I've been to several weddings in the past, but yesterday marked the first ever 'friend's wedding.' It was another tangible reminder that our lives and our friends' lives are in motion. We're heading off on our paths and the moments when these paths intersect are meant to be cherished. If I could tell 17 year old Guia she'd be writing about attending weddings and preparing for a fresh start in Chicago, she'd probably say I'd made it in life. I have to remind myself that; that those terribly dark moments are not permanent and that there is always something to look forward to.



Tuan and Violet's wedding was truly a beautiful affair. My favorite parts had to be the words their officiator spoke and Tuan's personal wedding vows. The discussion about no matter what difficulties lay ahead, whether financial, emotional, or physical, there would be shelter in their marriage—a marriage under God. As for Tuan's wedding vows, I teared up and almost cried in my seat, it was just that sweet! I didn't know Tuan had it in him but he had all the women in that room tearing up. There were plenty of jokes in there too. Ben murmuring 'he's good,' was a good indication that Tuan had all the single men thinking they need to step up their game!



After the wedding, we got to congratulate the new bride and groom. Violet whispered 'you're next, don't make me wait too long,' which is a lot of pressure, isn't it? But in all seriousness, she's very sweet and I count this couple as one of my favorite ones. Throughout the wedding hall, there were some interesting photos laid out in the reception room. In one of the photos, Tuan had a suit on reminiscent of Mozart (you can imagine a lot of the giggling there). A lot of the other photos looked straight out of an Asian drama. I think all the guests had great fun looking through them all. What I found notable while hanging about in the reception was the photographer who was calling out different groups to take photos with the newly wedded couple—a section for the groom's friends! Ben, myself, Michael, Bing, Orhue, Tyler, Sergio, and Jack all stepped up. Guess we could've been called the Baylor crowd? I hope I can snag a copy of that photo someday!



The cocktail reception was in the same building. We were sampling miniature deli sandwiches, egg tarts, fruits, meatballs, and cakes. There were three huge pitchers of water with mint and strawberry floating inside. I think I went back to that food table at least two times while chatting with friends. We couldn't stay for dinner at Maggiano's because Ben wanted to prepare more for his CS.



Either way, I had a lovely day. I hope I can make more and more memories to take with me to Chicago.