Ngan & Steven
Wedding Party
Han Pham Bustamante
Matron of Honor
Han is Ngân’s bestie, her person, the Christina to her Meredith (iykyk). They solidified the ionic bond of their friendship in Mr. Seals honors chem class jr. year of high school. The bond grew stronger over the course of 12 years through a series of evolutionary phases of college, first jobs, and many life challenges and milestones (Han getting married, Ngân losing her dad and donating her kidney, both being first time homebuyers, etc). Ngân is so grateful that Han has been a constant presence by her side through thick and thin. The past two years have brought them even closer as they nestled in their COVID bubble together. Interesting Fact: Han exudes compassion in every direction, in her free time she volunteers for meals on wheels and picks up trash left behind on hiking trails.
Christopher Cheung
Best Man
As brother and best man of the groom, Chris has known Steven the longest and will tell you countless stories of the good times they had together as a kid. A west coast native living in New York, Chris is a lover of the outdoors, endurance running and has read every book ever recommended by Warren Buffet. Interesting Fact: With his saved up allowance and Chinese New Year money, he once bought a $400 gold pocket watch at a gift shop during a 4th grade school field trip.
Ariel Wang
Bridesmaid
Ngân and Ariel’s relationship bloomed from mere acquaintances at rival high schools (reppin’ 408) to close friends as transfer students at Cal where they were roomies and known as “The Cottage Girls.” They have kept in touch over 14 years across multiple messaging & social media platforms: aim, myspace, fb, gchat, line, tumblr, imessage, ig. Find Ariel enjoying a papaya milk smoothie or napping with her black tuxedo cat, Nemesio (IG: neme_naps). Check out Ariel’s bio in her own words at https://arielwang.com/ Interesting Fact: As an outdoor educator and environmental DE&I advocate, Ariel has lived in three national parks: Yosemite National Park, Olympic National Park and the Presidio of San Francisco. Ngân has visited all 3 of those homes and plans to visit Ariel’s latest home in Seattle!
JR DeGuzman
Groomsman
JR and Steven have known each other since the young age of 5 as classmates at St. John the Evangelist Catholic School. Go Eagles! JR is a brilliant comedian and musician who you can catch performing stand-up all over the country selling out comedy clubs and theatres. In his free time, you can find him doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or pondering the meaning of life. Interesting Fact: JR moved out of his apartment into his van where he traveled around the country from 2018 to 2020.
Michael Pham-Crepps
Bridesman
Ngân and Michael, aka PC, became closer friends at Milpitas High when they were part of the “stupid seniors” in Mr. Sousa’s calculus BC class, bonding over their shared confusion of limits and derivatives. Ngân’s favorite memories with PC include roadtrips to SoCal, free disneyland summer visits, the Lady Gaga monster ball tour and SF pride parades. PC is a kindred spirit and an inspiration to Ngân, chasing his dreams and uprooting himself to start a new career as a nurse in Melbourne, Australia. Interesting Fact: Michael is a Libra sun, Sagittarius moon & Virgo rising. What does that say about him? No idea! But he can tell you all about it based on his love for astrology, he can even tell you if you and your boo are compatible.
Estevan Hinojosa
Groomsman
A member of the infamous #22nd house, Estevan is a man of too many facets to name. An endless encyclopedia of sports, movies, and seasonal fruits of the California Central Valley, Steven constantly looks to Estevan for his impeccable wit and insight. You can find him studying for his Master of Public Administration (MPA), dancing to Carl Cox or taking care of his 2 cats and 1 dog. Interesting Fact: Estevan knows all of the words to the 15-minute version of Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.”
Lan Ngo
Bridesmaid
Lan and Ngân shared a small bedroom and closet together in 2329 ½ Dwight Wy during their junior year at Cal. Now 11 years later, they still live in close proximity about a 10-minute drive to each other, which has made impromptu Vietnamese home cooking dinner, roller skating, photoshoot dates and cat sitting more frequent. Ngân views Lan as a spiritual teacher, exemplifying what it means to show up, listen to the voice of your inner goddess and give yourself permission to experience joy. Interesting Fact: Lan lives in an 8.5 x 28 ft tiny home, lovingly dubbed The Orchid Estate, where on the land, she cultivates her Vietnamese diasporic garden of herbs and plants from her ancestral roots. Follow this garden goddess at https://theorchidestate.com/
Christopher Nguyen
Groomsman
You will never meet a nicer guy and better friend than Chris Nguyen. Chris and Steven have been buds since freshman year at Jesuit high school where they excelled at breakdancing, drumline and lunch. A man of many hobbies, you can find Chris practicing photography in Yosemite, running the clothing and lifestyle company Empire in the Air with his wife Francesca, or training for his next race. Interesting Fact: Chris has completed 1 full marathon, 10+ half marathons, 2 triathlons, 9 Spartan races, 1 metric century, and 2 powerlifting meets.
