How did you meet?
We met in our first year of university. Mike was sitting alone in the cafeteria, and I (Rachel) thought he could use some company. I obviously thought he was cute, so I wasn’t completely pure in my intentions.

How did you get engaged?
Mike and I went to Portugal in the summer of 2017. That’s when he popped the question, in front of a beautiful Gothic Monestary in a secluded garden.

What was most important to you when planning your wedding (i.e. the ceremony, the food, family)?
Food and family were the most important parts of our wedding planning. We both have a large family and a ton of close friends, so it was definitely difficult to pare down our list – and in the end we has just over 300 of our closest friends and families (pretty intimate for a south asian wedding). In terms of food, because Mike’s side of the family is European and my side is South Asian, it was definitely a challenge to find the right menu which corporate the best of both worlds! However with the help of our wedding planners at Beyond the Limits, and Arlington Estate, we were able to ensure that our guests consumed a fusion of meals.

What was it like to walk down the aisle?
I (Rachel) was actually surprisingly really relaxed when walking down the aisle. I just wanted to get to the front as quickly as possible so I could sit next to my groom.

Mike on the other hand was quite nervous. Sweaty palms, fidgety fingers, the works. When my father handed me over to him, there was even a tear…which is rare for him.

What was it like for both of you to exchange your vows?
It was a beautiful experience. But what was more interesting is when mike tied the thaali around me. In Tamil culture, a thaali signifies marriage in the form of a gold chain with two golden coins (similar to a wedding band). When Mike tied the thaali around me, it felt like my two worlds forming into one – my South Asian Heritage, and my Canadian nationality.

What was something special about your wedding ceremony or reception that made it uniquely you?
Instead of cutting into a wedding cake, we had a 7 tiered wedding pie. Mike’s mother is a phenomenal baker and Mike insisted on having pie instead of cake at our wedding. I love cake so I was hesitant at first, so we compromised and we had the wedding pie be the pie that we cut into, and have cake surrounding the pie – that we got the the best of both worlds!

What was your favourite part of your wedding?
Watching mike tear up when my dad thanked him in the alter, while putting my hands in his definitely was a memorable moment. We also had Fireworks and an amazing same day edit produced by Digital Fusion.

What advice would you give to other couples planning their own wedding?
Don’t take it too seriously. At the end of the day it’s a celebration of your love, so it’s really one big party with your family and friends. It’s easy to get carried away in minute details like what shade of grey should the linens be, or if the flowers should be ivory or egg-shell white, but at the end of the day people won’t remember that.

Focus on each-other, focus on the elements that matter most to you – and in our case that was decor and food – and the rest will come together just fine.

Was there something you had trouble finding while you were planning or that you wish you had done?
Thankfully we had amazing wedding planners, at Beyond the Limits, who were able to sort out all of the details, so we did not have to worry too much during our planning.