Highlights of the wedding.

Gotta balance stuff out with what made the wedding memorable in a good way, aside from the joy of marrying the man I love.

Jane Tran and Fionna Cheng
I am absolutely grateful to everyone that helped at the wedding. My mom made gorgeous arrangements for the centerpieces and for the front of the church. Denise Nakamura decorated the church beautifully, adding more to the flowers we gave her. Mr.A and the band were fantastic. Akemi really helped secure the bm dresses. Kelly filled in at the last minute to be a bridesmaid. But Fionna and Jane are the ones that stand out.

Fionna is Jane's sister-in-law. Without these two, I think the wedding wouldn't have been bearable.

I was originally just going to have Jane, along with another high school friend Denise, help me decorate the church with the flowers we would provide. When P. Wayne recommended I get my own coordinator (like a trusted relative) outside of the church, and then saw that Jane was interning to get herself into the wedding business, I jumped at the chance to get her some experience.

Jane and I didn't start off with a great relationship. I remember meeting her in 7th grade when she transferred to my school. I thought she was really pretty, but felt she was trying too hard to fit in. At the time, I was running for student body, and she randomly approached me and asked if she could be my campaign manager. Our relationship got worse as 7th grade continued, and we actually got into one of the lamest fist fights I've ever been in. Actually, probably the only fist fight I've ever been in. Anyhow, it wasn't a real fight, but it did more damage to what I thought of her.

It took many years, my accepting Christ and learning about forgiveness, and the wonders of Facebook that got us back in contact with each other. The first thing I did was apologize to her for being such a retard back then, and she forgave me. And she was gracious enough to help me with the wedding.

The link to Fionna came when I decided I ought to actually get someone professional to do at least my hair and makeup. There was minor drama with the girl I was originally going to use, but I'm so glad Fionna came on board.

Fionna had been in the business for a while, I believe starting off with a bridal boutique. She currently does hair and makeup, and designs and makes wedding gowns and dresses. She does amazing work. That's how she was able to save my dress situation.

On top of hair and makeup for me and 2 of my bridesmaids, Fionna also ended up doing my sister's and her girlfriend's hair, along with fixing the hair and makeup of my MIL. I didn't get a good look at MIL when she got to the church that Saturday afternoon, but I'm told it was pretty bad. It wasn't just for me that she saved the day for. :)

Shameless plug: You can see some of Fionna's work on her FB page - http://www.facebook.com/makeupbyfionna. Rates and contact info available at http://www.makeupbyfionna.com/

L.A. Color
My photo and video guys are partners in a company called L.A. Color. I got a good amount of feedback from guests and family that they're sure that we will get great video and pictures. Guests were impressed with how social Taky (video) was, and how he went around getting interviews from people. Fionna got glimpses of Sam's photos, mostly because he was complimenting her on how well her makeup shot. Yay networking.

They were great to work with. They were fabulous at communicating with me. I didn't worry that they wouldn't get good footage. Complete trust, which is unusual for me.

Shameless plug: Their website is http://lacolor.com/.

Moments with my dad.
This is the biggie. I've had quite the rollercoaster of a relationship with my dad. I suppose I started out feeling like the favorite. My sister was never too happy with that. However, my dad and I grew apart as I started growing up.

My dad has always been a little difficult to connect with. My sister and I have always been, and probably still a bit are, afraid to talk to him. We knew that he loved us, but it was hard to see. Being Chinese really plays into that, I think. My mom also explained to me once that his entire family is just like that. Not very expressive when it comes to positive emotions.

I cling to the good memories I have with him like a lifeline. The favorite memory I share with people is the first time I remember ever making him laugh. It was such a shock.... and exhilarating surprise. I'm sure he smiled and laughed often when I was much much younger, but I don't really recall any of those moments.

The next best memory is from the engagement. He came into the bathroom during my final touches. The look of pride in his eyes and the smile he gave me just made me beam. They put me on top of the world.

Finally, I served tea to him the morning of the wedding. Goodness, and I'm crying all over again. This is probably the most precious of memories I have with him now. I don't think I've ever seen him cry so hard for me. He cried when I left Cali for WA, but not like this. We clung to each other, and I didn't want the moment to go away. And I was crying so hard that Jane wanted to call an ambulence, she thought I was having a heart attack.

His disapproval and criticism has put me to tears and breakdowns several times. I have had MANY nightmares about him, waking up with tears in my eyes and gasping for breath. There has been enough tension in our relationship that just thinking about him could start me crying. Talking about him would always choke me up. But now I have these good moments with him to remind me of how much he loves me.