A Bride's Wedding Speech

Wedding Reception at Silver Pearl Seafood Restaurant
Photos by Clarzzique Photography and Videography

When we started planning the wedding, I had already known that I would do my own speech. I am a firm believer that my life was just as important as Hai's, and that I should get the same opportunity to thank my loved ones and express my gratitude.
Hai was so lovely in timing his speech to be shorter so I could say everything I wanted to say. I forgot that there was the possibility he would have me in happy tears just before I made my speech, so I was already pretty emotional when I started. My speech was timed to be about twenty minutes long because of the crying and hugging I did, but I have absolutely no regrets! I love my friends and family!

Thank you Hai.

Well what can I say, I'm just so bloody happy right now. And now I get to express my gratitude to everyone here tonight. 

First of all I'd like to thank those that traveled far and wide to be here. Those that came in from Melbourne, Perth, Vietnam and Japan, I'm so touched that you are here to celebrate our special day.

The biggest thank you to my family. We are not the largest one, but we are full of heart. I'm so touched that we have come together to celebrate our Cambodian and Vietnamese Culture yesterday and today. The amount of calls and texts I received offering help and advice has touched my heart.

Mum, thank you for everything. You are so strong and humble. I am who I am because of you. I admire your strength to raise me and Vanna on your own and you taught me that I am strong and independent too. You taught me from very young that "I don't need no man" to complete me. I am very proud to be your daughter. [bow to mum and family]

I'd also like to thank Hai's family, for being so supportive and helpful. You have welcomed me with open arms and taken me under your wings. I especially want to thank Hai’s Mum for always feeding me and worrying about me when I am sick. I know Hai is a caring, strong and humble man because you have raised him. I am so happy to now be officially part of the Trinh family. Thank you. [bow to family and especially acknowledge Oanh and Yen]

To those that I have worked with at Target, MHN trading, Costco and Hai & myself at The Star, we have made lifelong friends among all of you and I thank you for all your support over the years. Especially to Costco, thank you for your patience with me, and keeping me on my diet over the last year. Sandy, you are the worst culprit! [point playfully at Sandy]

Now on to this side, my Tas Squad friends. We've known each other for so long and your friendship has really shaped me into the person I am today. Alot of people like to comment on how we are still friends after we've finished high school 12 years ago. And I'm really proud of that. Your presence here today, makes my heart swell. Thank you.

I'd like to also have a special mention to Jaye, Erin and maid of honor Betty, hello! Thank you for being you. Your friendship has been so heart-warming , I am grateful to have met you and formed a close friendship based on eating out, dogs, hikes and celebrating life milestones in the most girliest of ways. 

And now, to my wonderful friends on this side of the table. The Scumbags! I want to thank you all for accepting me, little Nat Nat into your life. I've never met such a fantastic bunch of people who are open, funny and understanding. You guys have honestly changed my life for the better. I only hope I can enrich your lives just as you've enriched mine.

A special shout out to the Battle Crusaders, who have really embraced me into this quirky family. Thanks to Daryl for having all the patience in the world to deal with us, and John, who is also known as DJ sLay!! [embarrass John]

Thank you to the Wifeys - Betty Thyda and Ying, for always lending a listening ear and for supporting me through this stressful time. Your weekly check-ups on me have really helped over the past year.

I want to make out a special shout out to Lisa. Hi Lisa. We went through the emotional ups and downs of wedding planning and I want to thank you for all your help over the last year. I'm so proud of you. 

Now to my Bridal Party-

Oh, I have the best bridal party. You are here because we love you guys so much. Your support has been comforting even during my very rare Bridezilla moments.

Thank you for all of your hard work and for just looking darn good tonight.

Sang and Roberto, thank you for all your enthusiasm and advice, your late nights helping us set up, it has helped keep both of us sane.

A special mention to Mini for arriving from London one year in advance just in time for the wedding. And for just being awesome.

Mish, thank you for being Hai’s best friend, I know you vouched for me before Hai even met me, and your seal of approval makes me so happy.

