LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX News) — A Lexington woman and her long-distance boyfriend are hoping their love story captures the hearts of voters nationwide as they compete for the title of “America’s Favorite Couple.”
Maggie Hughes of Lexington and her boyfriend, Brian Yu of San Francisco, are among roughly 2,000 couples vying for the honor. The winning couple will receive a $20,000 cash prize, a photo shoot in Variety magazine and a celebrity dinner experience.
Their relationship began in an unlikely place: a Facebook dating group.
“We were thrown into a group chat with like 500 people,” Hughes said. “You just pop in whenever you feel like it.”
The two first connected during an online discussion that turned contentious. Hughes said Yu stepped in to defend her from an online bully before sending her a private message.
“Brian was like, ‘Hey, if you ever wanna send me a DM,’” Hughes recalled. “And I’m like, ‘Hey, a DM.’ So we talked for like two weeks.”
What started as friendly conversation quickly grew into a romantic relationship.
Now, more than two years later, the couple is planning to get married.
Despite living on opposite sides of the country, Hughes and Yu say they have made their relationship work through frequent FaceTime calls, regular visits and a strong commitment to each other.
“Love happens when you least expect it,” Hughes said. “Especially in this time, how it’s so hard for younger couples to find it, for us it happened. I think it’s a story people can relate to now more than ever.”
Friends and family affectionately refer to the couple as “Braggie,” and when Hughes noticed the America’s Favorite Couple competition online, they decided to give it a try.
“We decided to enter because Maggie had been on social media and saw it pop up a few times,” Yu said. “She was like, ‘Hey, why not try out this competition and see how far we can get?’ And I was like, ‘Sure, why not throw our names in the ring?’”
If they win, the couple says the prize money will help pay for their upcoming wedding.
For now, Hughes and Yu are enjoying the opportunity to share their story with people across the country. And regardless of the competition’s outcome, they say they have already won the most important prize: each other.
