WedLuxe Magazine Winter/Spring 2016 Vancouver & Western Canada | Page 87

photography by

Randal Kurt
photography

SOOJIN
E LandY A S
A S O P H I S T I C AT E D A N D S E N T I M E N TA L S TO R Y B O O K W E D D I N G
B R O U G H T TO L I F E

S

oojin kim and elyas sepasi met when they both enrolled in a spanish
class at simon fraser university. they both felt a connection on
their first day of class and started studying together. as life
would have it, they drifted apart after the semester. Four years later, the pair
reconnected and picked up right where they had left off. The two grew closer
and closer until they became an official couple when out of the blue, Elyas
surprised Soojin by introducing her as his girlfriend. They’ve been inseparable
ever since. On August 11, 2013, Elyas took Soojin to Disneyland. She is a fan of
anything and everything Disney-related and, being that it would be her first
time there, Elyas knew it was the perfect place to propose. At the end of a long
day of thrill-seeking, they went to watch the fireworks by the Cinderella Castle.
Soojin was doing her best to film the beautiful display, but Elyas kept trying to
distract her and block her view. She finally tore her eyes away from the fireworks
to see that Elyas was holding a ring. At that moment, he asked Soojin to be his
wife and, once her sobs subsided, she enthusiastically said, “yes!”

Soojin and Elyas were married on February 6, 2015 in Vancouver. Kiri McLeod
of lovely event co. provided same-day coordination. Designer Evan Orion
of flowerz and koncept event design designed the floral and decor for the
event and brought the couple’s Disney-themed wedding to life. “Despite our
age, my husband and I love storybooks. During our long distance relationship
(for a brief time, Elyas relocated to San Diego to work for an aerospace company
and Soojin stayed in Vancouver to continue her graduate studies), we would
take turns reading them to each other almost every night over FaceTime and
Skype until we would fall asleep,” notes Soojin.
The couple designed the wedding invitations themselves. The eye-catching
feature of the invitation was Wendy Edelson’s illustrations, including the portrait
of the couple in a fairytale-like setting. Not only did the illustration give guests
insight into Soojin and Elyas’ magical wedding, but it referenced all things
important to the couple, specifically their cultures and their history.

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