#EnzoaniRealBride: Prachin & Michael

On the 28th June 2014, Prachin and Michael married at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington D.C. The venue played host to some amazing pictures in front of the United States Capitol Building. 

I wore Enzoani’s Dakota on my wedding day because of the dress’s understated elegance, beautiful ivory color and lace detailing. Initially, I had pictured myself wearing something flashy with a lot of beading and sparkle on my wedding day.  The Dakota was more of a whisper and I wanted something loud! However, I realized the Dakota did more with a whisper than other dresses seemed to do with a shout. In fact, after I tried on the Dakota dress, I found that I was comparing every other dress to it. The dress off the rack fit my body like it had already been tailored for me so the only alteration I really needed was the dress length. The dress was comfortable and the quality was impressive. I thought it was a great value and I felt so beautiful in it.

Prachin was born in Cambodia and grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles.  She went to the east coast to study law. Mike was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and came from a long line of lawyers. Mike and Prachin first met in August 2008 in Baltimore, Maryland during law school orientation at the University of Maryland School of Law. Prachin’s first impression of Mike was that he seemed confident and borderline cocky yet still appealing. Mike’s first impression of Prachin was that she was unattainable.

Despite the first impressions, friendship between the two classmates blossomed during their second semester and Prachin knew Mike had that something special when he compared their property professor’s wardrobe to that of Blanche’s from the Golden Girls, Prachin’s favorite show. Prachin asked Mike if he wouldn’t mind driving her home after their Legal Research classes on Tuesday nights, since it was an evening class and she didn’t feel safe walking around Baltimore alone at night.  Ever the gentleman, Mike agreed and these car rides provided a foundation for their budding friendship. Mike later admitted to driving especially slow to prolong the car ride conversations. Prachin quietly made mental notes of Mike’s many great qualities that she discovered during these car rides. The car rides quickly evolved into study sessions amongst the rows of dusty legal volumes in the law school library.

When Mike’s birthday came around, Prachin asked Mike if she could take him out to dinner for his birthday as a thank you for the rides. Throughout the date, Prachin was charmed by Mike’s conversation skills and dazzling smile. Neither one of them was sure whether their first date at Regi’s in Baltimore was really a date, until Mike didn’t let Prachin pay for his birthday dinner. Their first official appearance as a couple was their first year’s Barrister’s Ball in Baltimore’s Camden Yard, after Mike asked Prachin to be his date for “law school prom.”  

As law school progressed, Mike and Prachin discovered they shared many of the same values and leaned on each other for support throughout law school, the bar exam, and their professional careers. Mike and Prachin share 2 cats and an English bulldog and a love for comedic movies and fantasy football. Four years later, on Valentine’s Eve, Mike surprised Prachin on a Wednesday work night with a candlelit proposal among calla lilies and their three pets. After Mike asked Prachin to marry him, her cat promptly replied, “Meow!”

They wanted a wedding on the east coast since that was where they met and fell in love.  They secured the Phoenix Park Hotel for their wedding venue and reception because they loved the old world charm of the hotel and the beautiful dark wood bar for the cocktail hour. Additionally, they also held a smaller Cambodian ceremony in appreciation of Prachin’s heritage at Mike’s mom’s house in Bethesda, Maryland the Friday before the wedding. That Friday, a rehearsal dinner followed the Cambodian ceremony at Tia Queta Mexican Restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland.

My favourite wedding memory was sitting at the candlelit sweetheart table at the reception with my new husband.  We were surrounded by the beautifully romantic centrepieces and were just so happy to be married.  We finally got to the part where we could just sit back, relax and take it all in. Everything had gone according to plan and we were tired but very grateful for the day, which was a year and a half in the making. The reception room was filled with love, support, and good cheer from the combination of both of our families and friends. We enjoyed various guests making their way to our table to congratulate us and it was nice to be able to thank many of them for the long journey they took to be with us that day. It made us so happy to see our guests smiling, talking, and enjoying the wedding food. We enjoyed hearing the beautiful speeches which made us laugh, cry, and highlighted the roads we had taken as individuals to get to where we were as a newly married couple.

The planning is a lot of hard work and will seem endless at times. The best advice I received was to give myself breaks from the planning and to try not to involve too many other people because everyone will have an opinion and there will be enough difficult decisions! Also, remember to rely on your friends and family for emotional support throughout this process. Also, remember the big picture and that best part of the day will be marrying the love of your life so let the details fall where they may. Hang in there because it will all be worth it!

Photographer: Audra Wrisley

Videographer: Michael Brazada

Enzoani Retailer: Betsy Robinson Bridal

Wedding Planner: Dragonfly Events

Decorator: Royce’s Flowers and Dragonfly Events

Florist: Royce’s Flowers