In 2017, they finally landed in the same place. They moved in together in Rosslyn, Va., just outside of Washington. Mr. McFawn was in graduate school and Ms. Chen was a news anchor at WJLA-TV. In February 2020, Ms. Chen moved to New York City for a job as a correspondent at CBS Newspath, and they lived apart again. When the pandemic began and work went remote, he moved to New York to be with her in April 2020.
In January 2023, the couple took a trip to Montauk, N.Y., and Mr. McFawn suggested they get up to watch the sunrise at the beach. At first there was a morning haze, but then came an orange glow. Mr. McFawn got down on one knee and proposed.
“I always wanted to have a very private moment, and sunrise on the beach, in the middle of the winter, was definitely it,” Ms. Chen said.
Ms. Chen is a correspondent with CBS News, based in New York. She graduated from U.S.C. as a trustee scholar with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. Mr. McFawn is a freelance strategy consultant and runs his own business, Vexillum Global Advisors, a practice that advises clients on claiming dual citizenship by descent. He has a bachelor’s degree from U.S.C. in business administration and political science, as well as a master’s degree in foreign service and an M.B.A. from Georgetown.
The two were married Sept. 30 at Croad Vineyards, a winery in Paso Robles, Calif., before 33 guests. Ariel Wesler, a friend of the couple who was ordained by the Universal Life Church for this event, officiated. A reception followed at the winery. In celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and in honor of Ms. Chen’s heritage, the Cal Poly Lion Dance team performed.
The couple chose the California setting because it brought them back to 13 years ago, when they were first dating. “After all these years and all these places,” Ms. Chen said, “This is still our happy spot and where we fell in love.”
