| Our Wedding |
"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine..." -Song of Songs (2:16)
About Lawrence
Lawrence was born in Orange, CA, and lived a large portion of his life in Cypress, CA. He lived in South Korea for about four years of his life--graduating (as valedictorian) from Seoul International School. He went on to Cornell University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, and then to UC Davis to earn his Master of Science degree in Plant Biology. He is currently a first year PhD student in the department of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. In his spare time, he enjoys Japanese animation, various martial arts, maintaining his website, and listening to the music of his favorite bands: The Smiths, The Clash, KLF, and Crowded House to name a few. He is also a member of St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church.
About Carol
Carol was born in Los Angeles, CA but spent most of her life in Cypress, CA, where she graduated from Cypress High School. She went on to UCLA, where she graduated with her B.A. in English, and is currently teaching elementary school for LAUSD, in central Los Angeles. She is nearly finished with her Masters of Education program at National University. Carol's interests are wide and varied--she loves reading, enjoys writing, drawing, and both instrumental and vocal music. When out, she loves to shop, go to art museums, attend plays, go to Disneyland (both she and Lawrence are annual pass holders!) and watch movies. Just hanging out and chatting with friends over a soda is great too. She is a member of St. Peter Chanel's Catholic Church in Hawaiian Gardens.
How our friends see us
Lawrence started (what will hopefully become) an F1-CJASer wedding tradition when he wrote about Gregory Marques and Lillian Olsen for their wedding webpage. We're honored that Greg and Lill wrote something about us for our upcoming wedding.
How We Met
Carol and Lawrence were in the same kindegarten class, if you'll believe it. They didn't really become close friends, though, until their sophomore year in high school, when Lawrence was leaving Cypress for the second time, to move to South Korea with his family. Carol heard the rumor that he was leaving, and curious, approached him. Suddenly appalled by the idea that he might simply vanish out of her life without them getting to know each other, she asked him for his new address, and he gave it to her. A few months later, she wrote him, he wrote back, and soon, the two were exchanging epically Long Letters. This continued through the first year of college, and then they discovered (or rather, he already knew about and she discovered) e-mail. Their correspondence and friendship continued to grow over the years, until the day that Carol realized that she couldn't imagine her life without Lawrence always playing the significant role of Soul Mate and Dearest Friend. Lawrence, who'd known all along that this was the way things should be, kindly forgave her past ignorance (sometimes, Carol's a little slow about things) and they started dating in June of 2000. 10 years and 5 months after the day Carol asked him for his address, he proposed and she accepted. Then, she proposed and he accepted. And all was well with the world... ^_^
How it Happened
Carol and Lawrence had privately been talking about getting married for some time, but hadn't precisely nailed down the when, where, and how. Oddly enough, Carol's dad helped the process along and made it a family affair by having Lawrence over so as to inquire into Lawrence's intentions. Carol and Lawrence confessed that they wanted to get married in July 2002, so Carol's father got the ball rolling. "Well, tell your parents and then get a date for the Engagement" (this Engagement celebration is a Korean tradition, where both families gather to make the engagement official. Carol's family is Korean and Lawrence's Chinese). All this talk of engagement led, of course, to the shopping for an engagement ring for Carol and a watch (another Korean tradition) for Lawrence. After choosing and purchasing the rings and the watch, the two were supposed to hang onto them until the June 16th engagement party. Carol, however, couldn't help but to admire the ring from the vantage point of her finger, and Lawrence, reluctant to take it from her, proposed on the spot (her bedroom). Once she accepted, she proposed to him. He accepted back. ^_^
Maid of Honor
Irene is Carol's younger sister, though commonly mistaken for the elder of the two. Irene is much-beloved by her friends, though lately she's been spending a lot of time with one particular in Santa Monica (wink-wink) and can pull a party together with great gusto. This is probably because she's lots of fun and makes a mean salsa. She is a graduate of UC Irvine, and is currently attending Pepperdine University for her teaching credential and Masters in Education.
Best Man
James is the best man and Lawrence's best friend. He was Lawrence's next door neighbor in Dickson Hall their first two years at Cornell, and they've remained in close contact ever since. Both were active in CJAS (Cornell Japanese Animation Society) and SKFAC (Shaolin Kung Fu Association at Cornell). James is an extrovert who thinks he's an introvert. He seems completely oblivious to the strange charisma and authority he radiates, much to the amusement of Lawrence--who likes to think he's immune to James' subtle (and possibly unintentional) power plays. James alternately enjoys rock climbing and vegging out in front of a computer/TV, more the latter. He currently works for the Middleware Company, as the Vice President and Senior Technology Partner, in Palo Alto, CA.
Bridesmaid
Lisa and Carol met in elementary school, somewhere in the middle of 2nd grade but became friends in the 3rd grade when they discovered that their birthdays were just 1 day apart! They've been close friends for years. Lisa loves shows--of the Broadway/musical persuasion and can probably tell you about every one playing in town. And one's that aren't. She also loves spending her evenings watching movies (at home, preferably) and hanging out in bookstores and good restaurants. She is currently working for the Hallmark Channel, in the marketing department.
Groomsman
Eddie is another groomsman and former CJASer. Another good friend from Cornell, Eddie currently lives in Edison, NJ and works in telecommunications. He enjoys sports, fantasy novels, board games, and Japanese pop music. Like Tolkien's Ents, he is pleasant and slow to anger, but capable of being even fiercer than Jerry (see below) when provoked. As such, he was rarely a victim of the pranks orchestrated by his college housemates. Lawrence can always count on Eddie to play air hockey with him.
Bridesmaid
Kathryn is an old high school chum. Carol and "Katie" (so-named by Carol) met in high school marching band, when Carol was a freshman and Katie a junior. Kathryn loves following the work of her favorite bands (she just recently attended 6 Depeche Mode concerts!) and is great fun to shop with. Katie is a classically trained percussionist, and is pursuing a career in modeling and acting.
Groomsman
Bridesmaid
Leti is the last (but definitely not least) bridesmaid and college roommate. Carol met Leti in her 3rd year at UCLA, in their dorm, Hedrick Hall. They shared an apartment for a year during Carol's senior year and became great friends (unlike some friends who end up hating each other after being roommates). Leti is a talented mariachi musician (violin) and singer, and a dear friend of Carol's from her Bruin years.
Groomsman
David, more commonly known as Dave or Davu, is another one of Lawrence's Cornell schoolmates. Back in the day, Lawrence and Dave pulled many weekend all-nighters to watch anime borrowed from the CJAS archives, only vaguely understanding the stories because it was all in Japanese. Dave, originally from Buffalo, NY, had a unique reputation at Cornell; he was known for his seemingly supernatural resistance to cold weather, braving heavy winter winds and snow in shorts and a t-shirt. Currently living in Seattle, Washington, Dave works for Amazon.com and enjoys playing competitive Go, driving his new Subaru Impreza WRX, and reading books he buys from his favorite online book seller. He is a big music afficionado, as well, and has an impressive (and growing) CD collection.
Ushers
Flower Girl
Ring Bearer
Date
Ceremony Location
Reception Location
Schedule of Events
Photography
Bridal Attire
Florist
Bridal Registry