Sanga Wedding | July 12, 2014

Pictures from the Sanga wedding in July! Pretty bride, happy older brother, and lots of smiling between the new couple.

During this wedding, I realized that I like being a bridesmaid. I like standing back and observing the rituals/traditions, the ceremony, and the family while still being able to be part of the inner wedding circle. I get to see the in's and out's. When I was a bride, I barely noticed anything since I was too busy with everything. When I'm a guest, I get to watch the ceremony and participate in the reception. But as part of the wedding party, I get to see the bride put on her gown, I get to see her mom and sister get teary-eyed, I get to help her put on her gown, etc. It's all these precious little moments that I get to witness. It's wonderful and different.

I'll stop rambling now. Here are a few pictures:

The Church

Left: Angela with her mom and eldest sister
Right: Angela with her older sister, minutes before the ceremony

Photoshoot after the ceremony!

Hi

The toasts

I should say that my little brother--who was the best man--gave one awesome toast. None of us saw it coming. It was hilarious, it was brutal, it was genuine. Before the wedding he told me he had notecards with him, but when it was his turn to speak, he didn't use any. He just spoke and I think the entire Sanga clan teared up a little. Way to go, James!

The married couple smearing cake on each other. Then, Angela helping Kenzo clean it off. Sweet.

K&A's Rehearsal Dinner | July 10, 2014

I just wanted to post a few photos from my brother's and his now-wife's rehearsal dinner. What was great about Kenzo's and Angela's rehearsal dinner was how many family members we had there. I had relatives fly out from Chicago, Toronto, and Saudi Arabia—and unlike my own wedding rehearsal dinner last year—I actually got to spend time with these relatives.

Russ and I both had so many relatives come out for our own rehearsal dinner/wedding last year but I don't think we ever fully enjoyed everyone there. We were too busy running around, smiling, making rounds, that we barely registered who we spoke to or who we posed a picture with. I'm sure it was the same for Kenzo and Angela this year. It's always overwhelming the days leading up to the actual date.

I was helping my dad set up decorations in our backyard before the rehearsal dinner and at one point he turned to me and said, "This reminds me a lot of last year." To which I responded, "Yes, but this one is more fun." Don't get me wrong—I loved our own wedding and celebrations but it was tiring. Now, seeing my brother and Angela be the center of attention this year is a huge relief. This time I get to sit back and spend time with some family I only get to see every few years.

Flowers 

Mini cheesecakes 

This photo makes me smile. The lady in the pink (left) is my grandma. The lady in the yellow (right) is Angela's grandma. Both grandmas don't speak English. My grandma only speaks 2 dialects from Philippines and Angela's grandma speaks a dialect from Italy. Still, they complimented each other on their hair and appearance through hand gestures and brief translations.

At the end of the night, many people spoke to Angela and Kenzo and gave them advice on how to start a healthy, growing marriage. It was heart-warming.

Georgia Trip | June 2014

Since I've been so behind on blogging and since there are lots of things I want to remember years from now, I will be going back a bit and blogging about not-so-recent-but-still-worthy memories.

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In June, Russell and I took a trip to Georgia to see his best friend get married to a wonderful woman. It was our first time in the South and what they say about Southern hospitality is definitely true. Lots of good (fried) food and some very sweet tea. Another thing I also noticed was the way they talked. I'm not just talking about accents or the way they say "y'all". The way they talked was almost lyrical. Maybe it's because of the Southern drawl but it kind of sounded melodic when they spoke.

Anyways, Georgia was warm (literally), welcoming, and beautiful. Everything was green:

So. Many. Trees. 

Trees everywhere

TREE MODELING

The scenery everywhere was pretty. Even prettier was the wedding venue that took place outside a barn, on a nice green field. I'm a sucker for outdoor weddings. And of course, the bride was prettiest out of everything there. Seriously, look:

J & E

How sweet is this? I was tearing up during their vows because I love words and theirs were so beautiful. It's was honestly very exciting to see this marriage begin and to see where this marriage will go. I LOVE THAT THEY'RE MARRIED. There's only great things ahead...makes Russ and I want to visit Jordan again... ;)

Quick Blog Entry: Wedding Bells

Russell and I have been to two weddings in the last two weeks (one of which was my brother-in-laws)(!!!) and both were so beautiful in their own ways.

Dan and Kelsie's Wedding

Russ and I drove to Reno for one weekend to watch Dan marry his bride, Kelsie. They got married at our friend's massive and historic backyard. Here are a couple of pictures:

Backyard wedding, ceremony and reception

The fine, intricate details that are Pinterest-worthy

Joe and Kristin's Wedding

Last weekend, Russell's brother got married! It was a beach wedding and now I finally have a sister! Granted, Kristen already has two sisters of her own but now I can say that I have a Henry sister :)

Joe and Kristen's first dance

Hyperactive cousin Ky who was deliriously tired by the end of the night. Here he is on Russell's shoulders. Fun kid. Fun family. I love being a Henry. 

Wedding Pictures

My wedding pictures are finally here! Our photographer did such an amazing job and I would recommend her to anyone getting married near the Sacramento area.

Looking through these photos brought back so many little yet special moments. The wedding day goes by so fast. I tried taking mental snapshots of everything happening but I'm glad our photographer was there to take actual snapshots.

Here are a few of my favorites:

We Interrupt This Program...

One day, I will get back to blogging regularly. But for now, check out this beautiful sneak peek of me and Russell's wedding day. Our photographer, Sarah Tamagni, is about finished with our wedding photos and was able to put a few up on her blog for us to swoon over.

The wedding day went by so fast. Russ and I are so lucky to have had a talented photographer help capture these moments for us--beautifully and skillfully so. And without further ado, enjoy!

Russell and Katrina wedding photos: http://www.sarahtamagniphoto.com/?p=2853

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I'M MARRIED!!! ! !