Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/162483
H eading to happy hour in 2006, Alissa Piasetski, a legal assistant from Montreal living in Washington, D.C., never anticipated how "happy" she was about to become. "It was serendipitous," says Alissa, who'd nearly stayed in that night. "My friends convinced me to go . . . and introduced me to this guy, David Polansky. The attraction was instant; we talked all night. When he asked for my number, I didn't hesitate." While her now-hubby, a Baltimore native, also felt the connection, he waited four days before phoning. "In retrospect, it wasn't the best decision," he jokes. "I was nervous." Alissa, annoyed, ignored David's call when it finally came. But fate intervened once more and, after their paths crossed a second time, the two became inseparable. With her visa about to expire, however, the young couple faced a fork in the road. "I'd just met this amazing man and I didn't want it to end," Alissa remembers. "On a whim, we decided to move abroad." Friends and family were skeptical. "It was a big step to take six months into our relationship, but there wasn't a question in my mind," says David. "I had to be with her." He joined Alissa in Shanghai, where she'd found work as a marketing coordinator. They spent the next two years living together, learning about each other — and falling in love. "Our relationship benefited from having to rely so much on each other to create a life in a foreign country," Alissa says. They eventually returned to North America, settling first in Chicago, then Vancouver (where Alissa's mother lives) and, finally, Toronto, so that David could pursue his Ph.D. in political science. Their families soon realized the pair was "in it for the long haul." David, too, saw his future with Alissa, and planned to pop the question in December 2010. He had a family friend create a one-of-a-kind engagement ring — an oval-cut diamond flanked by rectangular baguettes — and set his mind on proposing. But, for the second time in their relationship, his nerves got the better of him. "I chickened out three nights in a row," he chuckles. "Then, on Christmas Eve, after everyone was asleep, I worked up the nerve." Rousing Alissa, who was dozing on the couch, David dropped to one knee Top: Alissa's simpleand asked if she'd marry him. In the glow of the Christmas tree, yet-elegant bouquet was the perfect she said yes. They shared the news with family the next morning, complement to her celebrating with mimosas. vintage-style Monique Lhuillier gown. Almost immediately, the planning began. Setting an ambitious Middle: The bridesautumn wedding date, Alissa and David focused on finding the maids wore silk "party" dresses in a range perfect spot to tie the knot. "With friends overseas and family of pretty pastels across the continent, people would be travelling . . . we needed to and each clutched a wax-flower bouquet to choose wisely," she says. "When we lived in Vancouver, we fell in match her frock. love with the city. We wanted to share it with the people we love." Bottom: On a trip to see her mom, Alissa happened across Brock House Beaded lanterns were suspended from tree Restaurant. Set on manicured lawns steps from Vancouver's branches near the Jericho Beach, the Tudor-style heritage building affords breathtakwedding canopy, which was handmade using ing views of ocean, mountains and a glittering city skyline. "It's the birch trunks and a perfect combination of elegance and charm, which suits our taste piece of heirloom lace from Alissa's family. perfectly," she says. p46-49_International Affair.indd 47 4/24/12 3:06:39 PM