Like so many of the major moments in our hurried lives, the most important ones always seem to be both unforgettable and unexpected. When we experience jolts from such moments, they become memories that we forever recall with nostalgia and detail, from the most vivid to the most mundane. The moment when Loc first saw Teresa was one such moment. Sitting inside a champagne-colored Camry that was parked at a shopping plaza in Gainesville, Florida, Loc glanced through the peeling tinted window and spotted her: Teresa, standing there, on a cloudy summer afternoon, wearing the brightest yellow dress he had ever seen and that he could not ignore. Some may call this love at first sight, but Loc still thinks that the garment choice and her summer tan may have been her direct challenge to the sun itself.
At the time of that moment, Loc and Teresa were at opposite ends of their time as students at the University of Florida (Go Gators!), with Loc finishing his fourth year of accounting and Teresa beginning her studies to become a nurse practitioner of pediatrics. Nonetheless, they began to spend moments together, sharing rides home from campus and interacting frequently at extracurricular events. As the time they spent together grew, so did their affinity towards each other. This was the start of the path into their love story.
Like so many of the paths that we take in our lives, the ones that deal with our love story always seem to be intricate and deep. Loc and Teresa’s love story, in all of it’s moving parts and winding paths, brought them through shared moments of individual growth, academic accomplishments, new career beginnings, and the challenges of a long distance relationship. When Loc made the move back home to Orlando from Houston, he reflected and realized that throughout all the exciting events over those years, Teresa was an undeniable constant. With her, on their path, he had truly experienced something special. He had found the one with whom he could have a new home with. Together.
This set the next step of their journey in motion. Loc knew what he wanted, but didn’t yet realize how he could bring this to fruition. Their love for travel became the key. Over the years, Loc and Teresa, together, made it a goal to take an annual international trip. During their 2018 trip to Malaysia to climb Mount Kinabalu, Loc secretly planned the proposal.
The day before the climb, he apprised Teresa that their friend's family-owned private boat had moored nearby in the Sutera Harbour and was doing an evening sailing trip to Gaya Island. He suggested they should spontaneously tag along as it was an opportunity not to be missed. Teresa began to become suspicious when she found a full crew and photographer on the vessel, but Loc quickly explained that they were on board to catalog pictures and video of the vessel at sea.
As the sun began to set, the boat anchored at a remote beach on the private side of Gaya Island. The photographer and rest of the crew on board, all participating in this grand plan, came out to capture their unforgettable moment. Before Teresa could fully process what was happening, another vivid moment of Loc and Teresa’s lives began to unfold as Loc asked Teresa to marry him. Teresa’s suspicion quickly turned to confusion, and after a momentary blur, to elation. Like so many instances in our lives when we know things feel right, Teresa, without hesitation, felt the same in this moment and said “Yes”.
We hope you can join us on a special part of their story, on this special place on their path, as we cordially invite you to their wedding on September 5, 2021.