Romantically appropriate, Cynthia and Brayden first met at his brother’s engagement party.
At the time, Cynthia was pleasantly surprised to be invited to such an intimate gathering, as her friendship with Brayden’s brother was more of a business acquaintance, having been temporary co-volunteers. “I thankfully went,” she fondly recalls, thinking about how she almost didn’t go, “my life would be a lot different now if I wasnʼt there to meet Brayden.” After being introduced, Cynthia and Brayden began a conversation that continued over social media and every day since – becoming inseparable ever after.
Featured in the Summer 2019 issue of MunaLuchi Bride Magazine. Order you copy here while available!
Bride & Groom-to-be: Cynthia & Brayden
Occupations: Canadian Air Force Aviator & Natural Health Professional
Location of Engagement Shoot: Winnipeg, Canada
Wedding Date: August 15th, 2019
Wedding Location: Whitetail Meadow, MB
How They Met: Brayden and I met at his brotherʼs engagement party. Braydenʼs brother and I had volunteered together at our churchʼs coffee shop for a year, every Wednesday for only three hours. I donʼt even know why I was invited to his engagement party – it was an intimate affair and the invite was definitely a pleasant surprise for me! I wasnʼt sure if I should go because I wasnʼt friends with a lot of the people that would be there. I thankfully went (only because I dragged a friend with me) because my guess is, my life would be a lot different now if I wasnʼt there to meet Brayden. We played a few fun games during which, according to Brayden, my personality shone through and thatʼs what led him to be interested in me! We started talking that evening and Bray added my Instagram so that we could communicate (my guess is he felt asking for my number that same day would be too forward!). Since that day, he messaged me multiple times a day and actually led me to run out of all my allotted data for that month. Thankfully he eventually asked me for my number soon after! We became an official couple on April 18th, 2017 (5 months after we met) and we got engaged on the 9th of November, 2018!
The Proposal: The weekend of our engagement was nothing short of magical! A few months earlier, Brayden proposed that we do a road trip to Calgary, just the two of us. At the time I thought nothing of it in regards to the engagement proposal, because this would be our third trip to Calgary during our relationship, and Bray and I love road trips! He had planned a surprise trip to Lake Louise, which was only about two hours from us, and he wanted us to be there at around 10am. When we arrived at my favourite hotel, Bray booked a manicure for me, and helped pick a good colour and as I sat down to have my hands and nails pampered.
When my nails were completely dry, Bray casually led me to the edge of Lake Louise, which sat barely frozen at the base of a couple of mountains. The scene provided the most perfect backdrop, so Brayden pulled out his camera and tripod as he asked me if Iʼd like to take some photos. He positioned the camera, put the timer on (or so I thought) and sat with me. We did a few poses and then he said, “maybe we should take some photos standing now.” He stood, helped me up, and turned to me. I donʼt know, but as Brayden gazed into my eyes and began voicing all the things he loved about me, I was incredibly oblivious as to what was going on. He slowly (at least, that’s how it seemed) got down on one knee and reached in his pocket, and thatʼs when I let out a scream of realization that this was it! With trembling hands, he opened the ring box to reveal a stunning, vintage-style ring that he had picked out with no help from me. He asked me if I would do him the honour of becoming his wife, and I said a resounding “yes”! Bray then told me that the camera was actually recording this whole time!
Describe your engagement session. Our engagement session was at Lacoste Garden Centre, a lovely greenhouse located just outside Winnipeg. We spent a couple hours at the venue taking many photographs, and our photographer, Neffi, had the brilliant idea to carry a blanket that we could sit on to add variety to our poses! We had two different outfits, one fancy and trendy, and the second slightly more casual.
What did you do on your first date? For our first date, Bray and I went ice skating at The Forks, a popular tourist spot in Winnipeg. It wasnʼt our official first date, but turned into one when Devonʼs brother and his fiancé (who we had gone with to The Forks) disappeared for a couple of hours. This left us skating awkwardly next to each other, trying not to touch hands. This was awkward for me because it was shortly after I realized I had feelings for him! Thankfully my awkwardness didnʼt impede our conversation, and that night still remains as one of our favorites.
What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple? Four words: The Office & Dominoʼs Pizza. We love cuddling and just enjoying each otherʼs warmth and company while watching Netflix.
How has wedding planning been so far? Wedding planning has been much more stressful than we expected, we seriously wondered if we should just elope. Thankfully we resisted the temptation! Itʼs been really important for us to keep it in our heads that as long as we are married by the end of the day, itʼll be a perfect day.
Tell us what you’re looking forward to most on the wedding day. Cynthia: “We arenʼt pros, but Bray and I love dancing, so much so that weʼre worried weʼll be at the venue much later than we should because every time we might try to leave, a good song will come on. Seeing as weʼre having 300 of our closest friends and family, I am really looking forward to the dance party! Weʼre doing a couple choreographed dances for our entrance and other parts of the night, so it will be an amazing night full of music and dancing.”
Brayden: “As cliché as it sounds, I most look forward to seeing Cynthia during the day and being amazed that sheʼs mine for the rest of our lives. Our intention was always to date for marriage, but now the closer we get to the big day, the more that Iʼm in awe that I get to marry such an incredible woman. Standing in front of all our friends and family, with Cynthia as my wife beside me will be a moment I cherish forever.”
Vendors:
Photography: Neffi Bergen Wedding Photography
Venue: Lacoste Garden Centre
Wow! This story was truly breathtaking. The visuals are stunning. An all around incredible job, I am truly inspired in many, many ways. Thank you for sharing this story.
You make a beautiful couple!! Congratulations!