Michelle & Tuan

Married on October 29th, 2011

Photography by Colorband PhotoArtisans | Written by Roy Groat Jr.

    Unlike many girls growing up, Michelle didn’t really dream of what her wedding was going to be.  While knowing that finding the right guy and marrying him was important to her, it wasn’t until she actually became engaged just how much this day, this event, was going to mean to her.

    Being of Vietnamese heritage, both Michelle and Tuan wanted to make certain, respect and homage was paid to that history, while at the same time, having a more “westernized” event; wanting to integrate things differently from the traditional Vietnamese wedding.

    Michelle and Tuan met through mutual friends way back in 2004.  Soon a friendship began and before you know it, “something special” had happened.  Over time, during a trip to Las Vegas, Tuan was planning.  Reserving a table at their favorite restaurant, Yellowtail which was inside the Bellagio, the plan began to take shape.  A bouquet of flowers, Orchids, Michelle’s favorite, awaited her on the table.  Tuan, even thinking of her favorite cake, red velvet, for dessert. 

    Once dinner was done, a casual walk out onto the balcony brought into view the fountains, dancing to music like a ballet for the world to see.  After taking a few pictures, Tuan handed Michelle a little, wrapped gift.  Once opened, it revealed a picture frame with a question on the bottom; a question in Vietnamese.  In the moments that she was reading the question, Tuan was down on one knee, a little black box in his hand.  Turning to him, THE question, he asked her to marry him and “of course, I said YES!”

    So now it was time to plan a wedding and now that Michelle was engaged, the dream of what this wedding would be, was now a reality.  She recalls the moment of realization when she “became very nervous realizing that what I envisioned in my mind for my wedding, I would have to interpret it to my vendors and trust them to see what I saw.” 

    The reception at the main ballroom of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum was spectacular.  With simple, yet elegant floral and lighting, the room welcomed nearly 700 friends and family, the room was filled with local flair.  From the moment Michelle and Tuan entered the room, the feeling was electric.  Walking right into their first dance, they began this beautiful tradition to Michael Buble’s “you and I,” one of Michelle’s favorite parts of the wedding.  “…we wanted to mix it up a bit so we had our wedding party join in on a choreographed dance.”  Much to the amazement and enjoyment of everyone in the room, the whole wedding party broke out to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”  Followed by Yung Joc’s “It’s Going Down,” LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” and it was finished off with Buble’s “Save the Last Dance.”  “It was so fun to see how surprised the guests were and it was a lot of fun performing it.”  It was a night not to be forgotten and more than she could ever ask for.

    Worrying that she would be so stressed on wedding day, family and bridesmaids made it “The best day of my life!”  She would even recall of her wedding merchants, “they were THE BEST so the result was perfect!”  With all this on her side, “they were all there to do what was needed and it made me feel at ease.  I got to enjoy every minute of my dream wedding.  …it was more than I could ever ask for and I would definitely go through it all again, because it was well worth it!”