And Pong, thank you for also being one of the first people to welcome me into this Scumbag life and for supporting me and Hai. You are the ultimate scumbag but I can’t imagine anyone better to be Hai’s best man tonight.

Michael and Anna, thank you for being you. You guys are strong, inspiring and caring friends and your support has carried me in this life and through this wedding planning.

A Special thanks to Vanna, my little sister. Your strength is to be admired and that has helped me get through alot of tough times during the planning. Thanks for doing all the leg work at home, I’m really grateful you are my sister. [hug Vanna]

And to Reeni and Betty, thank you for being by my side, it has been a wonderful journey. I couldn’t ask for better Maids of Honours who have supported me and Hai. You both are kind and caring people, you girls are my family.

All of you guys are my family.

Hai ----- what can I say. There are not enough words to express how much I love you. 

I know I tell you everyday but now its so much more meaningful because you are now my husband.

We have been waiting for this day to come, and your support has kept me afloat. For those that haven’t seen it, Hai made that Donut Wall from scratch [point to Donut Wall], he made the seating chart, he bought all the suits and orange bows, and he took on alot of overtime at the Opera House. I am so grateful that you were to work as hard as me to make this special day happen. 

You are kind, caring, strong, passionate and have the biggest heart. You have lent your shoulder to cry on or a listening ear, not just for me, but for your friends and family as well. That’s the type of person you are. People confide in you and you can step into their shoes and articulate their feelings into words. And you understand me in a way no one could. This is one of the many reasons why I love you.

Now when we got engaged, it was before your 30th birthday, and we had drove 9 hours to the very edge of Victoria to our campsite. Now knowing our luck, we got bogged in mud. Hai’s Jeep tipped 30 degrees and we we were stuck. I remember how stressed we were, Hai trying to dig mud out from under his tyres, wedging crappy branches, swearing as he did it. I was outside, trying to call people to come get us. It was 8.30pm, so I got alot of “Sorry we are in Melbourne, it will take us 4 hours to get there or we can come in the morning”. We even got told by the Park Ranger that we should just call a friend. I was like “What friend?!” 

We are 9 hours away from Sydney! But I have to admit, my first thoughts came to Ronny. Ronny still owed Hai a huge favour and I heavily considered it. [point playfully at Ronny]

Eventually someone came for us, And that’s when Hai decided to ......propose to me. He realized that there wouldn’t be a more memorable time then this.

So with me standing on fresh Kangaroo shit, swearing just moments earlier, getting bit by mozzies, wearing a blanket. There was Hai, mud streaked across his face and all over his clothes, his Jeep behind him drowning in the river, getting down on one knee.

And when we got out, our first meal as an engaged couple was some instant noodles at a dodgy campsite. We slept in the car that night holding hands, the other hand scratching our mozzie bites.

And we were extremely happy doing just that, and that’s why I love you. That’s the type of people we are . We are not fancy people, and we find joy with each other in any situation, no matter how unlucky.

We may not be rich in money, but we are rich in experiences, in friendship and in family, happiness, support and love. And I would not have it any other way. I love you very much Hai, I only hope to make you as happy as you make me.

Thank you. Cheers!

Our Wedding Reception at Silver Pearl Restaurant

Reception at: Silver Pearl Seafood Restaurant, Cabramatta
Photos by: Clarzzique Photography & Videography
Make up & Hair: Style Me Wedding & Events
Wedding Cake by: NC Sweet Zone
Wedding Corset by: Tran (Wedding Dress Maker - 0411456125; Fairfield NSW area)
Wedding Skirt by: Jurgita Bridal (Melanie Skirt) and Asos Bridal (lining customized by me)
Floral Crown(s) by: Made with Love Designz
Floral Wrist Corsage by: Curious Floral 

After a year and a half of wedding stress, Hai and I had finally made it to the Ultimate Party - our wedding reception!
It was held at Silver Pearl Seafood Restaurant on 5th May 2018. We chose this place for a number of reasons - we grew up in the area, many friends of ours have had their weddings in the Cabramatta region, and we love the fact that we get a ten course meal and an option to supply our own alcohol.
It was a wonderful night, and bloody oath, me and Hai worked so hard towards this.

