Tulsi Gabbard and husband Abraham Williams 7-year

Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, has been married to filmmaker Abraham Williams since 2015.

Although Williams is seven years Gabbard’s junior — she’s presently 44 — the age distinction hasn’t posed any issues for the pair, who have been romantically linked since roughly 2013.

Williams has supported Gabbard throughout her political profession — from her tenure as a Hawaii congresswoman to her 2020 presidential bid and now her function in President Donald Trump‘s cupboard.

The pair marked their tenth marriage ceremony anniversary in April. Gabbard took to Instagram to commemorate a decade with her partner, sharing, “I can’t believe it’s already been ten years since we got married.”

She added, “Darling, I’m so blessed and grateful to be married to you — my best friend, my partner in all things, my surf buddy, my rock, my confidant, and the one who always finds a way to make me laugh.”

Here’s how their romance started and particulars about their Hawaiian marriage ceremony ceremony.

How Tulsi Gabbard encountered her partner

The duo first crossed paths when Williams was doing volunteer work for her 2012 congressional marketing campaign in Hawaii. Williams was working as a photographer at that time and captured a number of of the key pictures utilized in her marketing campaign efforts.

Beyond his marketing campaign contributions for Gabbard, Williams has produced content centered on charitable causes and for extra authorities figures, including former Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

Williams’ mom, Anya Anthony, served as the previous congresswoman’s district workplace supervisor in Honolulu from 2013 to 2021, which might clarify how the pair turned acquainted before they started romantically concerned.

A 12 months and a half after their initial assembly through Williams’ volunteer actions, Gabbard revealed to The New York Times in a 2015 interview, “He asked me out for the first time at a birthday party that a mutual friend of ours threw for me. It was the first time that we had a chance to kick back, relax and really talk on a personal level.”

Following that encounter, they developed their connection and found quite a few shared pursuits. Eventually, they went on their first official date.

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“We went for a long walk on our first date, and ended up at a pickup volleyball game with a few friends. Pretty soon, we were going on hikes, going surfing and spending as much time together as we could,” Gabbard revealed to The New York Times. “Oftentimes, that meant an early-morning surf before work. Our friendship and relationship developed over our mutual love for the ocean and surfing.”

Their shared ardour for browsing made Williams’ proposal to Gabbard during a sundown surf on The South Shore in Hawaii the best engagement. “Once we got out there, past where the waves were breaking, it was beautiful, the sun was setting, and he paddled over after a minute or two and was leaning over his board, and that’s when he pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him,” Gabbard told PEOPLE.

Tulsi Gabbard’s marriage ceremony in Hawaii

The pair tied the knot in 2015 during an open-air celebration on Oahu’s japanese shoreline at Kahalu’u, a location steeped in historical past. Both natives of Hawaii who follow Hinduism, their nuptials mirrored a Hawaiian-Hindu fusion ceremony.

“It was the fish pond that the native Hawaiian people used to feed the village,” Gabbard told PEOPLE in an interview forward of the marriage. She described the historic location as “a secluded area with palm trees, with flowers, a quiet peaceful place.”

They honored a customary Vedic ritual with a Brahmin serving as the officiant.

“It’s a ceremony that has been used and practiced by the followers of the Vedas from India for thousands of years. Some of the ceremony will be in Sanskrit, which is the language of the Vedas, and some will be in English,” Gabbard explained to PEOPLE.

Williams stays by Gabbard’s aspect throughout her political journey and captures pictures of her at work.

Before their 10-year milestone, Williams shared on Instagram a number of pictures he captured of his partner in Washington, D. C., and wrote in the caption, “It is hard for me to describe the level of selflessness that Tulsi embodies. To say she is not a politician is an understatement.”

He went on to say, “She is a patriot who loves this country, who does what she does because she cares about people. I have seen this everyday of the almost 10 years we have been married.”