Weddingbee Blog

After our first dance, Papa Hot Wings gave an opening speech. He had been pretty nervous in the weeks leading up to the wedding. He didn’t really know what to say. He kept telling me he wanted to tell the story of when I failed the 2nd grade. Uh yeah dad… you want to talk about when I sucked at school? Uh hello dad, I had just completed a Ph.D. I insisted that he not talk about my failures.

Our reception included a lot of extended family friends. I didn’t want my dad’s story to get lost in translation. I didn’t want people to think he wasn’t proud of me or that I had failed him.

As he began his speech, he looked quite somber. I got nervous for him.  He began by welcoming everyone and thanking them for coming. Then he did something unexpected.

He started apologizing to everyone. He apologized to everyone! He said that he really wanted everyone to have a good time and to understand that this is one of the first family weddings that brings together two different cultures. He said this wedding isn’t American; it isn’t Vietnamese. He hoped everyone could still have fun.

And then his story about me. It went roughly like this.

Mrs Hot Wings always makes me nervous. She wants to do a lot of things. She always thinks she can do everything. She told me she wanted to plan this entire wedding by herself. She said she could make all the invitations herself. I didn’t believe her. I didn’t think she could do it. Mrs. Hot Wings… yeah, she always worries me. I told her, “If it makes you happy, okay go ahead; but don’t embarrass me.”

But look at everything she did. The invitations, this wedding, everything you see…she did it all. She always does what she says she is going to do.

Then she met Mr Hot Wings, and I wanted them to get married. She wanted to wait until they both finished their doctorates. She made me nervous again. But they did it. Together, they both finished their doctorates and got jobs. Now they’re married too. That’s the thing about Mrs Hot Wings. She always does what she says she is going to do.

He ended by telling everyone to have a good time and teaching them how to cheers in Vietnamese. He told everyone to raise their glass. Một hai ba, yo! Translated, that’s 1-2-3, cheers!

That’s my dad. Always nervous for me, always wanting me to be happy, always letting me do what I want, and always being proud of me in the end.

*All photos by the ever fab Hanssie Trainor unless noted otherwise*

Do you need to catch up with the hotness?

• Check out our Same Day Edit Wedding Video
• Guest arrived, we had a welcome reception
• Rehearsed, rehearsal dinner (part 1, part 2), Wedding Eve
• Got Ready (Women, Men, Wedding Party Gifts)
• Tea Ceremony (Prep, Details, Processional Gifts, Processional, Lunch)
• Formals (Men, Women, Families, Kids, Wedding Party, Couple, bridals)
• First Look
• Civil Ceremony (Details, Jitters, Processional, Part I, Love Letter & Wine Box, Part II, Post Recessional)
• Best Man & Woman of Honor Speeches: A How To Guide
• Reception (details, grand entrance, first dance)