Tan + Angie

gmonphotography
Aug 16, 2021
2 min read

August 16th & 17th, 2020

Santa Barbara, CA

I can't believe it's already been a year since these two got married! One year down, and in November, they will be welcoming a baby girl into their family. So exciting!

Originally this wedding was supposed to take place in a beautiful venue in Camarillo, but due to Covid-19, all of Tan and Angie's wedding preparations came to a halt. Having to cancel their original plans, they decided to elope in beautiful Santa Barbara, California. They rented a house to hold a small traditional Vietnamese Tea Ceremony and the wedding reception for the following day.

The Tea Ceremony began with Angie's family lining up in front of the house to welcome the groom's family. Tan's family then greeted and presented the bride's family with gifts to symbolize wealth and prosperity. After accepting these gifts, both families entered the house and formally introduced each other. Angie's stepmother then escorted and presented Angie to her groom. Tan took his bride and presented her with a beautiful bouquet. By this time, everyone's eyes began to fill with tears of joy, including my own. The couple then exchanged rings and proceeded with the ceremony by bowing and honoring their ancestors at the altar, serving tea, and receiving advice for a long-lasting happy marriage.

The following day the bride and groom prepared themselves for their courthouse wedding while friends and family set up a small intimate backyard lunch reception. It was amazing to see everyone pitching in to make Tan and Angie's day as memorable as possible. Before heading out to the courthouse, I quickly had the bride and groom take a few minutes for their first look. And I mean a FEW minutes! As we arrived at the courthouse, the judge informed us that we had to practice social distancing. The ceremony would occur outdoors, and the family members could not participate or get near the ceremony. So disappointing!!! But we had to follow protocol. So, family and friends discretely stood by and waited to congratulate the newly Mr. & Mrs. Tan Nguyen after the ceremony was over.

Despite the obstacles, this past year, this wedding weekend couldn't have been more perfect. It brought two cultures and two lovely families together. It also began the start of beautiful matrimony and an exciting journey for Tan and Angie.

Happy Anniversary to you both! May you be blessed with many more milestones in the years to come.