Covid-Era Intimate Multi-Day Wedding

Sarah and Sadiq knew of each other through their community but never officially met until they went on a group date in 2013. A few months later Sadiq moved to Toronto for school, and Sarah became very close with his family—particularly his grandparents—as they maintained their relationship long-distance. They lost two grandparents while he was away and one more shortly after they moved in together.

The Proposal

Sadiq had planned a romantic proposal, but when their last surviving grandparent became gravely ill he decided to propose early so they could share the moment with Grandpa.

The Big Day

They dreamed of getting married in Lisbon, but when the pandemic struck they decided to bring Portugal to their intimate multi-day wedding at home. “Instead of focusing on all of the people that couldn’t be there, we would focus on the little details that would make our wedding days special.”

They held their traditional Ismaili ceremony amidst the natural beauty of Valley Ridge Golf Club. Sarah wore Sadiq’s grandmother’s sari and they set aside four seats with framed photos of their grandparents. They celebrated with a Portuguese-inspired reception in Sadiq’s parents’ backyard complete with blue and white florals, a Portuguese dinner, and a Portuguese tile dance floor.

Favourite Moments

Sarah: “Two stand out moments: We had “seats” for our grandparents who had passed at our ceremony in picture frames with flowers, it truly made me feel like they were there with us. Seeing our reception design come to life and truly feeling like our dream of Portugal had come to life thanks to Blush and Co, followed by our first dance & father daughter, mother son dance.”

Sadiq: “No specific moment but I continue to say, I expected our wedding to be good but it ended up being great. All of the power planning and the importance we put into the details, exceeded our expectations beyond belief.”

Engagement Ring Cut

Round with Hidden Halo

First Dance

“Angel of Mine”—Monica (violin)

Father-Daughter & Mother-Son Dance(s)

Bollywood Song on Violin

Advice from the Newlyweds

“Simple and small can still be great and COVID was a reminder of this exactly. It was our vision, the ability to control what you can, the amazing, supportive people around us and our love for each other that made our wedding so special.”

Looking Forward to Most Now Being Married

The newlyweds look forward to spending time with their family, date nights and traveling post-COVID—possibly even renewing their vows in Portugal.

Honeymoon

Banff | Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel