Jirapa Tantraphol
Mother of the Bride
SmithTantraphol
Father of the Bride
Mike and I are blessed and thankful to have the support of these four loving parents in our lives. They have been amazing role models--as individuals and as successful marriages--and are the best second families we could have asked for!
The civil engineer. The “we need to reinforce this so it’s 5 times as strong as the original” dad. The man who taught me to focus only on the activity at hand, and be the best at it (what he calls the "A+ level"). (And to take what he likes to dub “union breaks” while working on projects!) The man who endured a house full of loud women and had the patience of a saint. The man who, at any given time when we are sitting in the same room, I can look over at, and see that we are sitting in the same position. The man who gave me my dimples and nose and smile and dry sense of humor. The man who gave me my ridiculous sneezing pattern, incredible thirst, and ability to eat fruit like no other. He is one of the sweetest, most generous, most intelligent, kind, and loving men I know. He always gives even counsel and goes above and beyond. The man who always asks if I’ve eaten. Basically, an A+ Dad <3.
My mom is a sweetie pie. All 4'11" of her is pure cheerfulness and love. She is the pillar of support for our family--she is super strong, super smart, and super caring. She's loud and talkative, so you'll never lose her in a store. She has so many cute idiosyncracies like waving a tissue in front of her face so she won't cry or singing to her plants so they'll grow better! She can whip up a mean dessert with a can of coconut milk and whatever else she has around. She is always prepared--somehow, she manages to carry whatever you need (a snack, medicine, wipes, etc. in her purse!) She's so thoughtful--she always prepared a cold Capri Sun and cut up fruit for the ride home from school (or maybe she knew about my hanger...hmmm...). I can directly attribute my love of reading to my mom (she used to drive me to the library to borrow am armful of books every week or two!). There are no words for how awesome my mom is <3.
My Mom is an awesome mother and somehow survived having 3 mischievious and wisecracking sons. Against all odds, she kept us all somewhat under control, and as we have gotten older, she has joined in on the fun more often. She always made sure that I was happy, said prayers with me before going to bed, and was a huge help with my school projects, like building a mission in 4th grade. It always brightened up my day getting a note from her in my lunch on the first day of the school year and on my birthday, and made me feel more at home when she eagerly made my bed before heading home after helping me move back to college each fall. My mom is caring, patient, selfless, and strong. I know that my Mom and Dad sacrificed a lot to give me the best opportunities in life, and for that I'll always be grateful. Although they will always be my parents, it's been a lot of fun spending time with them as fellow adults eating at nicer restaurants, wine tasting, and sharing advice both ways.
My Dad is a great father and family man. Growing up he taught me about sports, good music (until he started listening to country), and how to be a good Christian man. He came to just about all of my basketball games all the way through high school, took our family camping, had Nerf battles with us (still does), and always made time for us. One of my favorite silly little memories as a child was when my brothers and I would convince him to chase us around acting like a ghost while the Ghostbusters theme song blared throughout our house. My Dad is friendly, ambitious, and generous with his time. He recently rebooted his career and became a real estate agent, and he is off to a fast start in this new role. Together with my Mom, he definitely has helped me become the man I am today.
Laurel Kean
Mother of the Groom
Glenn Kean
Father of the Groom