Everyone needs to feel appreciated and loved and each one of us has our own language of love. For some people, love may translate through words while for others, it may come in the forms of a sweet gesture or a small token of appreciation. If I were to take a wild guess about Brandi and Richard's language of love, it would be safe for me to assume that it is through spending quality time with each other. Brandi and Richard lead very busy lives, which makes them cherish their time together even more. During his speech, Richard told guests that Brandi would spend hours piecing together her work schedule just so that they could carpool in the morning and maximize their time together, even if it may just be for a small fraction of their day. It is not about the quantity, but the quality of time spent together.
It was an early Saturday morning just days before Fall, and we were greeted with your typical Raincouver weather. It was a morning set for rain gear and umbrellas. We entered Brandi and Richard's beautiful new home in Coquitlam and followed the sounds of giggles into the kitchen where the bridesmaids were getting ready. Upstairs, the blushing bride sat calmly and quietly in her bedroom while her makeup artist did her magic. From time to time, Brandi's mother would enter and sneak a peak at her beautiful daughter. During her speech, Brandi's mother said that she has long anticipated the day when her little girl would stand before her as a blushing bride. I can only imagine the range of emotions that must have swirled through her mind as she watched her little girl get ready for her wedding day. Soon, a parade of handsome cars lined the cul-de-sac of their neighbourhood. Out came the groomsmen and the sneaky groom who tried to bypass the bridesmaids by opening the front door with his key! Nice try! Like all Chinese weddings, entry must be gained. Richard and his groomsmen entertained us with promising renditions of several Chinese pop songs and impressively synchronized push-ups!
Following a quick Chinese tea ceremony, we all braved the rain and headed for the Hart House in Burnaby where the ceremony and reception would be held. Part way through their elegant afternoon reception, Richard and his groomsmen surprised all their guests by serenading Brandi with "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys. Richard said they were nervous, but it was sure concealed well because they rocked it! One of the most memorable speeches came from the best man, Raymond, who also happens to be Richard's twin brother. He was quite literally the first person that Richard met and for the longest time, they were one half of "Team Richmond" (get it?). Raymond said that in a way, the wedding was like his grand exit as he said goodbye to his role as Richard's other half and passed the torch to Brandi. It was beautifully bitter sweet and perhaps Nancy (the maid of honour) was right when she said that God must have loved everything that was said at the wedding, because heaven continued to rain tears of joy throughout the afternoon.
If there is just one thing that we can learn from Brandi and Richard's love story, it would be the impact of qualitative love yields selfless sacrifices. Whether it may be Brandi playing Tetris with her schedule or Richard transforming his man cave into her dream closet (Really! It's a DREAM closet!), these acts of love were wholeheartedly carried out in the most selfless way possible. Richard's father and Brandi's mother eloquently shared words of wisdom and both emphasized the importance of compromise and being a supportive and understanding spouse. It is without a doubt that our newlyweds share the same values on marriage as their respective parents. To selflessly give is easier said than done, so to wholeheartedly enact on it requires one to feel that it is worth it. For Brandi and Richard, they would fetch the moon for each other if they could.
Congratulations, Brandi and Richard! Thank you for allowing us to witness such a fun, but beautifully memorable day!