My Personal Information

It was in the middle of 2006 when the subject of marriage between Sue Peng and Dennis was brought up. At the time they were thinking of having the wedding in the year 2008 but wasn't sure exactly what date. That was when Sue Peng asked me to consult my mother in Malaysia to find a suitable and auspicious date for the wedding. Unfortunately the Malaysian folks were unable to help because the proposed year was too far in the future. They could only find dates with a 12 months period.

Faced with this delimma I decided to "consult" Google. After a quick search I found a piece of software developed by Master Tsai from America and it was called "Chinese Farmer's Calendar". What attracted my attention was the period this calendar covers i.e. from year 1900 to 2200. I checked the functions and abilities of the software and found that it meets my needs and requirements. So I ordered a copy of the CD online. Within a couple of weeks I received the CD.

After installing the software I entered Sue Peng and Dennis's birth dates and specified a search for "Lucky Calendar Days for Wedding/Engagement" for the Winter period in year 2008. Bingo! It came back with a list of auspicious dates. The final date we picked was Saturday, 28th June 2008.

The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Poet's Lane Reception Center, Sherbrooke, Mount Dandenong, Melbourne. It was a beautiful and tranquil location with its own chapel, garden setting and accommodation for the guests who wish to stay overnight.

It was a cool and overcast winter day. We arrived around 10.30am and found the makeup artist busy preparing the bridal party for the ceremony scheduled to begin at 1.30pm. We promptly sorted out our accommodation and settled in as quickly as we could. The guests started to arrive around 12 noon. It was great to catch up with families and friends we haven't seen for a little while.

After a bit of light lunch we were ready for the big moment. Just before 12.30pm Sue Peng emerged from her room looking just amazingly beautiful in her white wedding dress. She was accompanied by the maid of honour, Kathy and two bridesmaids Sandy and Mandy. I felt really happy and grateful for sharing that special moment with Sue Peng. We took a deep breath and composed ourselves knowing the new journey is about to begin. When we stepped into the beautiful chapel I could feel a sense of oneness with all the people there. The chapel was totally full and the atmosphere was solemn and yet happy and positive. It was very proud moment for me walking Sue Peng up the aisle.

The marriage ceremony was performed beautifully by celebrant Anthea Rees. Anthea is one of the mothers from the original play-group where all our children grew up together. The group consists of six families and we became good friends over the years. It was such a great blessing and honour to have Anthea performing the ceremony. It was very intimate and moving ceremony, very much a family affair. After the ceremony the happy couple walked down the aisle in a sea of glittering bubbles, radiating in happiness. A magical moment indeed!

After the ceremony the bridal party went to the garden area for some group photography. This also provded the opportunity for the guests to interact, express their congratulation and catch up with the new couple. The overcast and cool condition was ideal for the photography but the guests were starting to feel the bite of the cold Southery wind, very typical of a Melbourne Winter day. So before long everyone went back inside to enjoy a drink and a chat in front of an open fire.

1. WELCOME
Groom’s Parents: Mr. Trevor Doran, Mrs. Lillian Doran
Best man: Stephen Boyd
Groomsmen: Robert King & Gavin Burnett
Maid of Honour: Kathy Eather
Bridesmaids: Sandy Burnett & Mandy Irving

Good evening everyone. As the father of the bride I have the pleasure of making the first speech and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all here today as you have all played some part, however big or small in the lives of Sue and Dennis and I know that your presence here is very important to both Sue and Dennis. On behalf of Sue & Dennis I like to thank you for coming to share this very happy and auspicious occasion with us.

2. SUE PENG
Sue in Chinese character means beautiful and elegant. But this is only half of her name. Sue’s full given name is Sue Peng which laterally means beautiful floating water plant. In our family we fonly called her Xiao Peng - little floating water plant. This is a very appropriate name for her because it represents her beauty and also reflects her inner free spirit. Sue Peng was a beautiful baby from day 1. Over her life journey so far she had gone over some rough and some smooth patches. But I am really proud to say she was able to experience, learn and grow from those rough and smooth times and move on with life - a wiser person. This little floating water plant has matured over the years into a beautiful being with inner beauty and inner essence. Julia and I are extremely proud of her.

3. HANDING HER OVER
Now the time has arrived for me to hand Sue Peng over another pair of loving and caring hands. She has my full blessing for this new journey. I am very confident Dennis will love and care for her. But more importantly I believe they have already built a great foundation of mutual love, mutual care and mutual respect, which will put them in a fantastic position to embark on this new adventure together.

4. DENNIS
Dennis, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you into our family but I’m sure you know that you have always been welcome since that first day we met at the Scouts. Every Father hopes his daughter will find a smart, reliable, considerate young man so it’s a wonderful to see Sue Peng looking so happy and well today. Dennis, it is a pleasure also to have become friends with your parents, Lillian and Trevor. I hope we can build and strengthen our friendship in the years to come.

5. LOVE & MARRIAGE
Whenever two persons meet and connect something very special is happening. This could result in friendship, marriage or even conflict,. This is refered to as affinity. In fact there is an old Chinese saying: “If there is affinity between two persons, they will eventually meet even though they are 1000 miles apart. If there is no affinity they will not know each other even if they are standing side by side”. There are good and bad affinities. But good affinity is something very precious indeed. I hope you will treasure this good affinity you have and always live life with a heart of gratitude. Be grateful for one another, be grateful for your supportive families, be grateful for all you friends, be grateful for every day etc.

6. WISHES FOR THE FUTURE
Before I get to the toast I would like to wish the bride and groom a very happy future together. Your life journey together will take you through some un-charted territories. You will come across happy times and you will also encounter sadness and challenges. But no matter what they might be, happy or sad, challenging or easy I hope you will live them fully, experience them fully, learn the lessons and grow together spiritually.

7. PROPOSING A TOAST
Sue Peng has always been a beautiful person as long as I have known her. But I have never seen her look quite so beautiful or so radiant as she does today. Julia and I are very proud of her. Ladies and gentlemen we have a radiant bride. We have a handsome groom. Please join me in a toast to Sue Peng and Dennis and wish them every happiness in the years to come.

Date of Birth	Sue Peng (03/02/1979)
Date of Birth	Dennis (12/08/1975)
Time Zone	EST (UTC/GMT + 10hr)
Auspicious Date	28th June 2008
Auspicious Day	Saturday
Luck for Sue Peng	-1
Luck for Dennis	+4
Total Luck	+3
Type of Luck	Auspicious Heaven Merit Day
Lucky Hours	1am-3am, 7am-9am, 11am-3pm, 7pm-11pm