The New York Times published a heartwarming wedding announcement on Sunday to celebrate the union of Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry, and his new husband Cheng He.

Evan still recalls telling his mother as a child that he didn’t think he would ever get married. Not only did he have an inclination at an early age about the unique path his life would take, but he also remembered feeling that “the images of marriage in society didn’t include me.” Still, like others, he always dreamed of falling in love and spending the rest of his life caring for someone else.

In college, he came to the realization that “marriage reflected this societal language of commitment and worth, and the law cemented it.” He became one of the earliest advocates for the freedom to marry when he wrote his Harvard Law School thesis on the topic in 1983 and questioned the laws that excluded him and others from the institution. Ten years later, he founded the Freedom to Marry Coalition during his time as a senior staff lawyer for Lambda Legal.

Evan met Cheng online in 2002 and the two instantly fell for each other. They met in person and began to spend time together, exploring their common interests. They traveled together and saw sights in Spain, Portugal, Peru, China, and other parts of the world. “I began to realize this was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,” said Cheng.

In 2008, Evan proposed to Cheng, telling him: “As we travel life’s journey, I’d be lost without you. Let’s travel together. Will you marry me?” On the Chinese New Year of this year, the two “donned platinum engagement rings on their rights hands, and waited,” writes New York Times author Nate Schweber, until they could legally marry in the state they called home. When Governor Cuomo signed marriage into law in June, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

Evan and Cheng married on October 15 in New York City in front of about 50 close friends and family members, and were finally able to put their wedding rings on their left hands. They will celebrate their honeymoon this winter in Antarctica.

To make a donation to Freedom to Marry in honor of Evan and Cheng, click here. To read the full New York Times wedding announcement, click here. Freedom to Marry thanks author Nate Schweber for such a touching feature, and congratulates Evan and Cheng!