Posts in Wedding
Beena + Peter
"Everyone always says you should marry your best friend... I'm so very happy that I get to do just that." - Beena

It was 15 years ago when Beena and Peter first met at UCSB.

"She was a girl clearly in love, and I was a little hesitant at the intensity of the vibes she was sending my way... As you all know, I'm a bit shy," Peter said, describing the first moment he met Beena.

Unfortunately, Beena has a different story.

"One weekend, a few of our friends planned a trip to Magic Mountain. Peter lived near me so picked me up and we drove together. If you guys know Peter you’ll know he, one way or another, gets more information out of you than you were ever planning on telling him. In the hour car ride back to campus he somehow manipulated me into becoming his best friend," Beena said.

"From that point on I have shared some of my happiest, saddest, and most rewarding moments with him."

As getting to know both of them, a small reminder has surfaced in my head; true friendship is the foundation of a great relationship and is an investment of time spent learning to communicate and assessing your compatibility. We don't typically choose to have friends we have nothing in common with, instead, our friends are chosen based on respect, the fun we have when we're together and whether their values are similar to our own. With these criteria, Beena and Peter absolutely have the essence of what makes any long-term romantic relationship successful. Such a great honor documenting their special day!

BIG BIG congratulations!! Woohooo!

Ryan + Chuck. Hollywood-red-carpet-themed wedding
No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. - Supreme Court

Ryan and Chuck tied the knot shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling to make the same-sex marriage a right nationwide. Their Hollywood-red-carpet-themed wedding was simply festive, filled with love, emotions and celebration. Go ahead; feel their love.

Love wins. Really. Always.

Kristin + Tomasz. Beach House Destination Wedding
"Kristin, my heart loves so many things about you." - Tomasz
"Tomasz, you are my favorite. The best person I have ever met." - Kristin

I wish I could have been in the same room of the Ph.D. party at Northwestern University in Chicago when Kristin met Tomasz whose energy and carriage she described as "a cross between Tigger from Winne the Pooh and a knight from King Arthur's Round Table."

They talked about why they chose Northwestern, where they were from, chatted about his upcoming salsa class. (Kristin was a former dancer.) She was determined to get a date with him; however, Tomasz, who's from Poland, did not comprehend her "cheesy" American pick-up line.

"It was something like, 'it'd be nice to see you again,'" Kristin said. But in Poland, you never ask someone out upon first meeting them; there was no "proper" response from Tomasz. Then, Kristin wrote her email on a piece of paper and marched back over to him and stuffed the paper in his hand saying, “Here! take this; write to me!”

Thankfully he did! That was 11 years ago.

Now they both live in Boston as Tomasz is an Economics professor at Harvard University while Kristin is finishing up her graduate program and teaching at Boston University. And their intimate and beautiful wedding took a place at a beach house in Cambria, a seaside village in California, owned by Kristin's grandparents, where she spent many childhood vacations and where all her siblings got married. The celebration was filled with laughter, tears of joy, and euphoria. I am SO blessed to have been there to witness it all.