Ashley & Jen Deng Lee

MARRIED 13 MARCH 2022

Ashley & Jen Deng (JD) are two people you just know go hand in hand - they literally meet each other exactly where the other stops, almost like that the two of them together are the perfect representation of the Yin & Yang partnership. They just fit together perfectly, and completely support each others’ endeavours. They became very comfortable with each other very quickly and it was clear right from the very start that there were no hidden agendas, and that they very clearly liked each other and wanted to be with each other for the rest of their lives - a future that is looking very strong for the both of them!

You’d probably never guess they met when JD was Ashley’s coach, and also the head weightlifting coach at the gym she joined. That was 4.5 years ago in 2017! 

According to JD, Ashley's passion, care, selflessness and drive, combined with the fact that she is the most beautiful person JD had ever met as well as her intelligence and personality made it very easy to fall in love with her. Similarly, from the very beginning for Ashley, JD found a way to fit perfectly into her life, which at that point was a whirlwind of chaos that didn't nearly have enough hours in each day. JD would bring Ashley surprise chocolates at work, got up at 5am with her to make her breakfast, and trained with her late at night. He found a way to be a part of Ashley's life without being intrusive and overbearing - he understood what she needed and made it all work.

One of their best memories together was a time when Ashley was competing in her first weightlifting competition with JD. They were the #powercouple! Another is when they sitting on Darling Harbour with cocktails celebrating their change of career paths. These were the first of many major milestone moments in their lives - in both their physical/fitness goals and career goals. Another awesome memory is early on in their relationship. They hadn't been dating long when Ashley was looking at display homes trying to find her first house. After a day of looking around at new places, JD said 'we could always buy it together', and they did, making it a couple goal, rather than an individual goal, and further cementing that they both compliment each other so perfectly. And one of the best memories was on their flight to Vanuatu. The man sitting behind them asked if they were actors, simply because, in his own words, he'd “never seen two people act so happy and in love” in his life before. It just meant so much to the both of them - a validation that everything they had been doing was on the right path towards their greater future.

One of the funniest memories they have is from their rehearsals for their epic dance routine they performed on the night of their wedding. According to JD, Ash's hair has a mind of its own where it flicks him in the eyes, or gets in his mouth inevitably, and multiple times each dance practice. He blames it on the lethal “ponytail of death” Ashley sported for every practice session, turning more and more lethal every time JD practiced a spin with Ashley. After the first few sessions, JD ended up subconsciously ‘double-chinning’ himself, pulling a funny face trying to avoid Ashley’s hair as she spun. Every time he pulled the face, Ashley lost it, laughing so hard every time she saw his face, causing them to inevitably end up wheezing together trying to collect themselves! And let’s not talk about Ashley’s just as lethal elbows!!

But taking a step back to talk of their love together, it was pretty obvious from their third date, even though they hadn’t openly acknowledged that they were dating. They were walking back to their cars, they both blurted out the same question “What was this?” Which was each of them trying to hope that the other was just as into them as they were, and of course, the rest is history.

Their time together has been amazing, sharing adventures from Fitzroy Falls to Vanuatu, where they have fed giant turtles, hiked to and swam in amazing secluded waterfalls, and trekking on horseback to end up swimming with the horses in a lagoon - pretty amazing if you ask us!!

CONGRATULATIONS ASHLEY & JEN DENG!