Brandon and Ali were married Saturday. They met in the 3rd grade.
In search of a home church, Ali and her family visited Northwest Chinese Baptist Church. While the 3rd grade girls kindly welcomed Ali into their group, the same could not be said for the boys...in particular, a chubby kid named Brandon, who would constantly taunt her and tease her in front of all the other boys and girls. When Ali's parents asked if she wanted to make Northwest her home church, she firmly refused. All because of Brandon. The family moved on, eventually calling another church home.
A few years later, when Ali was fifteen, she attended a visitation to support her best friend Adam, whose grandmother had just passed away. During the visitation, Adam introduced her to his now handsome and athletically built first-cousin named Brandon. Immediately Ali recognized Brandon as that little boy who absolutely terrorized her childhood. Without even thinking, she started off the conversation by blurting out the question: "Did you used to be chubby?" A bit caught off guard and startled, Brandon let out a sigh and replied "yes". Ali proceeded to remind Brandon of how mean he used to be, how he constantly terrorized her, how he used to always make fun of her, and how he was the reason why she had to leave Northwest. With grace, subtlety, and a slight sense of humor, Brandon kindly pointed out to Ali the inappropriateness of her timing considering the unfortunate circumstances that had reunited them. Adam's late grandmother was also Brandon's grandmother.
Ali felt terrible and Brandon was kind and gracious. He recognized Ali's innocent intentions, and the two kindly exchanged apologies...for past and present offenses.
Five years later, Brandon and Ali would be reacquainted once again at a summer Youth Camp where they both served as Jr. high counselors. It was there that Brandon says he fell in love with Ali "spiritually" after observing her love for her campers and her heart for prayer, while Ali says that it was there that she realized that Brandon was the funniest person she had ever met. A friendship was formed.
Over the next year, whenever Ali returned home from college during the holidays, they would see each other at various hangouts and get-togethers allowing them to get to know each other better.
In the summer of 2008, when Brandon received an offer to work for ESPN in Connecticut, Ali would be the first person he called. And when Ali needed help picking out a new car, Brandon would be the person she called. There at the Tempe Honda dealership they talked for hours...sharing their fears and anxieties about their respective futures and what God had in store for their lives.
That day, the two agreed that they would live each day to the fullest. That they would enjoy every moment of that summer. One of the first things they decided to do was to join a few of their friends for a road trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain. At Six Flags, Brandon pretended to feel sick just so he could stay with Ali whose stomach couldn't handle all the rides. By the time they had returned home, Brandon and Ali were in love.
Even though they were just one month away from going their separate ways - with Ali returning to UC Berkley and Brandon headed to Connecticut- and even though everyone thought they were crazy for considering a long-distance relationship, they decided that summer to make it official and commit themselves to one another.
Being 2,600 miles apart with a three hour time difference, Brandon and Ali's first year together consisted of 8 coast-to-coast round-trip flights, 4 hours a day talking on the phone, and thousands of text messages. After a year, Ali graduated from UC Berkeley and was accepted into the University of Connecticut for graduate school. That June, exactly one year into their relationship and after 15 years of knowing one another, Brandon and Ali were reunited once again in Connecticut. They have been inseparable ever since.
It was such a blessing to be a part of Brandon and Ali's wedding day. It is clear that God brought them together and it was so fun to be a witness to the joy of this day.
The morning started with the girls getting ready. How cute is this hanger Ali found on Etsy?
In search of a home church, Ali and her family visited Northwest Chinese Baptist Church. While the 3rd grade girls kindly welcomed Ali into their group, the same could not be said for the boys...in particular, a chubby kid named Brandon, who would constantly taunt her and tease her in front of all the other boys and girls. When Ali's parents asked if she wanted to make Northwest her home church, she firmly refused. All because of Brandon. The family moved on, eventually calling another church home.
A few years later, when Ali was fifteen, she attended a visitation to support her best friend Adam, whose grandmother had just passed away. During the visitation, Adam introduced her to his now handsome and athletically built first-cousin named Brandon. Immediately Ali recognized Brandon as that little boy who absolutely terrorized her childhood. Without even thinking, she started off the conversation by blurting out the question: "Did you used to be chubby?" A bit caught off guard and startled, Brandon let out a sigh and replied "yes". Ali proceeded to remind Brandon of how mean he used to be, how he constantly terrorized her, how he used to always make fun of her, and how he was the reason why she had to leave Northwest. With grace, subtlety, and a slight sense of humor, Brandon kindly pointed out to Ali the inappropriateness of her timing considering the unfortunate circumstances that had reunited them. Adam's late grandmother was also Brandon's grandmother.
