Jennifer Kim and Christopher Chung, November 18, 2008, San Juan. By Roseanne Dela Rosa
About the Couple
Bride: Jennifer Kim
Groom: Christopher Chung
Occupations: Jennifer is a chartered accountant and Christopher is a mortgage broker.
How they met: They were friends for seven years before they started dating in 2004. Their relationship blossomed naturally and effortlessly over long car rides, lots of food and wine, sports, travelling and silly dates.
Favourite date: Falling asleep in a sleeping bag under the stars in Nosehill Park.
What attracted her to him: His playful personality.
What attracted him to her: Her genuineness and her chubby cheeks.
Engagement story: Christopher lost to Jennifer in a game of golf and his punishment was to plan a weekend getaway. A few months later, Christopher planned a weekend at Salt Spring Island, B.C. where they stayed in a secluded Zen-inspired cabin. He proposed in the forest where he set up candles, rose petals and a scrapbook that he made (Christopher is not a crafty person, so that made the book extra-special)! But Jennifer didn’t make this an easy task for him. They actually missed their flight to Salt Spring because Jennifer was sick and didn’t wake up to her alarm. Christopher had to drive over to Jennifer’s house and physically pull her out of bed. Jennifer is still so grateful for his patience that day, and they were lucky to catch the next flight out!
To this day, Christopher insists that he lost the golf game on purpose, but Jennifer doesn’t believe him.
Words they live by: We try not to forget how fortunate we are and cherish everything that has been provided to us in life; every moment, every memory, everyone.
The Wedding Day:
Wedding date: November 18, 2008
Guests: 85
Wedding theme: “All of our wedding details were in aqua, teal, silver and white. We put a lot of effort into making all our details match the theme (ceremony programs, invitations, table numbers, favours, dresses, cake and toppers, menus, guest sign-in sheets, etc).”
Her best moment: “Our last dance—it was a perfect ending to a whirlwind day. Everything had been so rushed up until that very moment, but during the dance we were finally relaxed. It was just him and I lost in the moment.”
His best moment: “Realizing I was married to the love of my life.”
What would you have done differently: Planned properly for the one-hour time difference!
Advice you would give to other couples that are getting married: “Keep it simple! Although we would never take back one moment of the day, planning a wedding separately from a cruise was a very challenging process and involved a great deal of time, effort and co-ordination between various vendors, the hotel, our guests and the cruise.”
Wedding song: “‘Try’ by Blue Rodeo. This was a song that we found ourselves listening to quite a bit together and eventually we watched the band in concert. The song has so much emotion, and you can’t help but belt out the lyrics to one another! The words can be interpreted in many ways, but to us they mean that you should never take anything for granted, especially the love you have for one another.”
The day in three words: Love, family, friends.
Favourite wedding gift: “We felt very lucky to have so many of our dearest friends and family join us on the cruise and in San Juan.”
Most unexpected moment: “The moment we arrived in San Juan and found out that the time on the cruise boat itinerary was one-hour behind San Juan time! We lost an hour of our schedule and our much-anticipated sunset wedding ceremony became a twilight wedding ceremony. It was memorable, romantic and mystical—everything happens for a reason.”
Best surprise of the day: “The whole day was filled with surprises! From the unexpected time difference to the little tricks that our emcees had up their sleeves. We were also pleasantly surprised to see that everything we had planned from afar looked just as beautiful in real life (i.e. the hotel, the decorations, the cake, etc.)”
Honeymoon: “The rest of the cruise! We also went to Hong Kong for another wedding reception and flew to Sabah, Malaysia for a few days after the reception.”
Favourite wedding detail: “The cake toppers. There was a really funny moment when we were about to cut the cake, and the groom topper decided to fall off the cake as though he was trying to escape.”
What made her day: “When everyone made it back onto the bus and arrived at the port safe and sound. On the ride back, Christopher and I were very exhausted in our seats but we managed to exchange a little smile of joy and fulfillment.”
What made his day: “We planned an after-party on the cruise ship where everyone danced the night away until four in the morning.”
