Love. always. wins.

a collection of love stories

My and Bao first met when they where working at a restaurant together. He was a waiter and she was the hostess. They didn’t have a lot in common at the time , she was younger and honestly they really didn’t like each other all that much. My would spend her downtime on her shifts finding ways to pester Bao to pass the time. As we were learning about this couple we fell in love ourselves. While it was not love at first sight it ended up being some of the very things that deterred them in the beginning that became what they love most about each other.

When we asked Bao what he loved most about My he said it was how innocent she was but yet still so stubborn. My is a free spirit, wild in a good way. She’s the kind of person that walks in the room and lights it up. My told us that she loves the way that Bao always encouraged her to be herself. To express herself freely. Most importantly to always do what makes her happy. He brings a calm to her when life gets crazy. She can always rely on him to provide sound advice and help bring clarity to a situation. We asked My what Bao’s personality was like. She describes him as reserved and quiet. He can be thoughtful and romantic.

When we asked My more about the romantic side of Bao she told us about their first Valentines day together. Bao gave her an old music box that played the song “A time for us” from Romeo and Juliet. The card was in morse code and said “I want to wake up to see your face everyday”. According to My this is one of the sweetest things that he has done and means so much still to her. Things were not going to be easy for the couple over the next several years. You see at the time of their first Valentines Day My was moving back to California. They would then go on to have a long distance relationship for almost 8 years after this. The distance cause concern for My’s family and did eventually take a toll on the couple causing them to break up two times. There was just something about each other that they couldn’t let go of though so they gave it another try. Like the saying goes “third times the charm” things worked out and they have been inseparable ever sense. 14 years later and they are happily married, about to celebrate their 3 year wedding anniversary.

With family concerns due to the 3000 mile distance, and age creating a difference in how they understood each other and what the other wanted getting in the way its easy to see how this wouldn’t have worked for many couples so we had to ask how they worked through this. My shared something with us that Bao always said to her, “Let if flow naturally and things will unfold. Bend with it, mold with it, and go with the flow. It doesn’t mean we sit there and do anything. We do something, but when it is out of our control just go with the flow and look at the good side.” She said that “Perseverance and their feelings for eachother held them together. As we age we all go through different understanding of things…we look back and reflect on our thoughts and actions and we do better.” She told us that the time they were split apart was a time of reflection and growth. With that they saw that they couldn’t be with anyone else. They have learned to push through their troubles and take their happiness one day at a time. They stopped planning too far in advance and look at the happiness that they have at hand.

Funny enough My and Bao were so happy living in the moment that they weren’t even thinking about getting married. When we asked about how Bao proposed we found out that he didn’t. It was actually at a family gathering that My’s father asked when they were planning to get married that they made the decision. They both had known it was time so it was an easy answer. They shrugged and told him maybe in 2018. After that My found the perfect diamond ring and Bao bought it. They were married in April of 2018.

This past year in 2020 My and Bao had a photoshoot with Ashley Dye of Ashley Dye Photography as they didn’t have many photos from their original wedding. We were lucky to be the hair and makeup team to help My get ready for the photos. It was at this time that we learned about the traditional dress worn in Vietnamese culture by the bride called an áo dài , which literally means long dress. Traditionally it is a long dress with a high slit up the waist, has a mandarin neck line and pants underneath. It started being worn in the “king’s court “ in the 18th. It was influence by the Chinese when the Vietnamese were under the ruling and influence of China. My told us that “Ao Dai is the symbolism of feminity in our culture. It can be dressed up or down for events. High school girls wear plain ao dai as a school uniform too.”

Thank you again to My and Bao for sharing their story with us. For more photos of their photoshoot head over to our instagram feed!

Photo taken by Ashley Dye of Ashley Dye Photography. Contact her today at www.ashlydyephotography.com