Heads up: You WILL cry watching Martin take in his dad's incredible speech. When we asked the couple how they felt during that special toast, they told us they had no idea it would be so emotional. See, Martin's dad is a jokester, so they expected his speech to follow suit. So, when he stood up in front of friends and family and delivered one of the most beautiful FOG speeches we've heard, the couple was understandably overwhelmed with emotion. Watch the beautiful moment captured in their wedding video by Paul Kwak Productions and read our full interview with the couple below:
The Love Story —
From the groom:
It has been over 9 years since we first met. It all started with our mutual first love, basketball. Back in our freshman year at UCI, our \"date nights\" would consist of all-you-can-eat at our dining hall in Middle Earth - Pippin. We would stuff our faces with everything we could get our hands on and when we were finally done, we would scoop up as many cookies as we could fit into our pockets. We'd then take a wonderful stroll (or brisk jog, depending on if we were running late trying to meet up with some friends) from our dorm to the ARC, passing all the other on-campus housing communities. We would play for hours on end. Game after game we soon developed our close-knit circle of friends, conversely we developed rivals. Friend or foe, there wasn't a single person who was not amazed by Kellie's precision shooting. She was the center of all our opponent's arguments.\"Stop letting her shoot!\" (man if I had a nickel for every time I heard that…). We would only leave after all the lights were turned off and the staff members had to kick us out. We'd take a \"romantic\" walk back to our dorm, discussing our favorite plays of the night, funny things we remembered, all the while pretending we were walking along the beach under the stars. Lather, rinse, repeat, all the while making life-long friendships and cherished memories.
Nine years later, much has changed yet things still remain the same. We still stuff our faces, but typically with whatever food is on sale at Costco and a lot less cookies. We still venture out to the ARC, but not as frequently. We still play, just a little less than we used to. Our \"romantic\" nights consist of us lounging on our couch watching the Golden State Warriors or our favorite TV shows until we fall asleep.
Martin's dad's speech was really special, and Martin's reaction is priceless! How was that beautiful moment from your perspective?
Martin's dad's speech came as a pretty big surprise to us. He's really a funny guy and prior to the wedding, he had talked about throwing in a few jokes into his speech. So we were expecting the speech to be light and funny. And then he did the total opposite, so we felt like we were a little blindsighted! But it was truly authentic and heartfelt, and it displayed the bond and respect that Martin and his dad have for each other. It was so special and makes me tear every time I hear it and I don't think any of us would have had it any other way.
How did you find your wedding videographer and what made you choose them?
We found our videographer through WeddingWire. Once we looked through his productions on his website, we knew we really liked his style. It was an added bonus that he was alumni from UC Irvine, where Martin and I went to school too, because it made an extra connection. :)
What was the most unexpected part of your wedding day?
The most unexpected part of the day was how fast the night flew by. Our friends who had gotten married before warned us that the wedding would be over in a flash, but we didn't realize how true that was. My bridesmaids and I had a really mellow morning getting ready, and all of a sudden our photographers and videographers arrived and we realized it was time to start taking photos and that the ceremony would be starting soon and from there it was just a flash of so much fun and love. We enjoyed every moment of it but it was really over before we knew it.
What was your favorite part of your wedding journey?
My favorite part was being able to plan every part of it with Martin. He was so involved in each decision that it made it stress-free and enjoyable to plan.
What's your #1 piece of advice for future brides?
Start your day early! I even tried to give myself padding of about 1.5-2 extra hours in case we were running late getting everyone's hair and make-up ready, and we still ran late! Also, take a moment during the night just to soak it all in and enjoy it. It really is the best day ever but it does go by in a flash.