I remember during our first client meeting, Melissa shared with John and me the first written journal entry she had of Kenny. The entry came after they had an actual conversation for the first time during a church conference the summer after Melissa graduated from high school. She doesn’t remember the exact details of their conversation, but she did write in her journal that “Kenny Yee has many qualities I would like in a future husband.” Little did Melissa know that Kenny did indeed have qualities she would come to cherish as a wife! Haha! Unfortunately at the time, the next line she wrote was about another guy being cute (& “CUTE” was capitalized for emphasis)! On their wedding website, I couldn’t help but laugh to read Kenny’s explanation as to why she wrote about that other guy: “Perhaps if she had thought she could have a shot at a studly senior then she would have journaled about how good looking I was… one can dream”! Haha!
Flashing back to the first time they met, Melissa was just a wee little 4th grader on a basketball team, and Kenny was the assistant coach–but don’t worry he was only in the 7th grade at the time! ;) The basketball coach was his Sunday School teacher & mentor, so Kenny would come to help out! They didn’t talk too much at this time, but Kenny mentioned that his memory of her was that “Melissa was always that cute little girl.” On the other hand, Melissa shared that her friends thought it would be funny to make a song about Kenny that went “Shrimpy’s getting tired!” Haha! Poor Kenny, that’s her first memory of him.
Their story didn’t unfold until quite a few years later. Kenny continued to always think that she was cute, but always remained in place as a big brother in Christ to her. Until she came back from college, that is…
“After I graduated from college, Kenny and I reconnected at a missions conference. He was walking out of the “Prayer and Missions” workshop, and I was walking into the “Young Woman on the Missions Field” workshop in the same room, so we caught up a bit then. The next time we spoke was at the first Sunday service of the new year in 2011 (one of the few times I was back at my home church). I was trying to avoid seeing anyone I knew, but little did I know that Kenny was trying to see me! Kenny caught me as I was leaving and we exchanged an awkward hello/goodbye through the closing glass door. Later that night, I received a Facebook message asking me out on a date!. After some debate I agreed and the next Sunday we went to Tokyo Shabu Shabu in Rowland Heights and enjoyed some surprisingly fun and also surprisingly heavy conversation, as well as many nervous cups of tea.”
(Kenny added that he had probably about 50 cups of tea!)
“I agreed to one date. Little did I know that I would be lured into another one by Kenny’s love for God, nice hair, and sense of humor! Those first dates turned into more dates and into several years of dating.”
I’ll share Kenny’s quote from their wedding website to give you a little more insight on those years of dating:
“And so we dated and dated and she texted me and pursued me and went so aggressively after me… and I welcomed her advances with open arms. Our courtship was not without its difficulties… we fought and fought to make it work not sure if it would… and this is where God did a work that was like WOW!!!”
HAHA! I guess it’s safe to say that I had a lot of fun getting to know this silly, but also very intentional, couple! :) From the first client meeting with them up until their big special day, I enjoyed speaking with each of them and was excited to see their wedding unfold!
Melissa shared with me that the veil she wore on her wedding day was previously owned and worn by her mother! It had such beautiful detail, and was a perfect fit with Melissa’s sweet wedding gown! She and her bridesmaids joked about each of them borrowing it for their own wedding like the sisterhood of the traveling veil! Haha!
Look how sweet the hangers Melissa DIY-ed came out! :)
There was so much joy and laughter (and dancing!) in Melissa’s home as she got ready for her & Kenny’s wedding!
Once she was all set, we hopped into her maid of honor’s car and strolled off to meet with Kenny and John for their first look! We found a hilltop at a nearby park that ended up being absolutely beautiful! Props to Melissa, who willingly climbed up the hill in her dress and sandals!
Kenny was absolutely thrilled to see his beautiful bride. I remember tearing up and and saying “aw” so much that I was scared they could hear me through the grass! ;) The joy just emanated from their facial expressions and body language and it truly spread to those who were there to witness it!
“Realizing I loved Kenny was a slow process as I was very scared to admit that I loved him!
One of the significant moments for me was in December 2012 when I got a speeding ticket driving to Nor Cal RIGHT after Kenny had told me to slow down (as soon as he fell back asleep I started speeding again… so bad, I know!). After the cop left, Kenny made me pull over and instead of being angry with me, he gave me a hug and asked if I was okay. I remember in that moment being shocked at his grace toward me, and I clearly remember thinking “This is a man I could marry!””
– Melissa
Kenny shared with me 4 things he loved about Melissa:
- “She’s sold out to Jesus”
- “She’s got a heart to bless others with her time and energy”
- “She can hang with me on board games… even though she learns from my tactics =) (although she is better at band than I am)”
- “She is more fit than I am”
So, when did Kenny realize he loved Melissa?
