Less than 24 hours before they were to marry, Eric Xiaoyang Sun and Jennifer Sun Liu still didn’t know exactly where their wedding would take place, what the décor would be or even the time of the ceremony. But what some might have viewed as a lack of planning was, actually, the plan all along.

After all, when you choose to get married in Antarctica onboard a ship whose schedule is bound to the ever-changing January weather, you must be prepared to expect the unexpected — last-minute penguin viewings included.

“This connected right into our adventurous and spontaneous spirit when it comes to travel and our lives together,” Mr. Sun said.

When Mr. Sun and Ms. Liu, both 26, first met as freshmen at the University of Texas at Austin nine years ago, neither thought they would end up exploring the world together — or even end up dating at all. At the dorm hangout during which they initially crossed paths, Ms. Liu had arrived intending to be a wing woman for her roommate, who liked a boy who was hanging out with Mr. Sun.

Mr. Sun, on the other hand, quickly developed a crush on Ms. Liu and confessed his interest to her best friend, who, naturally, told her. But, Mr. Sun’s “feelings weren’t reciprocated,” and Ms. Liu told him as much to not “lead him on,” she said.

However, when Mr. Sun headed to Argentina that summer to study for a semester, the duo kept in touch frequently via text and Snapchat. After a pivotal night of “a few too many fernet con colas,” Mr. Sun found the courage to ask Ms. Liu out on a post-trip date.