An Upscale Seaside Wedding In British Columbia

About the couple

Bride: Danae VanderWel

Groom: Clifton Ross VanderHorst

How they met: “We met at a wedding, during a song, and we shared a glance, then it was done,” recalls Danae. “Long story short, a mutual friend’s wedding in the summer of 2010 brought us together. I was sitting a few rows from Clifton, and after the couple exchanged vows and the ceremony was over, Clifton approached me and introduced himself. Things were kicked up a notch later that evening when Clifton approached me again at my table and asked if he could sit next to me for dinner. After a shy ‘yes’, the rest of the evening was history.” explains Danae.

Engagement story: “I finally had it all planned out, including the cooperation of the weather which is rare during spring in B.C. However, as with most plans, not everything went accordingly,” Clifton recalls. “The goal was to get Danae and myself to Granville Island which is where we had our first date. I had rented a boat in order to propose on the water, which is our favourite place to be. I had asked a photographer friend of mine to take photos of the proposal, unknown to Danae. I had not planned for the tide and I couldn’t get close enough to the sea wall because of the rocks. More importantly, my caution of the rocks made me fumble my way through the proposal. I had to quickly position Danae and myself for the camera angle, while trying to hold the steering wheel and get down on one knee. However, the ring was stuck in the box, so after formally asking her to marry me I panicked because we were drifting way too close to the rocks. I passed her the box and said, ‘Here, you do it!’ Danae was so tongue-tied that she was apparently unable to say ‘yes’, or anything for that matter. Later, at dinner I received a text and it said ‘YES!’