Steven and I actually met over the internet on one of the many dating websites. Now, this may seem strange for those of you who would never consider meeting anyone off of the internet but for people like Steven and myself it was perfect. Naturally, we talked online for a few weeks before meeting in person but once we did it was perfect.
As for our engagement, it's kind of funny. Steven hadn't officially proposed yet but we had already told each other we wanted to marry the other and so while I was happy to let Steven take his time with the actual proposal we had set a tentative date - April 25, 2009 (it was mid-April 2008 at this time). During this time I had found the perfect ring (a beautiful opal with small diamond clusters on either side) and arranged a way for me to show it to Steven. He somehow managed to buy it that same day without my knowing and later that same week he picked it up and spent all day trying to propose to me spontaneously but I had had a bad day at work and was grumpy and apparently kept ruining the moment. So it wasn't until we were lying in bed talking that night that he was able to pull out the ring box and he held it out to me, open, and said simply "would you like to wear this forever?". At which point the look of utter surprise had changed to a huge grin and I declared "yes, yes yes!". The funny part? It was April 25, 2008, when he proposed...so we made our tentative date a solid one.
You know how some couples are so close that they finish each others sentences? Well, we do that too, but what we do the most is say the exact same thing at the exact same time and it'll happen anywhere from 5 to 20 times in a single day. It happens so often we now look at each other in pretend annoyance and jokingly say "stop copying me!"
We hope to begin adding to our family in the Winter of 2009 (I have a 4.5 year old daughter, Phoenix, who Steven wants to legally adopt as his own after we are married and she has called him "Daddy" almost as long as Steven and I have been together - he's the only father she's known as her own father passed away before she was born) and sometime after the Olympics in 2010 we have plans to move back to Smithers (I'm originially from Terrace) where Steven plans to make his own business, Taylor Productions & Services, a full-time business rather than a sideline. We also hope that we will be able to buy property with acreage once we move there to do a few of the other things we've planned.

The Wedding Ceremony is being held at the Cascade Community Church at 35190 Delair Road, Abbotsford, British Columbia.
The doors open at 12:30 pm for guests to seat themselves; the ceremony begins at 1:00 pm.
The wedding has an ocean theme but, as it's being held in a church, the attire is semi-formal to formal.
We have decided that we would like to welcome children to our wedding ceremony so any parents with young children (under 18) may feel free to bring them along. We only ask that if they become disruptive to the ceremony that you step into the foyer until they have calmed down.
Please note that our contract with the venue states that there is to be no smoking, alcohol or rice throwing/bubble blowing in or on the premises. Please respect this as we will be held financially responsible should any of the above happen. For those who smoke, you will unfortunately need to take a few short steps out of the church parking lot to do so. If it happens to be raining, umbrellas will be provided. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Directions, as well as a Map, to the wedding site will be provided along with the wedding invitations. In addition, the list in the Travel Arrangements section will also be provided to you.

The Reception is being held in the Dining Room at Cascade Community Church at 35190 Delair Road, Abbotsford, British Columbia.
The Reception will officially begin between 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm when the Bridal Party returns from their photography session. A receiving line will then be held so we may properly greet our guests.
There will be a Buffet Dinner which will consist of 2 entrees (Roast Beef au jus & Honey Garlic Chicken Breast) as well as Seasonal Hot Fresh Vegetables, Roast Potatoes, Fresh Fruit Platter, Tossed Garden Salad, Rainbow Coleslaw Salad, Spiral Pasta Salad, Fresh Dinner Rolls, Assorted Dessert Squares, Tarts, and Pastries, Coffee, Tea, and Fruit Punch.
Our reception will be a non-alcoholic event but we will be providing Sparkling Apple Cider for the toasts.
We will also be sharing our wedding cake with those guests who wish to indulge in Chocolate Cake filled with Raspberry Buttercream and covered in delicious Fondant icing and White Chocolate Seashells.
We have decided that we would like to welcome children to our wedding reception so any parents with young children (under 18) may do so. Entertainment such as coloring books, books, and a few small games will be provided for their entertainment. If you have a child who needs a highchair or booster seat and your own is not portable please let us know with your response card and we will do our best to see that there are some available. If, however, you have a highchair/booster seat that is portable it might be best if you brought it along just in case.
At this point adult entertainment will be mainly offered in the traditional forms of kissing games, centerpiece games, speeches and the like. We have not yet decided what other entertainment will be included. We are still deciding on what form the kissing game will take but we do know it will not be the traditional clinking of glasses or the ringing of little bells. Due to the venue being carpeted we will not be holding the traditional wedding dances though there will be background music.
Please note that our contract with the venue states that there is to be no smoking, alcohol or rice throwing/bubble blowing in or on the premises. Please respect this as we will be held financially responsible should any of the above happen. For those who smoke, you will unfortunately need to take a few short steps out of the church parking lot to do so. If it happens to be raining, umbrellas will be provided. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Here is a list of hotels, restaurants, attractions, malls and golf courses you may find useful. I apologize for any difficulty in reading the list as this website automatically arranges it as you see it despite my attempts to make it more readable. All of these places are within 1 - 10 kilometres away from the wedding and reception venue.
Hotels:
Best Western-Bakerview Inn
604-859-1341;
Super 8-ABBOTSFORD
604-853-1141;
Coast Abbotsford Hotel & Suite
604-853-1880;
Restaurants:
Crossroads Restaurant
604-852-1614;
Sammy J Peppers;
604-851-4688;
Smitty's Family Restaurant
604-853-1911;
Old Spaghetti Factory
604-854-1130;
Tim Hortons
604-855-3527;
Mc Donald's
604-859-1274;
Attractions:
Castle Fun Park
604-850-0411;
Shopping:
Sevenoaks Shopping Ctr
604-853-1339;
Golf:
Fraserglen Golf Course
604-852-3477;
Recreation:
Matsqui Recreation Ctr
604-855-0500.
Maps and directions will be provided with the wedding invitations as well as the above list (which will also include the full addresses of the places listed).

You have truly enriched our happiness with your lovely gift. Thank you for giving us a lasting memory of your kindness and generosity. ~ Shirley & Steven