“There was no significant moment. It was gradual sweetness she showed and love for Jesus that won me over. It’s different for everyone I suppose. =)”
I came to know Melissa to be someone who truly had a heart after Jesus, as Kenny mentioned. She sought Him very fervently in all her decisions–especially in regards to her marrying Kenny. She shared with me a little bit of the process it took for her to be completely committed to the proposal Kenny had given to her.
“I know this sounds kind of terrible, but I don’t think I realized I was truly ready to commit to marriage until I actually said yes to Kenny’s proposal! I was a mixed bag up to that point, but I remember as Kenny was proposing feeling oddly calm and at peace, despite all the turmoil I had felt leading up to the proposal!
Because I was so all over about getting engaged (which honestly had pretty much nothing to do with Kenny and much more to do with me, my doubts, my typical indecisive personality), I had asked God to provide signs that Kenny was the right person. Two signs were fulfilled immediately, but one sign lingered on. Over time, I realized God was asking me to choose Kenny even without the sign, as an act of trust in God’s plan for us and to demonstrate I truly loved Kenny. So at the time of the proposal, this last sign was actually still unfulfilled! The amazing thing is, an hour or so after the proposal, (without me even asking) Kenny confirmed the sign had actually been fulfilled without me knowing! God was affirming the decision I had made, and the decision meant even more since I had chosen Kenny out of my own will and love for him.”
– Melissa
Kenny shared his thought process going into proposing to his (now) lovely wife.
“I took a day to pray and fast about my future. And of course, I asked God about Melissa. He told me that I would propose in August or September of 2013. But the third of the three signs had not happened yet for Melissa to have confirmation from the Lord. I was a bit anxious. Come mid-late August, Melissa finally told me she was ready. But it wasn’t because the third signed had happened. She had simply chose me. This meant a lot to me. Also, at the same time, God had provided a VERY NICE engagement ring supernaturally. =) This really helped to solidify that I was ready to propose and I did so on the last Saturday of September 2013 (just as God had told me months before).
Now, envision the infamous floating lanterns scene from the beloved Disney movie, Tangled (LOVE THAT MOVIE!). That’s exactly what Kenny made for Melissa inside the room! SO sweet!
“Kenny decorated one of the classrooms at church to look like the boat and lantern scene from Tangled! He sang me two songs (“our” song, and a song that he wrote!), then asked me to marry him. It was absolutely perfect and I appreciated how he respected my desire for a small, intimate proposal, though I knew he probably would have loved to have his many, many friends there to share the moment.
During the proposal, I felt so loved and so happy that it was actually happening! As I mentioned, I had been feeling very up and down about the possibility of engagement, so I was relieved to feel an overall sense of calmness and peace when I agreed to be his wife! I was also super impressed with the decorations and I absolutely loved Kenny’s song, which was very “him”: funny, but also very sweet.”
The proposal in Kenny’s words?
“I set up a room at Evergreen SGV like the scene in Tangled. My thoughts… it came out to be more involved and detailed and expensive then I thought it would be. I wasn’t too nervous the whole time or even the day of. But like 2 hours beforehand, we had taken a nap. I woke up and felt very anxious and couldn’t breathe. But during the time, I was able to calm down a bit (still nervous). It went by too quickly, but I’m extremely how everything turned out… and I guess her saying “yes” wasn’t so bad.”
Haha! I wish I could’ve been there to photograph it! It sounds like it was wonderful! :)
This was a little behind the scene shot that I actually ended up really liking, featuring John’s spare umbrella that he keeps in the car! He had brought out the umbrella to help Melissa stay shaded from the blazing sun! As Kenny & Melissa walked back to the car from the hill, it was really cute and fun to see them walking with the sweet little umbrella up ahead! :)
We met at another nearby park to take their bridal party and family photos! Everyone looked fabulous! :)
I loved the mix and match colors that the bridal party wore to go along with the theme! :)
LOVED the two little ring bearers! :)
Everyone was so happy and excited for these two lovebirds! :)
We headed to Lifesong Community Church in Chino Hills for the ceremony! It was their first time having a wedding at their facility, so it was pretty cool getting to see what they had set up!
Melissa & Kenny’s set up was really sweet and simple! I loved the backdrop Melissa came up with to help decorate the huge stage! The hanging lights behind the cross reminded me of their proposal story! :)
I loved the theme Melissa & Kenny chose for their wedding!