So, below is a brief  breakdown of how we planned our special night. I hope it can serve as a brief guide to newly engaged couples out there.

Booking the Restaurant
A year before our day, we approached the restaurant owner, who we called 'Auntie Ping'. We had simply walked into the restaurant during the day as they were busiest at night. She was a very fiery, passionate and efficient lady and we quickly paid our non-refundable $1000 deposit to hold the venue for the night.
We went through the wedding package, which works around how many guests/tables we wish to invite. Each table holds 10 people. Auntie Ping mentioned that a good amount is 20 tables (200 people) and can accomodate upwards of 40 tables (400 people or more).
There was wedding packages for 25-29 tables or 30+ tables. We had opted for the 30 table package.

The Wedding Package
Silver Pearl was really flexible. We settled and paid the bill on our wedding night.
The total amount was based on the wedding menu, multiplied by how many tables we had, as opposed to per head.
And because we picked the 30+ tables option, Silver Pearl provided the following:

- Orange juice and soft drink
- Printed wedding invitations (unlimited)
- Wedding Cake*
- Wedding car and chauffeur *
- Wedding Singer*
- Wedding MC*
- Live Wedding Band*
- One Security guard
- One "free trial table" where up to 10 people can come in and taste test the Wedding Menu (this is negotiated with Auntie Ping)

*An amount was refunded to you if you didn't go with Silverpearl's options/or provided your own

The 25-29 Tables options provided all that I listed above, except the MC and Wedding Band were not provided, and possibly no free trial table.

Menu
Silverpearl had four menus to choose from, all with different price ranges. I don't want to disclose too much because prices change every year, so the price ranged from around  $890 to $1180 per table at the time we had booked. We also had the option to swap out dishes as we saw fit. We chose the below menu:

1. BBQ Suckling Pig and Jelly Fish Platter
2. Steamed Baby Scallops
3. Chiu Chow Spring Rolls
4. Live Lobster with XO Sauce (with complimentary noodles)
5. Fish Maw Seafood Soup
6.Seafood in Bird's Nest
7. Steamed Live Silver Perch
8. Silver Pearl's Chef's special fried rice
9. Sweet Red Bean and Lotus Seed Soup (can't swap out)
10. Fresh Fruit Platter (can't swap out)

We had made a special request to get the Suckling Pig and that bought the price up because Auntie Ping had to book one pig per table and the price can vary from each butcher.
Our Vegetarian menu were 5 course and they cost $30 per head. Non-seafood dishes were $20 per head, and that was Crispy Chicken and Rice. This was added to the Bill.

Alcohol/Donut Wall
I loved the fact that Silver Pearl allowed us to provide our own alcohol (but served by RSA trained barstaff and waiters of course). Hai and I had our dear friends provide a contact that provided a good deal for us.
We had 31 tables in total so we bought 30 bottles of Hennessy VSOP; 31 bottles of Red Wine; 31 bottles of White Wine (we put down one of each per table) and 15 cases of 24pk Asahi Beer . This proved to be enough for our 310+ guests and we had quite a few left over (around 6 bottles of Hennessy, 8 bottles of Wine and 3 cases of beer).

Hai made our Donut Wall! He is so talented. He spent around $200 for the wood, spokes, spray paint, and Donut signage (this we bought from Ebay). I had then gone to Donut King to buy 130 ice donuts and 70 mini donuts. They were a huge hit with our guests!

Wedding Cake
Hai and I wanted to keep our cake order simple. We didn't go with the complimentary cake from Silver Pearl because we wanted to have more choice for flavours. We opted for a 2-tier Red Velvet semi-naked cake from NC Sweetzone. Ngo was so easy to work with and such a talented baker! She was able to buy and prepare native Australian flowers and decorate it to our liking. We left our Cake toppers (a One Punch Man and Avatar Korra nendoroid bought from Japan Toys) at the venue and Ngo placed them on top before we arrived.

