So Sandra got an email from www.theknot.com, looking for participants who were getting married in July 2004 to take part in their Real Weddings show. Just fill out some questions and send in a picture... So here's what we sent, we haven't heard anything back from them yet.
Tell us your wedding date, location, budget, number of guests.
Erik: We will be getting married on July 3rd, 2004, which according to the Chinese calendar is a lucky day to get married. The wedding will take place in Orlando, Florida at the Loch Haven Neighborhood Center.
Sandra: We have a small budget, which never seems to be enough, but we are trying to be as creative as we can for our 200 guests!
Erik: We are pulling a lot of favors from friends and family, even trading services with some colleagues.
Describe the ceremony and location.
Erik: The ceremony and reception will take place at The Loch Haven Neighborhood Center. The center sits on Lake Formosa with a beautiful patio which doubles as a playground and a sitting area. At one end of the patio there is a circular courtyard with a beautiful azalea bush in the center.
Sandra: The guests will be seated around the azalea bush looking out onto the lake. We will have a brief, civil ceremony under the enormous oak trees that bow into the lake. Because of the grueling summer heat in Central Florida, we hope to greet our guests with cool blackberry mint iced tea. So as they wait for us to walk down the “aisle” they can enjoy the refreshments.
Describe the reception and site (including themes, decor, entertainment, etc).
Sandra: We wanted our ceremony and reception to be at the same location to accommodate our guests who are mostly from out of town. My family is from Miami, and Erik’s family is from Tallahassee.
Erik: The Neighborhood Center is walking distance from our home and we wanted our wedding to be a reflection of who we are as a couple. We find beauty in simplicity and we feel the most comfortable when our family surrounds us. So we wanted a place where we can feel very comfortable, almost a home away from home.
Sandra: Originally, we wanted to hold our reception in one of Orlando’s many beautiful parks, where we could have a big summer picnic, kids could run around, and our guests can relax and just simply have a good time. However, because Florida summers make the outdoors so unpredictable, we decided to go with the next best thing.
Erik: The Loch Haven Neighborhood center has been so accommodating and relaxed. We are both come from fairly large extended families, who all want a hand in the wedding preparations. The Neighborhood Center gives us the opportunity to work this way.
Sandra: The reception is all about simplicity and as we affectionately call it “funky ethnic.” We have a melting pot of ideas in store for the reception décor all revolving around the colors of cornflower blue, sunflower, and white. To reflect our Asian background we are hanging Chinese lanterns and hand-made Filipino parole stars from the drop ceilings. The centerpieces are simply candles sitting in a bed of greenery all from the Tallahassee parks where Erik grew up.
Erik: The catering will be done by a family-owned Mexican restaurant, El Potro, which just happens to be our favorite restaurant in Orlando.
Sandra: My first job, when I moved to Orlando, was working for an event Entertainment company and that is where I met Willie Lugo (DJ Willie). We could not have a true, throw down party without DJ Willie, who has since started his own company, Lugo Entertainment. From the very first party we saw Willie deejay; Erik and I swore that he would be the only DJ that we would have as a part of our celebration.
Who has helped you with the planning? Erik: As mentioned before we are all about family, which not only includes our blood family, but friends who are so close they might as well be family. All of our family is taking some role in the planning of the event and we would not have it any other way.
Sandra: Erik’s mom is an event planner for the City of Tallahassee Parks and Recreation, so she is the head of the celebration. My mom finds solace in crafts and decorating, which always, always amazes me. Without Eriks mom’s expertise and my mom’s creativity our celebration would be incomplete. My bridal party has been blessings, as well. My sister, who is the maid of honor, has been my rock. My four bridesmaids, who are my closest friends and represent different parts in my life, have also been wonderful support.
Why do your think your wedding would make a good episode of Real Weddings from The Knot?
Sandra: We believe our wedding would make a good episode of Real Weddings from The Knot because our celebration revolves around our family. The day of our wedding will be joyous day for all, but in some respects it will be a sad day as well because at the end of the summer Erik and I will be moving away from our families to Los Angeles.
Erik: Sandra will be attending graduate school at the American Film Institute and I will be looking for better career prospects in Los Angeles. This is the farthest that we have both been from our families. Even though we both do not live in our hometowns, Orlando has always been a great halfway mark between Tallahassee and Miami.
