Faith And Love
It took a bit of faith to bring Pearl Sin and Angus Fu together, especially since time and distance seemed determined to keep them apart.
Angus, who is now a construction manager, and Pearl, an advertising agency project manager, both came to Canada from Hong Kong when they were young. The Richmond couple were in their teens when they first met at their Chinese Baptist church, but it wasn’t until seven or eight years later that they caught each other’s eye.
By then they were in the same church fellowship and studying at university, he at the University of British Columbia and she at Simon Fraser University. They became study partners and then friends, and they were still just friends when Angus moved to Chilliwack after graduation. Being away from Pearl made him realize that something was missing from his life. “And then I found the piece of the puzzle,” he says. “Something just clicked.”
Finally, in 2003, he and Pearl went on their first date, dinner in the romantic seaside village of Steveston. But just as their romance was about to begin, Angus was offered a job in China.
“So we dated for one month and then he left with a one-way ticket. We started with a long-distance relationship,” Pearl says.
Just over a year later, Angus came home from Shanghai to visit his family for Chinese New Year. Being home and with Pearl made him realize he wanted to stay, so he cancelled his return ticket.
It was only then, a decade after they first met and two years after their first date, that they started to date “officially.”
Three years later, they were traveling in Asia, visiting friends who were getting married. With all that romance in the air, they, too, started to think about the next stage of their lives.
“We decided to look at wedding rings,” Pearl starts. “Just browsing. Because he was best man and I was bridesmaid . . .”
“And something triggered,” Angus says, finishing her sentence.
On that trip, Pearl fell in love with a beautiful ring by Bulgari, a platinum swirl of curves that swept up into a crown holding a diamond. Unfortunately, upon returning home they discovered the ring wasn’t available in Canada and right then Angus decided he’d go to Las Vegas to get it.
“But not until after we did marriage counseling,” he says. Angus and Pearl look at each other and laugh. “Most people do marriage counseling after they propose,” she explains, “but we did it before to be sure we were ready for the next stage of life. ”
Angus couldn’t take time off work, so he flew to Las Vegas on a 16 hour round trip and came back with the ring in his pocket.
“And I’m afraid of flying,” Angus says. “I risked my life!”
Then after all those years of stops, starts and unexpected delays, the schedule suddenly sped up.
“After all the counseling, and after I bought the ring, I asked her parents for permission—it’s very traditional,” Angus says. Of course, her parents gave him their blessing. But someone from their church overheard what was going on, and Angus panicked, certain that their friends would tell Pearl before he could. Worse, he had only one hour to prepare before she was scheduled to meet him.
So, working quickly, he filled his condo with candles and roses, put her favourite music on the stereo and dimmed the lights. As she entered, he knelt down, with the ring in his hand and tears in his eyes.
“He got so emotional,” Pearl exclaims, though she was crying, too, as he put the ring on her finger. Then they prayed together.
They set the date for June 26, 2010, and started planning.
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The Sheraton Wall Centre courtyard, with St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church across the street as the backdrop was the perfect venue. It was both urban and outdoors, formal yet casual, and it had the religious element that was so important to both of them.
“We liked that it was urban and contemporary,” says Pearl, who didn’t want the setting and décor to be too traditional.
She chose a theme of pink and silver: pink peonies, a pink aisle runner, a pink logo designed by a friend and a pink pedi-cab for the photographs. The décor in the Wall Centre’s Pavilion Ballroom even featured the same deep pink she’d chosen for the bridesmaid’s dresses.
“It’s a good thing Angus likes pink,” Pearl says.
For the big day, friends and family flew in from all over the world, including Pearl’s grandmother from Toronto and Angus’ groomsmen from Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The day started with the “open doors” game, a lighthearted Chinese tradition in which the groom and his friends try to gain access to the bride. Her attendants attempt to block them with playful challenges, such as making the men put on makeup and wear flowers in their hair. “They torture them,” Pearl says, laughing.
Then they held a traditional tea ceremony with the family, Pearl in an ornate red-and-gold-embroidered Chinese dress, her grandmother beaming proudly.
Finally, they were ready to walk down the aisle in the Sheraton Wall Centre’s Court Yard Fountain Square, accompanied by a brass band and by passers-by who were swept up in the romance.
Between the ceremony and the reception, Pearl changed into the second of her two wedding dresses, going from an elegant mermaid gown to a one-shouldered, crystal-embellished
chiffon gown. The highlight of the evening was when the ABBA band they’d hired broke into “I Do, I Do, I Do” as the newlyweds entered the ballroom.
As they swept across the dance floor, the couple knew there was one thing that got them there, and that would keep them together no matter what. “It was just faith,” Pearl says.
Faith, and love.
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How They Did It:
In addition to her red tea ceremony tunic, Pearl wore two wedding dresses—a strapless mermaid gown during the ceremony, and an asymmetrical gown that belted at the waist for the reception and photo shoot.
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“It’s difficult to find a brass band in Vancouver,” said Pearl, who was looking for “festive, fun and loud.” She found The Bessborough Brass through a family friend. “They played for the royal family when they visited Canada. That is how good they are,” she said.
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The Sheraton Wall Centre provided the outdoor fountain garden for the ceremony, an indoor ballroom for the reception, catering and help with setup. Chairs were from A&B party rentals.
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At the reception, guests were entertained by ABBA Again, an ABBA
cover band.
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Guests dined on appetizers of corn soup topped with a mini potato pancake.
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Angus and Pearl had an aisle runner custom-printed for their wedding by Original Aisle Runner in New York.
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Angus looked dapper in a tuxedo with a black bow tie, while his groomsmen
wore suits with pink ties.
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Pearl and Angus’ Wedding Vendors:
Wedding Photographer:
Hong Photography
www.hong-photography.com
Decorator and Chair Covers:
Lavish Design Group
www.lavishdesigngroup.com
Wedding Venue – Ceremony & Reception:
Sheraton Wall Centre
www.sheratonvancouver.com
Wedding Dresses:
Bello Wedding World
www.ebello.com
Lisa’s Bridal
www.lisasbridal.com
Groom’s Attire:
Hugo Boss
www.hugoboss.com
Groomsmen Attire:
Lisa’s Bridal
www.lisasbridal.com
Wedding Florist:
Balconi Floral Design Studio
www.balconi.ca
Wedding Cake:
Ganache Patisserie
www.ganacheyaletown.com
Transportation:
Cruise Cab
www.cruisecab.net
Ceremony Music:
The Bessborough Brass
www.bessboroughbrass.ca
Reception Music:
ABBA Again
www.abbaagain.com
Party Rentals:
A&B Party Rental
www.abpartytime.com
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