Hoping to have a Dream Wedding
When Melissa Companion took time from her hectic day as a new mother to write Global BCTV Dream Wedding, she really poured her heart out.
Melissa and her partner, Sean Cranston have always wanted a dream wedding but other important events – completing graduate studies, saving money, and then unexpectedly (but happily) becoming parents – put those plans on hold.
Melissa entered the contest and then “forgot about it” – until Global’s show producers advised her they had chosen the couple’s story from “thousands” of entries. They are now one of 10 couples vying for a lavish trip for two to Mexico.
All it takes for them – or any couple – to win the trip is getting the most votes from the public.
In her heartfelt letter, Melissa wrote:
“For the entire seven and a half years that Sean and I have been together we have both dreamed of one day getting married. We wanted to finish school first, get good jobs and start our lives together and, after five long years, we finally graduated.”
She explained they’d moved from Prince George to SFU campus and after six years of hard work, dedication and constant sacrificing, Sean had finally finished.
“I was so relieved and incredibly excited to get married and start our lives together,” wrote Melissa. “Nevertheless life threw another giant surprise our way and I unexpectedly became pregnant (with baby Liam.) We were overjoyed but also overwhelmed because we were nowhere near financially ready to take on such a responsibility.”
At the time, they were renting a one-bedroom apartment.
“We had no savings, a ton of debt and no idea how we were going to provide for a baby,” she said. However, the couple’s families came together in love and support and helped them out. “We are so lucky and grateful to have such an amazing family who fill our lives with so much love and happiness.”
After her letter was selected, the show’s producers asked for pictures and stories about how they met for an on-air interview on Jan. 18.
Melissa wrote about how they met in Vancouver at a restaurant where she was working (although both are from Prince George) and how a horseback riding date led to a challenging and nerve-wracking “Grouse Grind.”
She said although they are not married, they celebrate July 15 as their anniversary because “it was the first time we kissed.”
Then there was Sean’s unique proposal of marriage when one night he called Melissa to help change baby Liam.
“As I stumbled out of our bedroom into his, I saw our four-month-old angel lying there with a shirt that read Mommy’s Prince Charming.”
Looking closer she saw something sparkling around his teething necklace.
“I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and then saw Sean bent down on one knee. Immediately I started crying, it was one of the happiest moments of my life and, here we are, still dreaming of one day getting married.”
Sean, who has a background in economics, now works for the City of Prince George as a real estate appraiser and Melissa, who has a psychology degree, is planning to return to school when Liam is a little older and train as a legal administrative assistant or paralegal.
The deadline for voting in the Global BCTV Dream Wedding is Sunday, Jan. 27. Full details can be found at www.globalnews.ca/contests/dream wedding. Voters are also eligible for a trip for two to Mexico.
COMMENTS
Let's keep comments:
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters.
We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.