Kiko Liwag
Groomsman
We wouldn’t be able to complete the #22nd roster without the one and only Eliseo Francisco Gopiao Liwag III aka Kiko. An amazingly loyal friend, Kiko has been there for Steven throughout the years for just about everything. He is always there to show you what is cool and how to rock your own style. You can find him discovering the next hot artist, showing people what’s up in Counter Strike, or teaching people how to build their own computers. Interesting Fact: As a resident of Daly City and lover of the fog, Kiko considers 60 degrees Fahrenheit unbearably hot.
Tien Tran
Bridesmaid
You can find Tien soaking up the sun on the beach or munching on the yummiest food spots while she calls the OC home (for now, until she finally makes her return to the Bay)! As a fellow techie on that grind, Ngân has leaned on Tien for emotional support and advice when it comes to how to channel that inner #bawselady. Looking back on it all now, they both have grown up so much since their care-free Cal days. Ngân's favorite memories with Tien are her visits while Tien lived in Singapore and NYC for the ultimate local food tours. Interesting Fact: Tien’s internet sleuthing skills is top notch, choose literally any topic and just give Tien a few hours. She’ll wow you with an encyclopedia of knowledge and a written research paper.
Jamil Pura
Groomsman
A lover of sports and good movies Jamil has been a constant presence in Steven’s life since freshman year at USF in 2008. They lived together under the same roof for 7 years at #22nd where they became men and found their way. You can find Jamil rooting for the San Jose Sharks, coaching youth athletics or reciting lines from Will Farrell movies. Interesting Fact: Jamil is an avid ice hockey player.
Ana Contreras
Day-of Wedding Coordinator
Ngân and Ana were work wifeys during their EY busy seasons and Rocket Fuel work fam. Ana had a natural talent of bringing people together, she was always the main team event planner, culture champion and threw the best parties. Adding fuel to that passion, she started her side hustle, Primerose Event Coordinating where you can find her on Ngân and Steven’s special day taking care of business and doing her best J-Lo “The Wedding Planner” impression. You can hire Ana for your next party at https://primroseeventcoordinating.com/ Interesting Fact: Ana’s super power is organization, she finds deep satisfaction in beautifying kitchen pantries and color coding closets, think Home Edit and Marie Kondo level organization makeovers.
Heedrin Bustamante
Officiant
Ngân & Steven could not think of a better friend for the job of officiating their wedding ceremony! Heedrin is the other half of The Bustamantes. Han & Heedrin spent the most quality time with Ngân & Steven together in their couples' COVID bubble. This was all according to Ngân & Han's not-so-secret scheme to bring Steven & Heedrin closer. Steven now considers Heedrin as one of the homies, falling for a phenomena called "The Heedrin Effect" where Heedrin has charmed his way as a permanent fixture in Steven's life. Heedrin even went on a family golfing trip in Napa with Steven and his parents, that's how strong the Heedrin Effect is. Interesting Fact: Watch out for this triple threat, as an all-star sports athlete Heedrin excels in tennis, golf & ping pong.
Mia Vu
Flower Girl
Mia is Ngân's precious 2.5 y/o niece and will be making her flower girl debut. She is the daughter of Ngân's older brother Paul and sister-in-law Joann and big sis to 2 m/o baby bro Levi Vu. She is being raised in a bilingual Korean Vietnamese American home. You can find her playing outside and stacking rocks in a precise straight formation. Interesting Fact: Mia loves playing hide-and-go-seek and her favorite fruit is strawberries.
Hugh Davis
Ring Bearer
Hugh is the 5 y/o son of Steven's older cousin Tiffany and Shawn. Hugh is excited and ready to fulfill his duties as ring bearer to protect the rings. You can find Hugh in his backyard dressed up as Spider-Man fighting off bad guys or dressed as a fire fighter digging up holes and constructing bridges in his mud kitchen. Interesting Fact: Hugh earned his white-brown stripe belt in Tae Kwon Do.