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Tampa: Ceremonies marry best of 2 diverse cultures

The newlyweds' wedding and reception are infused with elements of Vietnamese and Western culture.

By SHERRI DAY
Published June 3, 2005

They were the cake topper bride and groom come to life, ever smiling and perfectly poised.

But instead of being perched atop a tiered wedding cake, Michael Nguyen and his bride, Kim, stood underneath flower-laden arches at St. Lawrence Catholic Church's Higgins Hall on Saturday and posed for pictures with every one of the 300 guests.

After nearly two hours of posing, Michael confessed that his feet hurt. Kim couldn't stop smiling.

This was their turn at the altar, an opportunity to celebrate the culture of their native Vietnam with a Western flair in an area with a fast-growing Vietnamese population.

The couple met last year at Borders in North Tampa. He spotted her as she studied in the bookstore's cafe. He had but one question.

"I just asked her if she was Vietnamese," said Michael, 30. "She started talking, and we exchanged e-mails."

A shared culture was of utmost importance, Michael said. The couple began a whirlwind courtship, steeped in Vietnamese tradition. Their parents left Vietnam in the mid 1970s after the war.

Honoring custom, Michael took Kim, 24, to meet his parents on their first date. It didn't take long for Kim to realize she was smitten.

"He smiled at me, and he had me," she said Saturday. "His smile tells me he's kind and sweet."

His parents approved of the potential union, particularly his mother, who gave Kim jewelry to wear on her wedding day. In November, Michael's family flew to Wisconsin to meet Kim's family. As a dowry of sorts they offered the family gifts including fruit as a symbol of fertility, wine to promote fun and a roasted pig for feasting.

The newlyweds, who live near Carrollwood, had few butterflies at Saturday's wedding banquet, perhaps because they had already been married a week. The wedding ceremony took place May 21 at a Catholic Church in Milwaukee, Kim's hometown. There, the groom's family also re-created the dowry ceremony, this time leaving gifts with the family and taking the bride.

Just as they had done in Milwaukee, Michael and Kim donned their Westernized wedding attire again in Tampa. Then, after the guests were seated for a 10-course dinner, the couple wore red and gold traditional Vietnamese clothing. Servers dimmed the lights and emerged carrying flaming platters of food.

The couple also planned a toasting ceremony, in which the eldest person at each of their 30 tables would speak words of encouragement and present monetary gifts. Karaoke singing was expected to cap off the night.

"Karaoke and Asian people, put them together and you'll have an all-nighter," Michael's brother Jimmy Nguyen Jr. said.

The couple put off their Vietnam honeymoon until December when Kim gets a break from her accounting studies at the University of South Florida. Michael, a chemist, plans to depart soon for Atlanta to begin pharmacy school.

The bride and groom willed the party to stretch into the wee hours of the morning. If if did, it would mean good luck.

"The longer they stay at your party, it's kind of an indication of how long your marriage is going to last," Michael said.

- Sherri Day can be reached at 226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 2, 2005, 08:00:13]