Illustration by Pete Ryan. People generally know whether or not they want to get married. But when it comes to planning the wedding there are a lot more things to consider. Couples these days have likely made one or two large financial decisions before ever walking down the aisle, such as applying for student loans, purchasing a home or car, or even having children, says Cynthia Ferguson, a branch manager with connectFirst Credit Union. Ferguson says she sees more couples in their 20s and early 30s thinking long-term, considering things such as establishing retirement accounts and emergency fu ..read more

Kyle Stang and Sarai Robles-Stang are proof that no distance is too far when two people are meant to be together. Kyle was living in Saskatchewan and Sarai in Vancouver, when the two were connected through a mutual friend, who happened to be dating Kyle’s cousin. The friend described Kyle as a great guy who would be perfect for Sarai. They weren’t wrong — when Kyle reached out, he and Sarai hit it off immediately. One thing the two had in common was that they were hockey fans (even if, Kyle jokes, Sarai was a Vancouver Canucks fan back then). After chatting long distance for months, on Valenti ..read more

Photo by Nicole Sarah. The Italian phrase colpo di fulmine literally means “lightning strike,” but also refers to being struck by love. It’s the feeling of being so taken with someone that it’s as if your world has been turned upside down, the feeling of an instantaneous connection. When Ian Macdonald met his future wife, Kelly Ngo (now Kelly Macdonald), for the first time, he felt that strike. “There’s no question about it,” he says. “There was this bolt through my body, and I thought to myself, “Wow, who is this person?” After their second date, Kelly had her own colpo di fulmine. “I walked ..read more

Romantic comedies often portray falling in love as an all-encompassing and easily recognized emotion. But, in reality, sometimes love creeps up on you slowly. That was the case for Prabhvir Dhillon when he met his future wife, Jasneet Chalal (now Jasneet Dhillon). The two met when Prabhvir was working at Best Buy and a mutual friend suggested Jasneet buy a cellphone from him. They hit it off immediately, even more so once they learned they both were doing graduate studies at the University of Calgary. Their friendship blossomed as they began taking the bus to university together, though in tho ..read more

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Dean Paddock, from Calgary, and Ivan Malyshev, from Russia, met in 2015 while vacationing in Tel Aviv, and stayed in touch on social media. Around that time, government-led initiatives in Russia were targeting and persecuting members of the LGBTQIA2+ community, and Malyshev had begun to fear for his safety in his home country. In May 2016, he moved to Vancouver and obtained the status of a protected person. “It was a heartbreaking decision for me to leave my home, but leaving was also one of the best decisions of my life as it gave me the opportunity to build my life and be myself,” Malyshev s ..read more

Jessica Pecush (now Ferguson) and Jonathan Ferguson met online and had their first date on St. Patrick’s Day in 2016. The conversation flowed, and, by the second date, the pair decided to share their health journeys. Jessica had struggled with ulcerative colitis in her early 20s, which led to her becoming a holistic nutrition practitioner. Jonathan shared his diagnosis of a rare, slow-progressing liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis, which has no known cause and would eventually require a liver transplant. For Jonathan, the discussion about his illness had deterred prior relatio ..read more

Alicia and Ikem Photograph by Bretton Grassie. Date: July 29, 2022 Venue: Venue 308 Favourite Memory: “Watching a live-streamed speech by Ikem’s parents from Nigeria. They were not able to be at our wedding as a result of visa processing timelines, so it was emotional and special for us to connect with them from all the way across the world!” Photographed by: Bretton Grassie   Kelly and Levi Photograph by James Abat/Framed Moments. Date: July 23, 2022 Venues: The Gathering Ranch and Tool Shed Brewery Favourite Memory: “Finally becoming husbands after COVID cancelled our first planned wedd ..read more

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For years, Nkem Nwankpa (now Eweje) and Akin Eweje were told they would make a perfect couple. They finally met in June 2015, when Nkem attended Akin’s sister’s bridal shower. As soon as Nkem recognized Akin, she knew she needed to go talk to him. They ended up talking throughout the rest of the night, exchanged numbers and began dating soon after. Akin proposed in February 2019, and the couple originally intended to marry in 2020. After multiple pandemic postponements, the couple finally married this past August. Nkem and Akin chose to have two weddings in honour of their Nigerian and North A ..read more