Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/391714
W When it comes to birthday gifts, most of us receive books or clothes. But Jon Baba received the best gift of all — he met his future spouse. It was November 2004, and the retail manager was toasting his 20th birthday at a Steveston pub when a friend introduced him to Kimberly Bellman. Jon now says with a laugh: "It was the gift that lasts a lifetime!" e couple were engaged on New Year's Eve 2012, after an eight-year courtship. Why the long wait? "I'm a few years older than he is," explains Kimberly, an interior designer. "So I was nished university before he was, and basically we were just waiting for our lives to sync." And on that chilly December night, as New Year's festivities erupted outside their Burnaby home, the timing nally proved perfect. "Jon got down on one knee, and I said yes right at the stroke of midnight," Kimberly recalls, adding: "As everyone was celebrating the arrival of a new year, we were celebrating a new chapter of our lives together." Six months of "pretty laborious" planning for the DIY couple pre- ceded their wedding, held this past March in Harris Barn at Kirkland Heritage House in Ladner. "We wanted something that was down to earth," explains Kimberly, of the old-fashioned dairy barn they chose as their venue, because "we both love history and the vintage aspect of it really appealed to us." Together with friends and family, the two tackled the task of making the barren space wedding-ready. "It was special because we had so many people come together and help us out. It was very much built from love," says Kimberly, recalling how loved ones "totally transformed" the replica barn into a romantic venue, complete with an altar built by Jon's uncle. As much as the couple's 125 guests enjoyed the live music and the bu et dinner catered by Memphis Blues BBQ House, the biggest hit of the night turned out to be the vintage popcorn cart, where guests gath- ered to snack on bags of buttery goodness served with several shakers full of seasonings. "It was more popular than I had anticipated," Jon chuckles. "It was a big hit with everyone, from adults to kids." Just as popular — at least with the adults — was the self-serve whisky and cigar bar. Devising these high-tra c hubs was a way that Kimberly, with her design expertise, helped create intimate spaces within the large venue, allowing guests plenty of opportunity to mix and mingle. But for the future spouses, by far the best part of the day was their rst-look photo session, held prior to the ceremony. "I thought she looked absolutely beautiful, just gorgeous," Jon says proudly. Kimberly echoes the sentiment: "I thought he looked extremely handsome." And if there were any doubt that this couple is perfect for each other, it was dispelled the moment they recited their self-written vows. Unbeknownst to each other, they had both included the very same term of endearment, referring to their new spouse as "my sunshine, my only sunshine." For this happy twosome, the future looks sunny indeed. rw realweddings.ca 31