IL

Amber and Amit met their first day at Johns Hopkins University -- they were next-door neighbors in their freshman dorm. Although there was an undeniable attraction between the two, they remained just friends. After graduation, Amit stayed on in Baltimore while Amber moved home to LA. They met up again when they went with a mutual friend to Western Samoa, where another pal from their dorm days was in the Peace Corps. Amber and Amit took the same flight home, and it was during their eight-hour layover in Fiji -- sipping tropical drinks, parasailing, and finally stargazing from a hammock -- that they realized they wanted to be more than just friends. The Bride Amber Pakilit, 30, genetic counselor The Groom Amit Trivedi, 31, health information technology The Date May 26-28 Amit soon moved back to his hometown of Chicago, and after two years of long-distance dating, Amber joined him there. Five years after they began dating, the couple traveled to India for a wedding. While there, they visited the Taj Mahal, and Amit’s mother (who was in on her son’s plan) arranged for them to have a private guided tour. Their guide told the story of the building, which was built by the shah for his queen. At the end of the tour, Amit asked Amber to marry him. “Amit knew I had wanted to get engaged for some time, so he felt he had to make the proposal spectacular -- and I definitely wasn’t disappointed with the final outcome,” Amber says.