Feelings of happiness, excitement, anxiety, and anticipation overcome me as I thought about how the weekend was going to be. I knew I was in for a wild ride with both an American Reception and traditional Hmong Wedding happening on the same day! In fact, the idea of it really terrified me. It was something so new to both of our families and we weren't sure if everyone could pull it off. My expectations, however, was so far from reality. Everything and everyone was beyond perfection. If I could bottle up all of the love and support that filled our day, I would. 

Watch our Reception here: 

The second part of our wedding was the traditional Hmong Wedding. Not one thing in my life that has happened, can compare to how I felt throughout this whole process.

I have been told that being a Hmong women, one of the hardest and most beautiful times in your life is when you decide to get married. I never truly understood that until my own wedding. The thought of leaving my parents to fully dedicate myself to my husband's side of the family, and having a new identity was extremely scary for me. If I just took those thoughts into consideration, I don't think I will ever be "ready" for marriage. But it's a commitment and sacrifice that I am willing to make for both myself and my husband, for our future. And I know that no matter what happens, my family will always be there for me. I was overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that we received from every single person that day, especially my parents. They mean the world to me and their kind words, love, and support can never be replaced. 

The most emotional part of the day was when it came time to leave my parent's house with my husband. This was it. I was really getting married. It was truly the last time that I could be with my parents as their daughter, before becoming someone's nyab (daughter-in-law). I hugged my parents, told them I loved them, and tears filled our eyes as we said our goodbyes. 

It was so hard to leave, I almost did not want to go. But as I departed my parents house with my husband, there was this strong feeling of determination to succeed as a daughter, wife, and nyab...so that in the future, I can shower both my husband's family and my family with hopefully as much love and support as they have given us.

I could keep going on with everything that went through my head that day but for the sake of not boring you, I'm going to stop here and just keep it short and sweet. And I think the videos do a wonderful job showing everything that happened as well as all of my emotions throughout the day. 

Watch our traditional Hmong Wedding here:

June 20, 2015 was the best day of my life, and it is indeed the BEST DAY EVER! As I come to an end with my wedding post, I have one advice to anyone planning their wedding: SAVOUR EVERY MOMENT! Weddings go by quickly. It's not worth it to stress over the little things, and it's okay if things aren't perfect. Just make sure to live in the moment and cherish the time you get with all your loved ones. 

(CLICK HERE FOR FULL WEDDING ALBUM)