Ali felt terrible and Brandon was kind and gracious. He recognized Ali's innocent intentions, and the two kindly exchanged apologies...for past and present offenses.
Five years later, Brandon and Ali would be reacquainted once again at a summer Youth Camp where they both served as Jr. high counselors. It was there that Brandon says he fell in love with Ali "spiritually" after observing her love for her campers and her heart for prayer, while Ali says that it was there that she realized that Brandon was the funniest person she had ever met. A friendship was formed.
Over the next year, whenever Ali returned home from college during the holidays, they would see each other at various hangouts and get-togethers allowing them to get to know each other better.
In the summer of 2008, when Brandon received an offer to work for ESPN in Connecticut, Ali would be the first person he called. And when Ali needed help picking out a new car, Brandon would be the person she called. There at the Tempe Honda dealership they talked for hours...sharing their fears and anxieties about their respective futures and what God had in store for their lives.
That day, the two agreed that they would live each day to the fullest. That they would enjoy every moment of that summer. One of the first things they decided to do was to join a few of their friends for a road trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain. At Six Flags, Brandon pretended to feel sick just so he could stay with Ali whose stomach couldn't handle all the rides. By the time they had returned home, Brandon and Ali were in love.
Even though they were just one month away from going their separate ways - with Ali returning to UC Berkley and Brandon headed to Connecticut- and even though everyone thought they were crazy for considering a long-distance relationship, they decided that summer to make it official and commit themselves to one another.
Being 2,600 miles apart with a three hour time difference, Brandon and Ali's first year together consisted of 8 coast-to-coast round-trip flights, 4 hours a day talking on the phone, and thousands of text messages. After a year, Ali graduated from UC Berkeley and was accepted into the University of Connecticut for graduate school. That June, exactly one year into their relationship and after 15 years of knowing one another, Brandon and Ali were reunited once again in Connecticut. They have been inseparable ever since.
It was such a blessing to be a part of Brandon and Ali's wedding day. It is clear that God brought them together and it was so fun to be a witness to the joy of this day.
The morning started with the girls getting ready. How cute is this hanger Ali found on Etsy?
Ali was SUCH a stunning bride. I love her Lazaro gown:
It rained all day Saturday except for a small window of time during which Brandon and Ali saw each other for the first time and we walked around the Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale for their portraits.
Again with the stunningness:
These two had so much fun with their day:
Brandon's guys were a fun bunch:
Love these cuff links Brandon's sister got him. He's a huge Star Wars lover. I think he only wore them at the reception but what a fun personal touch!
Even though it started raining part way through portraits Ali wasn't fazed and managed to stay dry and warm:
Ali and her girls:
We took a limo to Valley View Bible Church - the site of the ceremony. Love this shot of Ali in the limo:
The ceremony was emotional, worshipful and personal.
Brandon started crying on the way down the aisle. It was such a sweet moment.
Before walking her down the aisle, Ali's father prayed with her at the back of the church:
The pastor read Ali & Brandon's story.
Rings were exchanged.
And they were pronounced husband and wife!
After returning to the Fairmont, Ali changed into a traditional Chinese dress and we took a couple quick portraits:
The reception details were beautiful. I love the pops of color that the yellow and navy provided. (Flowers by Petal Pusher.)
The first dance:
And I love these shots from the cake cutting:
Congratulations Brandon & Ali! I wish you a lifetime of amazing memories!
To see even more photos from this amazing day, click here to see the slideshow!
I also wanted to give a shout-out to Jennifer Thye of Imoni Events who was the planner for this wedding. She did an amazing job coordinating all the moving parts and enabled Ali to enjoy the day stress-free.
To see even more photos from this amazing day, click here to see the slideshow!
I also wanted to give a shout-out to Jennifer Thye of Imoni Events who was the planner for this wedding. She did an amazing job coordinating all the moving parts and enabled Ali to enjoy the day stress-free.