Thara and Ravin | Edmonton Wedding Photographer

​​How did you two meet?
​We met in undergrad, almost 8 years ago. I joined a student volunteer group that Ravin was leading, and slowly got to know him through the organization, and through our shared anxiety over medical school applications. The following year, we were both admitted to the same medical school class, and we quickly became best friends. I remember thinking that I’d never become such good friends with anyone else so quickly; within a very short time, it was hard to imagine what life had been like without him. Over many hours of conversation- whether in whispers to each other behind our laptops in lectures, or across our favourite table in Rutherford library, or over beers and fries on Friday afternoons at the RATT campus bar- we came to know each other inside and out. More than two years later, we realized that perhaps there was a reason we were so inseparable, and we began dating. 

​How did the proposal go?
​The proposal was perfect- it was personal and significant and totally us. We are both huge fans of puzzles, and Ravin has carried out almost every significant moment of our relationship through a scavenger hunt- the first time he gave me a gift, the first time he told me he loved me; so it was a no-brainer.  This time, on a visit back to Edmonton for a friend’s wedding, he set up a scavenger hunt all around the University of Alberta campus. I got to visit all of my old favourite haunts- Transcend, the Sugarbowl, and Remedy café, finding a few of my closest friends and a new clue at each location.  Finally, the hunt led me down on a beautiful walk through the river valley, to our favourite little spot overlooking the footbridge; and there was Ravin, waiting for me in the rain. I was crying so hard, I can barely remember what he said or how I reacted, but I’m pretty sure at some point I said yes!  It was so thoughtful and beautiful, I couldn’t have imagined anything better.

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What do you look forward to most about your wedding? Any tips for planning a wedding from afar, whilst both doing your residencies?
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I think we are the most excited just to have a huge party with all of our closest friends and family.  We have been so lucky to be constantly surrounded by some amazing people, and both of us are still in touch with friends from junior high, high school, medical school, and residency. I think it will be amazing to see all of those people who have been so important to us at different times of our lives, and who have shaped us and our relationship into what it is today, all together in one place at the same time. 

​Planning the Edmonton wedding while living in Ottawa hasn’t been easy, but luckily we have amazing families who have taken over almost all of the grunt work for us!  I honestly don’t know what we would do if we didn’t have their help. But I think the biggest thing we have learned is that it’s important to always remember the big picture. It’s fun to try to plan the perfect day, but at the end of the day, people don’t remember centerpieces or flower arrangements or music. They remember being with the people they love, having fun, and getting that warm, fuzzy feeling that we all love about weddings. We just really want to have fun and enjoy spending the day with our loved ones, and then go home and get to be married to each other!