“About a year into our relationship, we were having dinner with our longtime friend who got a song from the Lord for us. The song was “Sailboat” by Brooke Fraser. We didn’t think much of it until a few weeks later when Kenny attended a prophetic prayer training. The Uncle who was praying for Kenny saw a vision of Kenny in a sailboat with a girl (me! hopefully haha). Ever since then, we knew that “Sailboat” would be our wedding song if we did get married, so it was fitting that our theme match the song (it was Kenny’s idea actually!).”
-Melissa
Their wedding theme verse was equally as sweet!
“The theme of our wedding “The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases” comes from Lamentations 3:22-23. It’s a passage of scripture I say to myself almost every morning. It’s God’s steadfast love that is the glue of our marriage. And since it’ll never stop, it’ll be the bond for our marriage (cheesy, but SOOOO true!)”
-Kenny
John, whom you all know of as my second shooter, designed the lovely programs you see on the table! He’s actually a really talented graphic designer (view his work here!)!
As guests arrived, people took their seats, and everyone was in their place–the wedding was to begin! :)
As the bridal party took their place, Melissa’s bridesmaid, Joanne and Kenny’s groomsman Darren, helped out the already amazing worship team play Melissa’s entrance song.
Again, how cute are Kenny’s nephews as groomsmen??!
Once again, just like at the first look, Kenny’s face showed nothing but pure joy and excitement as he saw his bride walk towards him! And yet again, I definitely squealed inside. :)
It was truly such a joy to also see how excited each of their families were to welcome their child’s significant other into their lives! :)
I loved hearing Melissa & Kenny’s sweet & funny letters to their parents. There were definitely an equal amount of tears shed and laughter! :)
One of my favorite parts of Christian wedding ceremonies is when the couple worships God so purely and wholeheartedly together. Marriage to me is something so beautiful and so wonderfully given to us by God so we can have that example of Christ’s love for the church, and whenever I see couples worship God together, it just makes me so incredibly happy! :)
This was also one of Kenny’s favorite memories from their wedding!
“My favorite memory was worshipping even though it was weird because our pastors were right in front of us (haha… we both had our hands raised at some points… haha). I also enjoyed just looking out and seeing everyone I care about laugh together (even if it was at our expense). “
Here’s a little shoutout to Deborah, who did a fantastic job as Melissa’s maid of honor–making sure her veil and dress looked beautiful all the while she was up there! :)
Melissa told me that she absolutely loves how Kenny constantly tries to make her laugh. It was sweet to see that it was displayed during their ceremony, too! So much laughter!
“Kenny is always trying to make me laugh! On our first date I remember him telling me he was only being ridiculous for my amusement. Often times he will be doing something funny, then he’ll stop to check and make sure I’m watching. For some reason, I find it very endearing :)”
Oh, the high five of approval and happiness from the best man to the groom! :)
Loved this stolen moment of Melissa hugging her mom and dad for the second time after the ceremony! :)
Again, it was so great to see the excitement and happiness both Kenny & Melissa’s family had for the lovely newly weds!! After the family photos, we headed to Royal Vista Golf Course for the reception and the mini bridal session! :)
To give you a glimpse of the silliness and sweetness of their session, let me first begin to showcase their bridal session with a goofy shot that happened!
As Kenny described Melissa to me, it was fun being able to witness all of her characteristics during wedding–especially experiencing that last characteristic during the bridal session! ;)
“Melissa loves Jesus with all her heart. She loves to spend time with Jesus and her prayers are so full of passion. She is definitely as sweet, if not sweeter, then people think she is (even though I may so otherwise at times). She honors her parents and loves her family better than most people. She is patient with me in my goofiness. But she is WAY more goofy than me =)”
-Kenny
It was fun seeing Melissa’s goofy side!
“I think Kenny is absolutely hilarious! He is always smiling and making me laugh. He totally draws out the ridiculous side of me too. Kenny is also incredibly thoughtful and sweet. He takes such good care of me and is very attentive to my needs. Anyone who knows Kenny knows that he is extremely passionate about his faith and that his whole life is centered around loving Jesus and building His kingdom! I love and admire how he goes HARD after the Lord and is always encouraging me to do the same. This is kind of a random one, but Kenny is also very responsible and trustworthy. I think as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized how valuable those traits. It means a lot that I can depend on Kenny.”
– Melissa
Melissa & Kenny’s love for one another truly shined throughout their session… I couldn’t help but smile as I photographed every moment of them together! :)
Hearing about how supportive Melissa was of Kenny was really sweet!
“I have a lot of crazy ideas and ambitions. Melissa encourages me and supports me with words of affirmation and actions to go along.”
