Hong Van & Derrick
Wedding Party
Annie Tam
Maid of Honor
Annie and Hong Van were quite an inseparable pair during their pharmacy school days, and they still are ‘til this day. You would never see one without the other, and it all started with a fortuitous meeting in undergrad chemistry. Whether it is to share good news, bad news, or any news, Annie is the first person that Hong Van confides in. When going a few days without talking to each other, it really feels like an eternity for the two of us. Honestly, she might just be Hong Van’s true soulmate (Derrick is well aware and is supportive hehe).
Jason Wong
Best Man
Jason is often described by Derrick as his favorite brother. Jason would always rebuttal and say that I am your only brother. This type of banter between us, our common interests in tennis, games, memes, basketball, and being able to talk about pretty much anything is why Derrick considers Jason one of his best friends and best man.
Brenda Vang
Bridesmaid
Having been best friends with Brenda since high school, the two have had many wonderful memories together. One of the best parts of it was being neighbors. Back then, you would have definitely found Hong Van at Brenda’s house sitting on her couch, and the two would just be lost in conversation–day or night. When Hong Van was going through a tough time facing the loss of her grandpa, Brenda had shown up in front of Hong Van’s door with the most heartwarming care package. You would never find a more reliable and dependable friend like Brenda has been for Hong Van.
Brandon Siu
Groomsman
Brandon and Derrick met in middle school in the same class, and it was almost instantly that they became best friends. The two have bonded through the years from school projects, playing games together, family vacations, community college classes over high school summers, all the orchestra practices, and supporting each other through college and now into the workforce.
Elizabeth Tran
Bridesmaid
Hong Van’s twinnie! Telepathic twinnie that is. Their minds are often on similar wavelengths that it will truly contest all of time and distance. They knew they were going to be twinnies for life when they had said the same thing 3 times in a row during one of their undergrad VSA eboard meetings. Hong Van has never found a better friend like Elizabeth who would indulge with her in all things cute, girly, pretty, and sweet. To name a few, the two can bond for hours over Disney, Studio Ghibli film & soundtrack, adorable Pokémon, Nezuko from Demon Slayer, Animal Crossing, boba, durian, desserts, and overall, food.
Jacky Ng
Groomsman
Jacky is Derrick’s first and best friend after coming back to California after spending 6 years in New York and they met one night during a bible study in Castro Valley. The connection was instantaneous when Derrick brought up Roger Federer when trying to answer one of the questions in the bible study. Jacky then invited Derrick out to hit with his tennis group and have bonded through tennis ever since. Without his encouragement to keep on trying to find the right girl on coffee meets bagel, Derrick would never have found Hong Van.
Glory Bui
Bridesmaid
Glory is Hong Van’s cousin, and growing up, she was the closest thing to a sister that Hong Van has ever had. Others have even mistaken the two as twins since they look so much alike. She has been supportive of Hong Van since their early childhood days. They would often reminisce over fond memories of playing pretend Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, and Powerpuff Girls. These days, the two of us often talk about the ups and downs of life, and as a break from life, the two (along with Steve) would fangirl over various Kpop girl groups.
Sam Vang
Groomsman
Sam and Derrick both worked at Gilead, and they met one day in the break room when Derrick asked if he could join Sam’s colleagues for lunch. Even when Sam’s colleagues left, Derrick and Sam continued to talk about anime, sports, working out, general good vibes, and the relationship blossomed. Since then, they would hang out, go out on adventures and talk about life. Sam was instrumental in helping build Derrick’s online dating portfolio (which Derrick hopes had helped land Hong Van).
Jeane Garcia
Bridesmaid
Jeane has one of the most beautiful and contagious smiles Hong Van has ever laid eyes on. Although Hong Van often jokes around calling Jeane her “Ate” (which is older sister in Tagalog), Hong Van truly does look up to her as a role model with hopes of achieving that mental peace in which the two of them have bonded over and found to be highly rewarding in adulthood. The two of them (along with Brenda) have been the bestest of friends since high school. All three have become great travel buddies as they’ve conquered Seattle, Chicago, New York, Montreal, and many more places to come. They’ve even created a hashtag for themselves to look back on all of the good times (#hbjtravels).
Steve Tran
Bridesman
In all corners of Hong Van’s fondest childhood memories, you can for sure find her cousin, Steve, present as they were best buds growing up. Steve is like a ray of sunshine to Hong Van as she has always felt a sense of warmth, cheerfulness, safety, good times & good vibes, and for sure, laughter being around Steve. He played such a pivotal part in helping Hong Van come out of her shell and not be afraid to show her true self as she was able to fully nerd out and express her love for Korean dramas, Kpop, anime, and video games (which she believed ultimately attracted Derrick hehe).
Monica Nguyen
Bridesmaid
Monica and Hong Van have been best friends since their days in youth group when it was first called Lien Doan Thanh Linh, and have then transitioned over as Don Bosco Youth. Hong Van has always adored and been inspired by Monica’s compassion towards volunteering and helping the Catholic community, youth, and underprivileged groups around the Stockton area. She has a heart of gold. As life can get busy and overwhelming, Monica has always set aside time to send Hong Van sweet text messages to check-in, care, love, and show that she’s thinking of Hong Van. Hong Van has always felt an abundance of love being around Monica.
Timothy Tao
Groomsman
Tim is Derrick’s cousin and has been one of Derrick’s best friends since early childhood. Tim was the one who introduced many things that Derrick enjoys today from anime to video games, card games, and tennis. The two now with Jason often bond over playing games together.