One lucky bride winner
Today is day four in Las Vegas. I am pooped.
Everything in Vegas is such a task. All the walking and talking has really taken
alot out of me.
But, I didn't forget to keep my promise to you and post the winner of the ONE LUCKY BRIDE CONTEST.
The entries were amazing and of course my mom said it was hard to pick. She read all of the entries and this was the one she touched her heart.
Before you read her story. Let me take a little time to say THANK YOU to all the brides who took the time to enter. I appreciate you all.
Dear Gene,
I hope you have a wonderful birthday! Thank you for providing a wonderful opportunity to work with you and some of the other top wedding vendors in the Bay. It's a truly amazing opportunity.
On April 28, 2007, I will be marrying my best friend, Jason, in Palo Alto. Jason, 34, and I, 26, have been together for nearly five years.
April 28 is a very significant date for the both of us. It is the 13th anniversary of Jason’s heart transplant. That’s right. At the age of 21, Jason had to receive a heart transplant. As a young child, Jason had battled and survived lymphoma. However, the rigorous treatments damaged his heart and at 21, he needed a new one. After months of waiting in the hospital, an unfortunate person died, but gave new life to my future husband.
Jason and I have been dating for nearly 5 years. In that time, we have fought and survived more battles than we’d expect at such a young age. Jason was hospitalized with a serious infection for nearly a week. Jason has shown me what it means to hope and what it means to face the difficulties of life, enjoying moments that most of us don’t even notice.
Soon after, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer when she was only 49, endured painful treatments, and eventually passed away. This wedding planning has been a terribly difficult process as I don’t have the involvement of my mom in my wedding. I miss her daily and occasionally break down with the longing for a mother’s insight, wisdom, and occasional nagging. As I’ve been preparing for the wedding, I’ve been inspired by looking at my mom’s bridal portraits. Staring at them has been a way of reconnecting with the memories, the stories, the smiles and her spirit.
But this is not meant to be a sob sorry or simply a sorrowful recounting. It’s actually an accounting of hope and of life. That has been the theme for our wedding. Our invitations and printed materials are marked with the blossoming branches of spring. After every winter, there is the renewal of spring. Life is fragile, it is short, and there are cycles. Jason is completely healthy and strong. My younger sister and I are healing as we remember our mom. I've attached a picture from 1982 of my beautiful mom and me. And our wedding is a great celebration of and with the family and friends who have supported us and loved us all these years.
Having lost my mom, and with her, a lot of the generational stories and connectedness that are often passed down during engagement, I find myself longing to create a set of heirloom items. One of them would be a box of bridal portraits of the women in my family from generation to generation. Your talent for capturing moments, for capturing the essence of individuals, their spirit and hopefulness would be a tremendous gift.
An excerpt from one of our readings that so beautifully captures the moment of our wedding reads, “Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life…”
Your photos and the work of Maria Chang and Mandy Scott would all add to the tree called life that Jason and I are building together!
Warmly,
Evelyn Tu
PS. Best of luck with the busy wedding season!
But, I didn't forget to keep my promise to you and post the winner of the ONE LUCKY BRIDE CONTEST.
The entries were amazing and of course my mom said it was hard to pick. She read all of the entries and this was the one she touched her heart.
Before you read her story. Let me take a little time to say THANK YOU to all the brides who took the time to enter. I appreciate you all.
Dear Gene,
I hope you have a wonderful birthday! Thank you for providing a wonderful opportunity to work with you and some of the other top wedding vendors in the Bay. It's a truly amazing opportunity.
On April 28, 2007, I will be marrying my best friend, Jason, in Palo Alto. Jason, 34, and I, 26, have been together for nearly five years.
April 28 is a very significant date for the both of us. It is the 13th anniversary of Jason’s heart transplant. That’s right. At the age of 21, Jason had to receive a heart transplant. As a young child, Jason had battled and survived lymphoma. However, the rigorous treatments damaged his heart and at 21, he needed a new one. After months of waiting in the hospital, an unfortunate person died, but gave new life to my future husband.
Jason and I have been dating for nearly 5 years. In that time, we have fought and survived more battles than we’d expect at such a young age. Jason was hospitalized with a serious infection for nearly a week. Jason has shown me what it means to hope and what it means to face the difficulties of life, enjoying moments that most of us don’t even notice.
Soon after, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer when she was only 49, endured painful treatments, and eventually passed away. This wedding planning has been a terribly difficult process as I don’t have the involvement of my mom in my wedding. I miss her daily and occasionally break down with the longing for a mother’s insight, wisdom, and occasional nagging. As I’ve been preparing for the wedding, I’ve been inspired by looking at my mom’s bridal portraits. Staring at them has been a way of reconnecting with the memories, the stories, the smiles and her spirit.
But this is not meant to be a sob sorry or simply a sorrowful recounting. It’s actually an accounting of hope and of life. That has been the theme for our wedding. Our invitations and printed materials are marked with the blossoming branches of spring. After every winter, there is the renewal of spring. Life is fragile, it is short, and there are cycles. Jason is completely healthy and strong. My younger sister and I are healing as we remember our mom. I've attached a picture from 1982 of my beautiful mom and me. And our wedding is a great celebration of and with the family and friends who have supported us and loved us all these years.
Having lost my mom, and with her, a lot of the generational stories and connectedness that are often passed down during engagement, I find myself longing to create a set of heirloom items. One of them would be a box of bridal portraits of the women in my family from generation to generation. Your talent for capturing moments, for capturing the essence of individuals, their spirit and hopefulness would be a tremendous gift.
An excerpt from one of our readings that so beautifully captures the moment of our wedding reads, “Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life…”
Your photos and the work of Maria Chang and Mandy Scott would all add to the tree called life that Jason and I are building together!
Warmly,
Evelyn Tu
PS. Best of luck with the busy wedding season!
Posted: Thu - March 29, 2007 at 03:48 PM