Our friendship began in 2015 when we were partnered together to serve in the Campus-Based Program through CFC-Youth. During our weekend retreat, our group drove down to the White Rock Pier and there were "forced" to get to know each other. Our interactions prior to this have always been quite awkward so when we were told that we were partnered together and had to spend an hour trying to get to know each other, you could imagine how we both felt. But, we didn't have a choice so we did what we were told and spent that hour answering the assigned questions. And boy was it ever awkwardly uncomfortable. I (Chris) was not the best in new situations, I (Eryn) had to keep asking questions to fill in the awkward silences - only thing that broke the ice was at the end of the hour when I (Chris) accidentally dropped my phone in the water. We didn't really speak to each other after that. We went to events and said hi and hello but nothing more than that. It wasn't until we were asked to lead a youth camp that we were, again somewhat, "forced" to spend more time together. It was February 2016 when we started to get to know each other more and eventually became friends.

Our friendship grew over the next few months, we spent more time together due to service, especially when we were asked lead a youth camp together. Texting about plans for the youth camp eventually turned into long conversations about each other’s lives and playing 20 questions to get to know each other more. As months went on, our friends started to tease us, thinking that we were more than friends. But, at the time we really were JUST friends. Until, eventually Chris began to be more courteous than usual. He began opening doors, paying for dinners when a group of us would go out, offering his jacket when he noticed I was cold. But still, we denied it to be more than friendship. Then, on June 13, 2016, I received a text from Chris asking me to meet him “at my happy place”. So after work, I drove to Rocky Point Park and there he was sitting on a bench overlooking the water. It was 45 minutes of small talk – asking how our days were, looking out at the view and saying how nice it was, commenting on the weather…etc. Until, I just asked him what we were doing there. Nervously, with his heart beating fast, he told me that he had started to have feelings for me. And what did I do? I laughed and said “okay”.

Our courtship was different from others. To others it seemed fast, only a couple of weeks but to us it was more than those couple weeks. It was through our friendship where he showed me the kind of man he was and how he felt about me, even though we didn’t think of it as more than that. Upon getting to know each other and after discerning and praying about our relationship, on July 4, 2016, we drove to one of my favourite local spots and there he officially asked me to be his girlfriend.

CHRIS' POINT OF VIEW Two weeks before the proposal I went with our friend, Jjay, who would be taking the pictures for us, to Rocky Point to plan where I would propose and where they would need be to take the photos. Later on that week I coordinated with my mom and Eryn's mom that plan for after the proposal - a surprise lunch with both our families at the Boongaling's backyard. On the day of the proposal it was forecasted to be a rainy day, however it was the complete opposite. It was a beautiful sunny day. I went to pick Eryn & Erlyn up from their house because we had plans on "meeting our friends" at Rocky Point. I got to their house and Eryn comes downstairs in an outfit that was matching mine, which I thought was so funny because of all days, today WOULD be the day that we would be matching. So after saying our goodbyes we left and headed for Rocky Point. The park was a lot busier than I expected and this made me very nervous. Being there and seeing all these people, made everything start to feel real - this was happening, I'm going to propose! We walked over to the spot I chose to propose, the same sport where I told Eryn how I felt about her, back in 2016. Erlyn made an excuse to use the washroom so she can tell our friends it was time. Once we were alone, my nerves started to show. I started to look around to make sure everyone was in place. Then I looked at Eryn, held her hands and started saying the words I had practiced but I was so scared and nervous that I don’t even remember exactly what I said. I, then, got down on one knee pulled the ring out of my pocket and said, "Will you marry me?" I guess in shock, she replies with “is this a joke? Get up!” (While the ring was right in front of her). I laughed and told her that this was not a joke and that this was real and when she realized that I wasn’t joking she grabbed me, gave me a kiss and said YES!

In planning our wedding, we wanted to make every detail as sentimental and meaningful to our relationship as best we can. We wanted the parts of our special day to share our story, down to the smallest detail. So we wanted to share with you why these details are significant for us. The wedding date - we chose July 3, 2021 because Chris wanted a summer wedding and I wanted a date that was close to our anniversary date. Our first choice would've been our anniversary date, July 4th, but because it landed on a Sunday in 2021, July 3rd was our only option. But, it worked out because we realized that on July 4, 2021 would be our 5 years together and we would wake up to each other as husband and wife. The church - we are getting married at Our Lady of Mercy Parish which is Chris' family parish and also the church we went to for our first mass together when we started dating. We also found out later on that it was where my (Eryn) grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The reception venue - our reception will be held at South Bonson Community Centre located at Osprey Village in Pitt Meadows. It was where Chris asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes of course!