It was fitting that Stephanie Chan and Kevin O’Brien chose “Earth Angel” for their first dance at their August 25, 2007 wedding reception. The Tsawwassen, British Columbia couple loves the dreamy ballad featured in the 1950’s-laden Back to the Future soundtrack. And the romantic history between the vivacious 24-year-old receptionist for Qzina Specialty Foods and the soft-spoken 25-year-old mechanic with John Thistle’s Auto goes back more than a decade. It’s truly a vintage tale.

“We met on July 1, 1997, five days after I turned 14,” Stephanie reminisces. “It was at a birthday party for my second cousin, who was friends with Kevin. He came into the room, and I was lying on the couch, flipping through the school yearbook and ignoring him, trying to be as cool as a 14-year-old can be.”

While Canada Day fireworks didn’t erupt instantly between the two, Stephanie flirted and complimented Kevin on his hair, and he found the courage to ask her out three weeks later. They enjoyed their first date at Tsawwassen’s Splashdown waterslide park.

Since the pair attended separate Catholic high schools, it was challenging for Kevin to stay in touch with Stephanie, the daughter of a traditional Filipino-Chinese family in Richmond. “If Kevin could get up early enough, he would either rollerblade or skateboard from St. Patrick’s to Little Flower Academy,” recalls Stephanie. The relationship held strong as both moved on to post-secondary studies at Kwantlen College. Stephanie then honed her artistic instincts with a BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, while Kevin pursued his mechanic’s licence.

They realized it was time to formalize their relationship while communicating via email in February 2006. “I’d taken a trip down to L.A. to visit my sister, and I was hanging around in her apartment,” Stephanie says. “A really strong feeling came over me, like, ‘It's time.’ We’d been together and gone through all this stuff for so long.” Shortly afterwards, Kevin proposed to Stephanie at his parents’ house, giving her the beautiful string of pearls she’d wanted as an engagement gift. “I didn’t give her a chance to change her mind at that point,” Kevin smiles.

They originally considered getting married in Las Vegas, but found Sin City’s chapels too kitschy for their taste. Instead, they chose to find their own space in Vancouver and create their 50’s wedding theme on their own terms. “We're both into vintage stuff,” Stephanie explains. “It’s been a constant throughout our lives, from furniture to cars to oldies on 650 CISL.”

Months of feverish preparations culminated in a colourful wedding at downtown Vancouver’s Contemporary Art Gallery. The 100 guests, including family and friends from Canada, the USA, and England, mingled and savoured refreshments in a “Historical Gallery” with photos, teen angst poems, and stuffed animals from Kevin and Stephanie’s past. Then they entered the main room, donning 3D glasses for a spectacular slideshow, orchestrated by Vancouver-based Blue Olive Photography, which tongue-in-cheek depicted the couple robbing a bank to buy a Tiffany’s ring.

As officiant Kelly Ip conducted an animated ceremony, the bride and groom felt overwhelmed with happiness. “I was smiling all the time,” confesses Kevin, who sported a pompadour and wore a navy, purple-pinstriped Paul Smith suit. “I was really excited,” adds Stephanie, who glowed in her custom white Romona Keveza strapless draped gown with a sweetheart neckline, made of silk shantung taffeta, from I Do Bridal. “I was even nervous I wouldn’t get the ring on Kevin’s finger.”

Their smiles broadened when they finally exited the venue with guests throwing popcorn from cute Daiso baggies, instead of rice. “I was popping popcorn until 1 a.m. the night before,” Kevin says.

The couple set out on a whimsical photoshoot around downtown, guided by Blue Olive Photography. Beneath the Burrard Street Bridge, they embraced in front of the green 1953 Ford Customline that Kevin spent nine months restoring. They even made a cameo amid ghoulish revelers in the annual Zombie Walk outside the Vancouver Art Gallery.

At the nearby Law Courts Inn, dining on filet mignon and raspberry swirl cheesecake and dancing to the Beatles and Tiger Army were highlights of an unforgettable reception. “I’d like to have a wedding every two years,” Stephanie says. “We loved planning all the details.”