PS, I Love You

Leonard Chao and Candice Chan-Chao have been together for 16 years. She heads J Candice Interior Architects while he is director of real estate investment firm Lechare. Here, the power couple discusses how they keep the spark alive

- Tara Sobti. Portraits by Affa Chan

LEONARD CHAO

How did you know Candice was the one?

I knew even before we started dating. We were in college together and had been friends for some time. I was having a party at my place and she was helping me set up. It was cold outside and when we were done, she fell asleep on the couch. At that moment, when I saw her all curled up, I felt she was the one.

How did you propose?

It was a bit over the top. I took a series of photos, which I then framed and hung in the Pool House of the Grand Hyatt. I lured her there with the notion that I needed some advice setting up a company event. When she arrived, I unveiled the photos one by one. The final photo was a ring box and I proposed. Our surprise engagement party was at the same venue that night. I masked it as a charity event for our friends and family because I didn’t know if Candice would say yes. I’m lucky that she did and the party went on as planned.

What is the most romantic thing she has ever done for you?

They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his belly. Candice rarely cooks, but back when we were dating and living a five-hour drive apart, her in Syracuse, New York, and I in New York City, she baked me a cheesecake and drove all the way to me just so I could have it fresh. I felt so special that she put in so much effort for me. Through the years, these romantic gestures have changed, and if you consider childbirth a romantic gesture, then that is one too. I remember seeing the pain she was enduring during the labour of every child we have and feeling an overpowering love for her while she took the pain for us both.