We’re excited to introduce the winners of our April Chiavari Chairs contest, Navy and Phinel, who won $500 off of their order!
Where did you meet your fiancée?
We are actually childhood crushes. We officially “met’ when we exchanged our first “Hi” to each other back in 1992-1993 at a Cambodian New Year Celebration. It wasn’t until 1999 that my sister and her then boyfriend got us to hang out because I opened my big mouth saying I was interested in getting to know him (since we were both recently single). We knew there was something special about “us” and our feelings for each other were mutual but unfortunately we had to put our “getting to know each other” relationship on hold due to a crazy/jealous ex girlfriend. It wasn’t until 2003 that Phinel and I were FINALLY able to make our relationship official and we pretty much picked up where we left off. I guess you can say we’re meant to be (as cheesy as that may sound). Considering everything we went through and everything that stood in our way (it was definitely not an easy road), we still manage to find our way back to each other and now we get to plan our future together.
How did you know Phinel was the one for you?
I just knew. It’s not something that I can describe. I think it’s just a feeling that you get when you know you’ve found THE one. I like to say, “He had me at Hi” when we were just 12-13yrs old.
What are the things you have in common?
Although we have many things in common, I find that we complement each other better with our differences. For example, I like the inside of the bread loaf, while he prefers the outside. He’s a more serious type of person, whereas I’m the playful/goofy type. He likes to clean and I’ll admit, it’s not one of my favorite things to do! I will say the main thing we have in common is our love and dedication to our family. We are truly lucky to have the ones we have and we’re forever grateful for them!
How did Phinel propose?
It was a long, sweet, but perfect proposal! I’m sharing the short version. He proposed on my 30th “Cougar Celebration”! Dinner was already planned with our family/friends at Ruth’s Chris Steak House for my birthday. Initially, some people weren’t able to attend but Phinel went behind my back and asked that they try their best to make it so that my 30th birthday would be special and memorable for me (all along he was planning to propose but he kept it a secret from everybody). After he showered me with wonderful gifts, which led to the proposal (as hints: two WHITE purses, his WHITE Jordan socks (placed in the purse) and he also changed into a WHITE shirt) and spoke nothing but the sweetest things about me, he then had a friend hand deliver his Jordan’s (who drove all the way to the restaurant just to deliver them because he was unable to make it to dinner). At the time I thought it was strange, (everything that led to the proposal) but it all made sense. You have to know Phinel to know why his shoes played a role in the proposal. Those particular shoes, he has said to me, he’d only wear on a special occasion. He changed into those Jordan’s, got down on one knee in front of our family/friends and strangers and asked me to marry him!
What part of the wedding day are you looking forward to most?
Finally and officially becoming a Family!! Phinel and I have a son together, who is turning 5. I also helped raised Phinel’s daughter since she was 3 years old and she’s now about to turn 14. I look forward to making it official although no piece of paper will define “our family”. I also look forward to spending this special day with our wonderful family and friends! This wedding is not just about Phinel and I, it’s about our family and our friends who mean the world to us!
What inspired your wedding colors?
Red is my favorite color. I decided to incorporate pink because that’s my second favorite and instead of using black as another color, I decided to go with gray. I like to be different.
