Union Brick by Wedgewood Weddings

Vanna & Brando's Wedding Day

Our Wedding

The Beginning

Vanna's Story

In 2016, I got accepted into UC Irvine and that is where I met Brando. It all started with my brother who introduced me to a club he was in called "EDGE." During Week 0, EDGE hosted a bonfire, and that is where I met Brando. He was with a guy friend of his and a girl friend that I came to the bonfire with. When I introduced myself, you can tell that I caught his attention. He asked me the very surface questions like where you're from and how'd you hear about EDGE. When I mentioned that my brother was the one who introduced me to this club, he asked who my brother was. (Keep in mind that my brother was very well known in this club, everyone loved him! &amp; he also went by a different name - Smatta) When I said Aaron is my brother, everyone literally looked confused. They all said, who is Aaron? I was embarrassed and said "Uhh, I mean Smatta." You'd expect people to say things like "Oh cool" or "I know him" but the response I got from Brando was, "YOU'RE SMATTA'S LITTLE SISTER?!" You can tell that when Brando found out that I was Aaron's little sister, he pressed the brakes so hard. It went from "Oh she's pretty cute" to "Nope, that's Smatta's little sister." At the end of the night I found a little friend request on Facebook. I accepted it of course. That's where Brando tried to pull his player cards and ask for my number, and of course I rejected that. I barely knew the guy! I gave him my SnapChat instead. As time went by, we got to know each other and hung out practically everyday. It got really confusing because the more we hung out with each other the more we got used to each others' presence. And that is when our friendship became confusing. We had many DTRs (define the relationship talks - at least 3) and after every DTR, Brando ripped off the band-aid and said that he wanted to remain friends. Don't get me wrong, I hated him a little bit each time, it didn't feel good to be rejected but every time he rejected me, the more he wanted to hang out and talk to me which then got more confusing!! Anyways down the line, in December, I stopped talking to Brando because our little situationship got too complicated. However, with the time we spent not talking to each other (around 2-3 weeks) we realized something, we admitted that we loved and missed each others' company and maybe trying this relationship out might turn out for the better! So, during winter break, Brando reached out again and it became an every day thing until dawn that we stayed on the phone and talked endlessly! We eventually went on a "date" (Brando calls it a date, I don't because we never established it as one) to San Jose to ice skate, but never got the chance to do that. We ended up walking around Target and got to know each other more, which is practically my favorite thing to do, even to this day! Eventually, when the time came around to go back to school for Winter quarter, it just so happens that Brando needed a ride to SoCal but to Alhambra because he left his car at his auntie's house because it overheated. The drive up to American Canyon to pick him up took 1.5 hours! Little did I know, this was all part of his plan! On the way down to SoCal, after crossing the Grapevine, Brando said he wanted to ask me a question. It literally took this guy 30 minutes to ask me if I wanted to go out. Of course I said "Sure, where did you want to go?" That made Brando sweat a little more. But jokes aside, after that he asked me to be his girlfriend. I said "Sure!" What a great answer huh? Five years and some change later, with many Pokemon Go Community Dates, Disney Dates, Movie Dates, Fortnite Dates, Target Dates, Brando blindfolded me, got on one knee - creasing his Guava Ice Union 4's (that I got him) - and asked me to marry him.