Sandra: Our wedding will be somewhat bittersweet because our move to LA is big step for both our families and for the two of us. Erik and I have been engaged since July 22nd, 2003. It wasn’t until February 2004 that we set a date, when the prospects of graduate school looked pretty good. So we wanted to make sure that we had a huge celebration that would bring both of our families together to send us off with much luck and many blessings…and what better way to do that than by having a wedding.
Erik: Unfortunately, despite our very large guest list of those we call family, a lot of our true blood family lives in the Philippines and because of complicated issues and financial reasons, a majority of our family will be unable to attend the wedding, including my maternal grandparents and Sandra’s maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother. We feel it would be wonderful to dedicate this episode of Real Weddings from the Knot to our family in Philippines, who we know will be there in spirit.
Describe any prewedding parties that you are having (engagement party, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower).
Erik: Because of the nature of the ceremony there will be really no need for a formal rehearsal dinner. So we will be having an “Open House” the Friday evening before the wedding. Because most of our guests will be coming from out of town, we wanted everyone to have the opportunity to meet each other before the wedding.
Sandra: The Friday morning before the wedding I am also planning a “girl’s day” with my bridal party, but I am still working out the details.
Erik: Also since it will be 4th of July weekend, we will be inviting everyone to the City of Orlando Firework show at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando on Sunday.
Tell us your names, ages, occupations, and interests.
Sandra: My name is Sandra Valde; I am 27 and a camera assistant/camera operator for film and television. Since I was a little girl I have always had a passion for making movies. My dream is to become a cinematographer and be the woman behind the camera, so I spend most of my time watching movies, reading books, and writing to make me a better filmmaker. I will be taking yet another step towards my goal this year, by attending the prestigious American Film Institute for my master’s degree in Cinematography.
Erik: My name is Erik Hansen. I am 28 and a broadcast and interactive designer. I grew up in an artistic home with my mom being a dancer and my dad, an architect and urban-planner. I have always been surrounded by music whether it was my family playing and dancing at parties to performing side by side with my mom in theaters all over Central Florida. Music played a huge part of my life and I attended Florida State University with a music scholarship in Percussion. I am also a student of art and design, which has been the strong base for my career with clients such as Disney, Marriott Hotels and Darden Restaurants.
Beyond being “perfect for each other”, we thrive on the arts. When we spend every moment together, we spend it either at the movies, at the library or checking out a new art exhibit in town. We both admit that we use each other as muses for our art.
How and when did you meet?
Florida State University and the Asian Student Union was the setting for our first meeting.
Sandra: It was my senior year and I had spent most of college life locked up in film school. With most of my film school requirements complete, I decided to finally do something extra-curricular. Low and behold, my first day of Spanish class I met this charismatic, Filipina, Faye Hunt. Faye immediately, without even introducing herself, encouraged me to join her organization Asian Student Union. After we talked further, she went as far as persuading me to join the Executive Board because they were looking for a historian. My love of still photography encouraged me to take on the position.
At my first ASU Executive Board meeting, I knew absolutely no one. I said very little throughout the entire meeting and felt a little uncomfortable. Everyone was very nice, but had the advantage of knowing each other from the previous year. When the meeting adjourned everyone mingled among themselves and I collected my things to head out the door – maybe they wouldn’t notice I left. That’s when Erik approached me. I noticed him earlier in the meeting because he had arrived late and a little scattered. He introduced himself and asked me what my major was. I told him film and it sparked a great conversation.
From that day forward Erik was always the one who made me feel the most comfortable. It wasn’t until the following spring semester when Erik asked me out. It was Valentine’s Day and the Asian Student Union had spent the entire day volunteering for Tallahassee’s annual Unity Day.
Erik: Aaahh…the infamous Stormtrooper Valentine Day card incident…Sandra still harasses me about the Stormtrooper “I got you in my sites” Valentine Day card I gave her.
Sandra: I don’t harass you. I think it was cute.
Erik: That’s new to me…
Sandra: Whatever… Anyways, after the festivities we all went to Barnes and Noble for some coffee and conversation. As Erik and I stood in line to order our coffee we got to talking about movies. Erik mentioned if I had gone to see LA Confidential. I said “no” and he asked me if I would like to go see it. I said “yes” and we ordered our coffee.
