About the couple

Bride: Claire Leeson

Groom: Wes Pellegrino

How they met: “In September 2005 we met through a mutual friend, Kim. I was meeting up with Kim for dinner one night. While we were walking to the restaurant Wes saw Kim walking down the street and stopped to say hello. Kim invited Wes to join us at dinner and the rest is history,” says Claire.

Engagement story: “Our engagement didn’t go exactly as Wes had planned,” explains Claire. “He had organized a big day for us to go to Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC and take in the sites, watch the sunset on the beach, and go for dinner. However, we never made it. I was late coming home from volunteering at an animal shelter, then we got stuck in a traffic on the way to the park. We weren’t getting anywhere and it was already late afternoon so I suggested that we turn around and go back home. I figured we could just go to Stanley Park another time, I had no idea Wes was planning to propose. Wes would not give up so easily. He turned the car around but instead of going home we stopped at a nature park along the water down the road from our house. The sun was starting to set along the water by that time with brilliant hues of orange, yellow, and red cascading along the water. Wes suggested we go for a stroll through the nature park. We walked along the water’s edge and came to a stop to watch the sun dip below the water line. Just as we stopped Wes got down on one knee and pulled out a ring, asking if I would be with him forever. Of course I screamed ‘YES!’ The unscripted, change-of-plan proposal ended up being perfectly romantic and a memory we’ll never forget.”