Honor. Tradition. Resiliency. These are the words I think of when it comes to these two beautiful individuals.
We met at a local coffee shop back in January, and about twenty minutes into our meeting, Joseph turns to Sou and says, “I like her much better than the other one [photographer].” Then, without missing a beat, he looks directly at me and finishes with, “So if we don’t pick you, it’s because of her.” Sou whips her head in his direction while I couldn’t help but break out in laughter. I knew in that instant that I’d adore this couple.
Joseph thinks of himself as the boy from the other side of the tracks and wonders how he ever got a girl like Sou to notice him. But to his friends and anyone who knows him, he is someone who transforms staggering odds into opportunities to bring light and make the world better, inspires others and brings laughter in the process to everyone around him.
Sou swears that she doesn’t remember their first meeting together while he tells of how she looked entirely past the pickup line he tried to use that evening. That’s when he knew that she was just as intelligent as she was beautiful, and he had to work much harder to woo her into dating him.
“A warrior of light respects the main teaching of the I Ching: ‘To persevere is favourable.'” – Paulo Coelho, Warrior of the Light
So he didn’t give up.
Turns out that he simply had to be himself. In fact, it was seeing Joseph take care of his family that made Sou’s heart melt, from looking after his sister to spending time with his dad during the final days of his father’s life.
Joseph spoke candidly about how those precious stretches of time at his father’s bedside were often shared in silence followed by a few simple words of wisdom from his dad: marry Sou. And he did just that.
In loving Joseph, Sou vows to even take on learning how to cook in the days ahead. Joseph smiles warmly in return.
The night ended on an explosive note, when all the sparklers unexpectedly caught fire at the same time. Their first concern was making sure everyone was safe and then they made the best of it…resiliency. And it reminded of a story I read long ago…
“Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves; we need oxygen and a candle to help. In this case, the oxygen for example, would come from the breath of the person you love; the candle would be any kind of food, music, caress, word, or sound that engenders the explosion that lights one of the matches. For a moment we are dazzled by an intense emotion. A pleasant warmth grows within us, fading slowly as time goes by, until a new explosion comes along to revive it. Each person has to discover what will set off those explosions in order to live, since the combustion that occurs when one of them is ignited is what nourishes the soul. That fire, in short, is its food.” – Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate
Sou and Joseph, it was a real pleasure to document your first day as husband and wife. Thank you for inspiring me with your story and love for one another. It’s such a joy to watch you make make each other laugh, the real kind, and may the days ahead bring you both more than you ever dreamed.
Warmest thanks to the terrific team who worked diligently together to bring this wedding to life…
Wedding Venue: A.D. Bruce Religion Center
Reception Venue: Kim Son Restaurant
Planner: Samantha Phan, A Pretty Box
Florist: Secret Floral Garden
Makeup: Pink Palette
Hair: Charlize Alexander Salon
Photography: Doris Ting (feat. Monica Hurtado)