How it all began
The First Impression
Like many good stories, ours started thanks to our dear friend Lika who swore she wasn’t playing matchmaker. But before that night, we had actually met once before - at a local brewery. We chatted like old friends but thought nothing more of it. Interestingly, others saw what we didn’t. Lika’s husband, Justin was convinced there was already a spark, and thought that was the whole point of inviting Marissa to Nirupan’s 30th birthday.
As it turned out, the birthday was where everything truly began. This time, the connection was undeniable. Before we knew it, we found ourselves on our first date - a seven-hour conversation that felt like minutes - and from there, every date seemed to last just as long.
Since then, we’ve shared countless memories together. From exploring local restaurants and coffee shops, the beautiful nature of Costa Rica, the bustling streets of Mexico City, and the wintery landscapes of Yellowknife, we are so excited to start this next adventure surrounded by all of you.
The Proposal
Like most May-Long weekends, this one came with rain - a lot of it. Nirupan had been talking for days about going for a picnic, but weather never seemed to cooperate. By Monday, we had made dinner plans with our friend Hero, and just before we were meant to pick her up, the rain finally let up.
Hero, who shares with Marissa a love for getting dressed up for dinners (something Hero, Marissa, and Jackie - Marissa’s sister - would do frequently when meeting up), had texted earlier with the perfect excuse: she’d been visiting with a baby and needed an excuse to remove the burp cloth and get dolled up. So Marissa followed suit and dressed up, believing it was just another dinner date with a friend.
On the drive to Rotary Park, Marissa noticed the flashes of lightening and was suspicious about this ‘walk’ Nirupan insisted on. “It’ll clear, it’s moving the other way,” he chimed. Soon enough, they were strolling and he was stopping to smell the flowers before finally getting down on one knee as the sky cleared and the post-rain mist made for an incredible Calgary Skyline.
What Marissa didn’t know is that Nirupan had already been to the park a few days earlier during a ‘night out with the boys’ to scope out the perfect spot - and the best angles for photos. His friend Michael was waiting nearby, hidden in the bushes with a camera, ready to capture the moment.
The proposal was perfect - Rotary Park is filled with meaning for both of us. It is where Nirupan spent a lot of time when he first moved to Canada, and where Marissa grew up playing after school or in the summers when staying at her grandmother’s house in Tuxedo Park. The splash park holds countless memories and made for a fitting place to write our story together.
We still made it to dinner with Hero afterward, and it was the best tasting Italian food with the best company.
