FAMILY & HOME
Bridal Bliss
Bride: Sufia Alikhan Orbe, 30, Attorney, Perficient Inc.
Groom: Jeff Orbe, 29, Systems Engineer, Boeing
Wedding date: July 7, 2017 (Indian/Muslim ceremony),
July 8, 2017 (Filipino/Catholic ceremony)
Venue: DoubleTree by Hilton St. Louis - Chesterfield (July
7), St. Francis Xavier College Church and NEO on Locust
(July 8)
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CHALLENGES JOINING
YOUR CULTURALLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS?
Jeff: Since we had been together for nine years before we
HOW HE PROPOSED
Jeff: We took a weekend trip to Las Vegas with some
friends. Sufia and I got there a couple of days earlier to
spend some time alone. One day, I arranged to take a bus
tour to the Grand Cany on. We were allowed to walk
around different areas of the canyon, and I took her to an
isolated area where we rested for a bit. I had these custom
fortune cookies made that asked the question, "Will you
marry me?" I offered her a snack, either a protein bar or
some fortune cookies. She took a fortune cookie, and I took
out the engagement ring as she read the fortune.
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GAZELLE STL
got married, we have had a long time to get adjusted to any
differences that we may be experiencing. We’ve both been
very accepting of each other's cultures, and we aren't trying
to change each other. We also both have very supportive
families that will always be there for us.
Sufia: I'm the youngest of five children and the only girl.
When I met Jeff nine years ago, I slowly introduced him to
my family. It took a little bit of convincing for my brothers
to accept that their baby sister had found the one. My
parents and brothers challenged Jeff and me to see if we
were committed to one another in those early years. They
truly welcomed him into our family, and I couldn't be more
grateful for their love and acceptance.
Since Jeff is 100 percent Filipino and I'm half Filipino
and half Indian, we are able to share our Filipino culture
together. I love the idea of being able to preserve the
Filipino traditions we learned from our parents and
passing them down to our future children. I also truly
appreciated how much Jeff embraced Indian traditions
for our wedding. We spent a weekend in Chicago with my
family selecting our Indian wedding outfits at the shops on
Devon Avenue. He even learned how to do the Indian style
of dancing for our wedding reception, where he performed
a choreographed Indian dance with his groomsmen and
close friends.