Gord and Maria, both 32, cannot say exactly what ignited their initial attraction to each other, but there was some inexplicable spark. Gord, a driver with the Coast Mountain Bus Company, allows that Maria was “cute and bubbly.” Maria, a special events assistant and theatrical production/stage manager, admits that she was impressed by Gord’s height; at 6’3”, he stands
well above her 5’2” stature. After casually hanging out a few times, Maria asked Gord out on a date, establishing an annual tradition with that first December 23rd visit to Bright Nights in Stanley Park, one of Vancouver’s annual
Christmas events. Their yearly return includes a ride on the park train, a photo with Santa and the purchase of an ornament for their tree.So, when Gord decided to propose, Stanley Park was the obvious choice for location although it was mid-June, far from the anniversary of their first date. Maria was not suspicious when Gord suggested they go out for a nice dinner however, when she walked outside their Burnaby home to find a limousine waiting, she realized something big was in the works. From that moment on, Maria says, “We were completely in our own world, like we were the only ones there.” After dinner at the Sequoia Grill at the Park’s Ferguson Point, Gord found a beautiful spot overlooking the water and dropped to one knee, telling Maria “You are my past, my present, my future.” In his hand he held the ring, a solitaire diamond surrounded by a Greek key design honouring Maria’s heritage, a small maple leaf to reflect Gord’s Canadian identity, and an infinity symbol for them both.
The couple began planning a fall wedding for the next year and scoured the city for the perfect venue. Their search led them to the Chapel at Stanley Park, and, for the reception, they chose the Coast Plaza Hotel in the West End for its 270-degree views of the park, English Bay and city skyline. But Gord and Maria soon found that their work schedules would not allow a September wedding—and then the perfect date became obvious. Despite it being a Tuesday, the couple chose the most significant date in their relationship, December 23rd. The proximity to Christmas did prevent some guests from attending, but Maria felt, “It’s our day and people who can be there, will be.”
Sixty of those people were there, for the noon non-denominational ceremony at which Maria’s mother was Matron of Honour and walked her down the aisle. Gord was transfixed by his bride in a gown of Italian silk and organza. “That was the most special moment for me—seeing Maria in her dress, walking down the aisle,” he says.
Guests were then invited to ride the Bright Nights Train before the reception. As always, Gord and Maria had their photo taken with Santa, but this time a photographer from The Province spotted the couple and the happy bride became a cover girl for the next day’s paper.
Aside from the Bright Nights Train, however, Maria and Gord wanted to avoid overt Christmas references and chose black, burgundy and gold for their reception décor. The room was warm and glowing with candlelight. Florist Larissa Meade from Bridal Beginnings floated deep red orchids in glass candleholders atop gold charger plates.
Gord says that when it came to his priorities for the wedding, “More than anything, I wanted people to enjoy the food. That was the one biggest impression I wanted to leave with my guests.” No doubt he and Maria succeeded, with a buffet that
included seven different salads and four choices of hot entrees in addition to an entire seafood section. The two-tiered wedding cake from
Ganache Patisserie was reserved for the bride and groom; guests were treated to an equally sumptuous selection of cupcakes from Cakes by Mom in addition to a full dessert table.Music was also important to the couple. They selected “Portuguese Love Theme” for their ceremony processional, “All You Need is Love” for the recessional and “Songbird” for their first dance. All three songs were taken from the soundtrack of one of their favourite movies “Love, Actually,” a film in which the many characters find love and happiness right around—you guessed it— Christmas time.
