Copyright Los Angeles Times
Austin Long and Vanessa Durán knew they were right for each other. They just had to grow up first. The pair met when Durán was 21 and Long was 18. She had just graduated from UCLA and was living in the Alpha Delta Pi house as she was interviewing for jobs. Long had come to California from Dover, New Hampshire the year before, having just sold his first company, SquareOne, as a high school senior. They matched on Tinder. “ I still am, but I always was very introverted, so I would mostly stay inside,” said Long. “And then I worked a lot with my first company. So Tinder was a lot easier for me to meet people since I didn’t need to go outside at all.” For Durán, originally from Watsonville, CA, Tinder was “the cool, new app,” several young adults were using. Their first date was at iPic in Westwood. Durán could see he was smart and kind; Long fell for her intellect and charm. In just over a year, they realized they’d go the distance. “I saw how hard she worked and how much she cared for people around her,” said Long. “And I think I saw as well how much she supported me in my endeavors, my dreams and my work.” Durán felt the same. “ I could see how much work he puts into his business and how much he cares about that,” she said. She also loved that he lived a healthy lifestyle. “I wasn’t afraid that one day, my partner was gonna go off on a bender and I’d have to pick up the pieces or anything like that.” They weren’t in a rush, knowing they were still learning who they were as young professionals. The couple lived together for a few years, allowing themselves to settle into a routine, and grow in their lives and work. They got a Yorkshire Terrier together, christening it Cash. Durán, a first-generation college graduate, considered being a lawyer, but realized she wasn’t interested in 14-hour days and the race to make partner. Instead, she earned her master’s degree from UCLA’s law school in legal studies, specializing in human resources and employment law, and went on to several roles in HR, including at SpaceX, ByteDance and TikTok. Long built and sold another company, then founded one more. Youtooz is a collectibles company that creates merchandise from several popular video games and other pop culture, including influencers and content creators. When that company - and the desire to be closer to his parents, who retired in Orlando - took him to Miami, the couple knew it was time to make some decisions about their future. They began dating long distance while Durán built her own career in Los Angeles, but they knew they wanted to be together. Durán, however, wasn’t moving to Miami without some kind of guarantee. “No ring, no move,” she laughed. In 2023, she was visiting Long in Miami, and he proposed on the beach at Key Biscayne. “I kind of knew it was coming,” she said. “ We didn’t have fireworks or anything grand. It was just very him. It was very sweet. It was very intentional and thoughtful.” Three months later, she moved across the country. And two years after that, on Aug. 2, 2025, the couple became Mr. and Mrs. Austin Long in a wedding at the Bel-Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades. “ It was very easy to pick LA because most of our friends and family are either living in LA or living within a reasonable driving distance to LA,” said Durán. “The [venue’s] architecture is so airy and Mediterranean, and when you have your ceremony you’re overlooking the ocean, which I thought was just so beautiful and so California.” As self-described “big foodies,” and loved the club’s in-house catering menu. She enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres, including Wagyu tacos and king crab legs. He agreed, calling out the grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato sauce. There was steak for the main course and an ice cream bar for dessert. The couple took a “mini moon” in St. Kitts in September, and they are building a new life in Miami, with a new friend group, and activities like going to sports and arts events, as well as festivals. In December, they head to Japan on their official honeymoon. The itinerary includes stops in Tokyo and Kyoto, a day trip to see the wild Sika deer in Nara Park and a trip to Hokkaido for local cuisine. Long also plans to ski. “He’s also going to meet with some business partners out there,” Durán teases gently. “He can’t help himself. He’s gotta sneak in something work related, even on a vacation.”