Brando's Story

Back in the late summer of 2016, I was one of the youth group leaders in EDGE and my main goal was to be a conduit to spread God's love and light. As a leader, I met some amazing people and really enjoyed the camaraderie and friendships I established while in EDGE. Every year, EDGE hosted a bonfire at Corona Del Mar Beach (CDM) and this is where the new kids on the block got a chance to mingle with some of the active members. Usually at these events, I was on auto-pilot and stayed very surface-level with most of the newbies because I wasn't sure if they would be fully invested in the club or wanted to stick around for the long haul. As I was walking around CDM and mingling with the newbies, it felt like the fire at the pit began to burn brighter as I gazed through the flames. Through the bonfire, I saw a silhouette of a girl, but I could not quite figure out who it was, so I began to stroll around the pit to try and shoot my shot. As I continued to walk around the pit, I noticed a couple of my friends were hanging out with this new girl that I saw through the flames of the pit. As soon as she looked my way, she smiled and it felt like my heart began to melt immediately. I was super nervous to talk to her, but my friends helped calm my nerves by breaking the ice for me. As Vanna shared above, she made me feel some type of way and she knew it when we first made eye contact at the bonfire. She also was well aware that I pumped the brakes real hard when I found out she was "Smatta's" sister because I was already great friends with him. At this point I knew I was not ready to jump into a relationship because I felt that I still had a mission to graduate college. Although it wasn't a large task given that it was my senior year at UC Irvine and my counselors reassured me that all I had to do was show up to class and not fail every class, it felt as though the weight of the world was pressing down on my shoulders. Also, in the back of my mind I could hear my mom saying to me, "If I catch a whiff of stupid, I'm sending that ass back," every time I thought about having a girlfriend. I was able to muster up enough courage to talk with Vanna and get to know her, but the bonfire did not feel like the right setting to ask all the questions I had for her. Vanna and I had made a point to bring out school work or study material every time we hung out to keep our hangouts casual and light. However, we often got side-tracked with hunting down the best hidden gems down in Orange County, from the best acai bowls, coolest cafes, balling-on-a-budget restaurants, or cheapest boba spots. After every hangout/foodie adventure (from September - December), I felt that my bond with Vanna was stronger than any friendship I established since my freshman year in Irvine. I was lucky enough to get to know more about her and her passion for volleyball as well as heart for kids with special needs. Her patience, openness, and willingness really encouraged me to step out of my shell and invest in getting to know her and others. My hangouts with her felt like a breath of fresh air amidst the chaos that was college. She always found a way to lighten the mood and constantly put a smile on my face. (Skipping past the DTR's because I was so rude, indecisive and Vanna illustrated it very well earlier) My intentions behind finding a significant other was to eventually get married. As I took Vanna around to hangout with friends and meet my family, I could tell she was very intentional and invested in us. She was selfless, joyful, and ambitious. My family took notice of this and would always pull me aside to let me know that I found a great one and if I were to lose her, I'd be taking several steps back in life (so much pressure, right?!). The icing on the cake to figuring out whether or not I was in over my head or if I was making the investment worth a lifetime with Vanna was when I talked to my grandpa and he said to me, "I love Vanna and I see you guys getting married and living happily ever after!" For those that know me, I love my grandpa and he was my guide, protector, and inspiration. He taught me many things about the intricacies of life and the way I carry myself. He was the calming of the many storms I created in my head and heart. This was the wake up call I needed to take my relationship with Vanna seriously and substantiate the lofty goals/dreams I always had growing up. To this day, Vanna continues to make me laugh and smile, relieve me of my insecurities, and motivates me through my shortcomings I constantly struggled with in life. She is the answer to all my prayers and I am happy to say that I put a ring on it. Finders keepers. TLDR, I love Vanna and she's mine forever. Sorry not sorry!

Our Story

Photos

Avinna Nubla

Mark Cruz II

Cecilia Zheng

Fitzjohn De Jesus

Kimberly Ho

Stephen Pascual

Philana Li

Bobby Seronio III

Shalane Li

Derick Nubla

Stephanie Pascua

Sean T. Villa-Carlos

Angeline Junaedy

Nico Bernabe

Cassandra Cruz

Aaron Tan

Janessah Cruz

Ramon Cruz

Kristyn Cruz

Alden Cheang

Chloe Tien

Cristian Cruz

Wedding Party

Q + A

Sacramento International Airport

Homewood Suites by Hilton Sacramento-Roseville

Hyatt Place Sacramento/Roseville

Please use the website link to check out our wedding block rates when booking with Home2 Suites by Hilton. Please note, this will be first come first serve.

Home2 Suites by Hilton Roseville Sacramento

Courtyard Roseville Galleria Mall/Creekside Ridge Drive

Travel

Call in advance for parties bigger than 6 people.

Topgolf

We're all gonna get together and go... SHOPPING!

Westfield Galleria at Roseville

iFLY Indoor Skydiving - Sacramento

Quandary Escape Rooms

Beat Vanna and Brando in a round of mini golf or enter in a cannon ball contest.

Roseville Golfland Sunsplash

Vanna will beat you at every card collecting game :)

Dave & Buster's Roseville

If you want to continue shopping or grab a bite, there's plenty of options here too!

Fountains at Roseville

Things to Do

Registry

V&B

Vanna & Brando's Wedding Day