Erik: I’d liked to interject here. I don’t remember anything about LA Confidential. I do remember that on our first date we saw Good Will Hunting, which someone had said she had not seen before, but in fact that someone had.
Sandra: It was a much better date movie than LA Confidential.
Erik: Nonetheless…it was sometime before I found this out, but I still had a great time.
How and when did you get engaged?
Sandra: We got engaged on my sister’s birthday.
Erik: Whoa! Whoa! It was not your sister’s birthday. It was already past midnight and officially July 23rd.
Sandra: It still was the night of my sister’s birthday.
Erik: Whatever...
Sandra: Anyway, my family was in town vacationing and we all went out to dinner to celebrate my sister’s 21st birthday. At the end of dinner my sister felt sick, so Erik took her home because she was staying with us and I took my family back to their hotel. When I came back Erik had fallen asleep in his clothes. I proceeded to get ready for bed and when I got out of the bathroom, Erik was awake and seemed a little nervous. I thought nothing of it, though. I was extremely tired, but Erik insisted that we have a “talk.” I was a little concerned with the seriousness in Erik’s tone, but I let him continue.
He began the conservation with “I am a little scared because I don’t want to disappoint you.” I, of course, asked why.
Erik: The thing is by this time we had been together for over 5 years and I didn’t really want to blow this opportunity. It seemed like there was so much pressure on the proposal that I really didn’t want to screw up and let Sandra down.
Sandra: At that point I started this diatribe about how it doesn’t matter how he asked me because just the asking is special enough. That seemed to appease him and our discussion ended there. Erik left the room without saying anything. Again I thought his behavior a little strange, but nothing too alarming. I started to read a book when he came back again and asked me to stop what I was doing and close my eyes. I reluctantly closed my eyes and he placed a small hand-made book in my hand. In it, it said:
“Sandra, I love you more than anything…”
“For 5 generations a gift has flowed through my family”
“It has fulfilled dreams, strengthened families and founded empires”
“Today, hopefully, it will be celebrating a new beginning…”
“Sandra Valde”
“will you marry me?”
In the book was a ring with a diamond that has been passed down through 5 generations of women in Erik’s family. It was beautiful. I cried and I said, “Yes”
Erik: I was very much relieved. She said “yes!”
Have you been married before? Do you have any children?
We have never been married, nor do we have children.
What has been the greatest obstacle that you have overcome together?
Sandra: When we graduated from college, we had only been dating for 4 months, so everything was still very new. However the day after graduation I was leaving for London to work for the entire summer and then to New York for graduate school at NYU. That period of 7 months was probably the hardest times of our relationship.
Erik: We had just started to really get to know each other, when Sandra had to leave. It really tore me up inside to see her go, but I was so proud of what she was about to accomplish that it would be too selfish of me to try to convince her to stay.
Sandra: Those 7 months were probably my most loneliest and hardest but hearing Erik’s voice everyday helped me get through it. Erik proved to be my true rock, because that November of my first year of grad school, my grandmother suddenly passed away. She wasn’t my blood grandmother, but she was probably one of the closest people to my heart and I was crushed. I got on a plane to Florida and Erik was there to pick me up. It reconfirmed how much he meant to me.
Erik: I just wanted to be there for Sandra during those times. Whatever she needed I wanted to give to her. Eventually Sandra decided to stay in Florida and take care of her grandfather. The time we were apart was a true test to see if we were meant to be together. Before graduation we both were walking on cloud nine and really felt very much in love. Those 7 months truly tested the strength of our love and we seemed to pass with flying colors.
How did you know he/she was the one?
Erik: Before meeting Sandra, I had pretty much figured that I was going to be alone for sometime. I figured it would take me a few years to find somebody who I truly felt could challenge me. But when I met Sandra, she was unlike anyone I met before. She was attractive, intelligent, and passionate about her ideas and professional goals.
I don’t think I really can define the moment when I realized that Sandra was one. I guess I always felt it and it only got stronger as our relationship grew.
Sandra: Thanks, Erik you stole my answer. I guess it really was the same for me too. From the very first moment we were together, it felt like, as Erik’s mom says, “two peas from the same pod.” I admit that at the beginning of our relationship, I was a bit hesitant. But I am telling you now, Erik, it was all façade
Erik: I KNEW IT!!! I never would have asked you out the first time if I didn’t think you might be the one.
Posted by erik at May 16, 2004 12:07 AM