“There was a mason jar stuck in the sand, with a light flashing in it. He asked me to check what it was and I realized my name was written on top of the lid. Once we got the jar open, I pulled out a note that asked “Will you marry me?”
Q: How did you meet?
Gurvir: Rylan and I met in Gastown the night before I was moving to Kamloops for school. We hit it off right away and in conversation, realized we both shared mutual friends. It was a strange coincidence, because Rylan was from Kamloops and had moved to Vancouver. From that evening, we talked to each other every day until I moved back.
Could you share your proposal story?
Gurvir: I had been working all day and was supposed to meet up with Rylan at his home prior to us going to Downtown with his cousin. He called me as I was leaving work to let me know he was already in Downtown and I would have to meet him there instead. He decided to take me to the seawall for a walk before dinner.
Once we arrived at Third Beach, we walked towards the shoreline and he pointed to something in the water. There was a mason jar stuck in the sand, with a light flashing in it. He asked me to check what it was and I realized my name was written on top of the lid. Once we got the jar open, I pulled out a note that asked “Will you marry me?” As I read it, Rylan went down on one knee and held out a ring. I immediately froze and it felt like my heart just stopped. I turned my back to him and covered my face with my hands feeling I was about to cry. Turning back around I said “You’re such an idiot, of course I will.” I clearly did not know how to lovingly express my feelings!
I also did not know Rylan’s cousin and her fiancé were watching and taking pictures from the seawall as this was happening. Rylan then took me to the Teahouse Restaurant in Stanley Park where we had a bottle of champagne while overlooking the beach. We ended the night with a dinner with his cousin and her fiancé.
Describe your wedding day and what was your favourite moment?
Gurvir: We had a traditional Sikh wedding ceremony at the Gurudwara. The most memorable moment for me was when I saw Rylan as I sat down next to him in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. I felt as though I had forgotten all the stress and worries from the week leading up to the day. In that moment I was just so happy and excited to be marrying the love of my life that nothing else mattered.
Could you tell us about your reception?
Our reception was held at the Riverside Grand Ballroom in Richmond. The décor was beautiful and DJ RSD of Aftershock played amazing music and had the party going. It was a great way to end the wedding festivities with a night of dancing with all our family and friends.
Describe your outfits.
Gurvir: Both my outfits were from Made in India in Surrey. For the wedding ceremony I wore a traditional red lehenga with antique gold embroidery. I went with a simple top and utilized my jewellery from Gehna to add the finishing touches. Rylan wore a traditional cream coloured sherwani for the ceremony and changed into a dark blue suit for the reception. My reception outfit was a bit more fun, with a coral blouse and blue lehenga skirt. The embroidery was more intricate and shone beautifully at the reception hall.
Where did you honeymoon?
We went to Sparkling Hills Resort in Vernon immediately after the wedding for a couple nights and later travelled through the Shuswap before heading back home to Vancouver. We went to Europe in March and April this year. We spent 14 days in Italy travelling through Rome, Florence, Venice, Amalfi and Sicily before flying to Dubrovnik, Croatia for four days. We ended our honeymoon with six days in Greece, dividing up our nights between Athens, Santorini and Paros. I am so glad we decided to save this trip for the following year because it allowed us to settle in and thoroughly plan the kind of honeymoon we wanted. There would have been no way we would have had enough energy to do this right after the wedding.
What are your goals as a couple?
We both want to travel and see the world together before starting our own little family. We hope to have a life filled with love, kindness and fun.
What are the strengths of your marriage?
It is important to the both of us to embrace our individuality and respect our different personalities. No matter what the situation is, we are easily able to use humour to lighten the mood and make each other laugh.
Photographed by: Sohal Photography