Decor
Our lightbox that displayed our hashtag #HiHaiAndNatNat, we had bought from Kmart and displayed it where the guests signed their names.

For the light up letters, we had a good friend of ours from Vegas Night Productions provide us ones that displayed "H<3N" and they stood perfectly at perfect height in front of the Bridal Table. Vegas Night Productions had installed it the night before and picked up the letters the next night.

MC - David La
We hired David La, a humble MC that was recommended to us by Auntie Ping. He spoke English, Chinese and Vietnamese and was very organised. He went through our itinerary with us and memorized it all. One of the best things he did was gather our family and friends that were to be announced and put them in a area ready to walk out when ready. It saved alot of time and avoided awkward moments of pausing and waiting for family members to fumble from their chairs.
And to hire him was very affordable. I won't disclose the exact cost because David may change his rates in the near future but I can say it was under $400 for his services.

Brief Itinerary

6pm - Guests Arrive; sign the Guest Book and find seats
6.30pm - Photos with the Guests
7.30pm - MC announcements and guests are seated (Our MC waited for about 90% guests to arrive, and also asked for our permission to start - so this start time can vary)
7.45pm - First course served (the Kitchen is on standby to start serving food as soon the MC starts)
Family Acknowledgements, Bridal Party Entrance, Wedding Toast
8pm - Wedding Band Starts
8.15pm - First Dance
8.30pm - Hai's Sister Speech; Maid of Honour and Best Woman Speech
8.45pm - Wedding Band Plays
9pm - Wedding Games hosted by Friend (Dice Drinking Game + Lip Sync Battle)
9.30pm - Maid of Honour and Best Man speech
9.40pm - Cake Cutting, cake is then served at Dessert Table, Donut Wall is open
10pm - Groom & Bride Speech
10.20pm - Bouquet Toss & Garter Toss
10.30pm - DJ starts, Dance Floor lights dim
11.30pm - Wedding Reception finishes

While this all happened, we had close friends counting the Red Pockets in a secure room (they were finished by 7.30pm!); Hai and I toasted every table with a drink; and our Photobooth was open.
We designated one of our groomsmen to be our "Runner" - someone that was in charge of keeping everyone on schedule and could make decisions on our behalf. This really helped as he coordinated with the MC and Auntie Ping to ensure the night ran smoothly without stressing us out too much.

Other Details
Auntie Ping did not tell us about this at all, but there was a Champagne Glass Tower available to us. It was complimentary, so it was a nice touch. After the family was announced and we had the toast, our MC ushered us over and Hai got to pop the champagne bottle and pour into the top glass making a nice waterfall effect and created an opportunity for people to cheer.

I chose the chair ribbon and napkin colour scheme. Auntie Ping had a great variety of colours to choose from - such as blue, pinks reds and gold. I decided to go for a more sophisticated look and opted for silver chair ribbons and grey and white napkins. Auntie Ping said it was very elegant.

One great service that Silver Pearl provided was lending us items for our Vietnamese tea ceremony. I was freaking out because tea ceremony stuff is a hassle to get and it cost money. Luckily we just asked Auntie Ping and she was enthusiastic to show us the Bridal Room. And in that room, behind the massive curtain were mountains of Red Trays (for the food offerings) and their lids, tea pots, candle holders, table clothes and other nick nacks. We borrowed 8 trays, a tea pot with cups, table cloth and candle holders. We then went to Eastland Supermarkets to buy the right sized "Phoenix" candles with crazy gold designs.

For my garter - I ordered a custom Star Wars garter with black lace and white ribbon from Fluer Rogue Designs. It was so beautiful and Cristina is so lovely and talented.

Thank you Silver Pearl for an amazing Reception. Together with the Civil Ceremony, it was indeed the best day of our lives.

Any questions? Or you want to talk about any wedding stress?
Email me - lucyandtherunaways@gmail.com :)