– Kenny
And amongst all the sweetness, of course their silliness constantly ensued, which allowed their shoot to be fun and incredibly “them”! :)
After the session, we rejoined the rest of the party for the wedding reception! And what a reception it was! :)
There was so much life and entertainment brought out, and it only just began with their very enthusiastic and fun bridal party entering the room together in dance! It was such a fun entrance!! :)
I found out that one of the very talented groomsmen coordinated this dance for the party to learn just a couple days before the actual wedding! What a bridal party! They learned it in only a couple of days!
And then began my favorite part of wedding receptions: The first dance. Melissa & Kenny, as mentioned before, danced to the beautiful song, “Sailboats” by Brooke Fraser.
“We’re adrift on a sailboat
My love is the sea
Yours is the horizon
Constant and steady– “Sailboats” by Brooke Fraser
I also love watching the mother-son & father-daughter dances! Such precious moments! :)
The night was filled with so much laughter! The emcees of the night were so entertaining! This was probably the most interactive wedding reception I’ve been to!
We took a break after games to hear the maid of honor & best man make their toasts to the lovely newlyweds! :)
The cake that was made for Melissa & Kenny was absolutely beautiful, and I LOVED the little decorative piece they had made next to it! They even got their hair right! ;)
And then the games began yet again! I was a HUGE fan of the “Myth Busters” game the emcees took little things Kenny & Melissa claimed to be true and tested them out! It was hilarious! The first game was to see if Kenny truly was the biggest fan of “Saved by the Bell”! He claimed he could name the episode, or describe it, after just hearing little snippets of it!
His cousin, who volunteered to be Kenny’s competitor, busted that myth! Haha! But it’s okay Kenny! I’m sure Melissa still believes you’re a huge fan! ;)
For Melissa’s turn, they tested out her ideology that when you wash the dishes, it is acceptable to not wring out the sponge. They had selected guests close to Melissa unknowingly “wash” dishes for the audience to see, and name each step of the process.
Let’s just say that everyone said it was customary to wring out the sponge after washing the dishes! Haha! :)
The last game was to bust the silly myth, or fear, rather, that Melissa used to have, which was that she was as tall, or taller, than Kenny…
Kenny passed the test! Haha!!
One of the other games the emcees prepared, was a game in place of the clinking of glasses to make the bride & groom kiss. To shake things up, they asked three couples to prepare crazy, staged kisses that Melissa & Kenny had to reenact! I’ll only share the one of Kenny’s parents, since they mimicked Lady & the Tramp, one of my childhood Disney favorites. ;)
It was cute when Lady & the Tramp did it, but I’d imagine it was fairly different doing it in real life…. haha!
As the night came to an end, Kenny & Melissa thanked their wonderful family and friends for coming and making their wedding day such a wonderful experience before starting up the bouquet and garter toss!
Melissa & Kenny ended the night exactly as they envisioned–dancing the night away, surrounded by their loved ones!
“I enjoyed the entire thing haha. It was so fun and strange to look around and know every single person that was there! I was also very pleased with the dancing! That was one of our wedding “must haves” as Kenny and I love to dance. I was so relieved when the floor started filling up!”
As I often do, I asked the lovely newlyweds if they had any advice for wedding-planning couples. Here’s the two cents they put in! ;)
“Don’t procrastinate on the wedding planning, but also don’t let it consume you! Have fun and enjoy the abnormal number of chances you’ll have to see so many of the people you love so frequents (one of my favorite parts was getting to see my closest girlfriends so much more often than usual for the wedding-related festivities!). Also, keep the wedding in perspective—above all it’s a chance to bring glory to God, honor your guests, and practice loving your future spouse.”
– Melissa
“Do it! Regarding wedding planning, just realize there is still a relationship that needs mending and time. If you are a believer in God, then commit your wedding to Him. You don’t want any regrets in how you planned your wedding for Jesus. By His grace, we have no regrets with how it all turned out. If you’re not a believer, consider God’s love for you and respond with a big YES!! It’ll make your marriage even more awesome!”
-Kenny
It’s been three months since this joyful couple danced their night away! I asked them how married life has been treating them and Melissa replied, “I don’t know about Kenny, but married life is great! I know everyone says this, but it’s just so nice to go home every night to your SO. Zero regrets, for sure!!”
Kenny agreed and said married life is “awesome” and that “Marriage rocks! We might be in our honeymoon phase still, but I’m going to choose to believe that God loves marriage. And although it won’t be without it’s challenges, it’ll be full of good godly fruit. I love that we don’t have to say goodbye at night and drive home for half an hour! =)” I loved hearing that! :)
CONGRATULATIONS KENNY & MELISSA! My heart is so happy for the both of you! :)
Happy Friday!