Gisele & James (Rethymno, Crete)

I asked Gisele to share their love story with me and this is what she wrote:

James and I met 5 years ago through my ex boyfriend (yes, you heard right. My ex), who is a good friend to both of us. We met on his birthday on November 2nd, the same night he had told our mutual friend before meeting me, that he gives up on finding a girl he can be with.

We talked all night that night as I was heading back to Toronto the day after, while James lived in Montreal at the time. For 2 months we fell asleep on facetime with each other every night and woke up to one of us saying good morning. Fast forward to 2 months later, we took our first trip together to Florida. A month after that I had to go to Hawaii for work, James decided to come with me and we were there for 2 months. We came back to Toronto and he moved to Toronto for me from Montreal. We practically started living together very fast. From the first week of meeting him I knew he was special. 2nd week of knowing him and meeting his family, I knew I wanted him and every extension of him to be in my life forever. He is my best friend first, than my husband…that is how it has always been.

The only person that can handle the wild in me, only person that can be as weird as I am, If not weirder. The only person I enjoy being alone with and travelling. I am never bored with him.

After 3.5 years of being together, he proposed on July 1st. We were in Florida together at his parents vacation condo. Where we go every year and is a second home to us.

His parents condo is on the beach and my favorite time of the day besides Sunset is the Sunrise. I find it magical, the world is sleeping, the magnificent sun is slowly showing its face and the energy is powerful. I always wake up on vacation to watch the sunrise, mostly alone since James hates waking up that early. That weekend my brother told me he is going to come to Florida for the weekend with my sister in law and nephew for 3 days. On their last day my sis in Law said she wanted to watch the sunrise and everyone agreed (this was all planned out by James). I had always told James, never propose to me in a cliché way at the restaurant or something grand with me dressed up. I want to be the most authentic me, at the beach with wild hair and no make up or at the top of the mountain hiking covered in mud.

That day at 5:15 am we all went downstairs to watch the sunrise. The moment the sun came up James got on his knees, nervous and lost all his words, and all he could tell me was “I love you, I love you so much, I love you” as his hands were shaking, I looked at him smiled screamed and said “put on the ring its going to fall in the sand”. We all cried after and hugged.

We always knew we wanted Greece. James and I don’t like cliché, we don’t like “normal”, we don’t like conventional. We both knew we wanted destination, somewhere we can see the mountain and the sea (2 things that are therapeutic and super important to us) & we knew we wanted Greece, because well, he’s half Greek….and once you have Greek blood in you, you can’t be half, you’re FULL & the Greek is very dominant. Haha

Gisele & James wedding style was Rustic chic. She wanted a lot of earthy tones and elements, nature, wood, greenery. That is most authentic to them. A simple more down to earth version of the Persian ceremony.Every piece for the Persian ceremony was hand made by her aunt in Iran, whom she loves so dearly and could not be with them that day. She had been denied a visa to Greece and shipped all the material to them.

Walking down the isle, seeing her father in law in tears & him telling them after that two of them are really perfect for each other. That moment was very special for her.

Also, it was extremely heart warming and special for her knowing the ring her husband now wears, was the same one that his father (her father in law) used to wear with their wedding day engraved inside, & now with their date engraved right next to it. Lastly, the Stefania they used at the wedding, was the same ones her mother & father in law used at their wedding. That was special.

For the flowers she wanted something rustic with a very natury feel to it. Her gown was purchased on her first shopping trip. She had gone in, knowing she wanted something elegant and timeless. After trying on 11 dresses, she looked at her mother in law and said “this is what James would want to see me walk down in”… Both cried and that was that. Easy. Favors, had to be the evil eye, her being Persian and him Greek Lebanese it just made sense and she has always believed in the evil eye.

The cake was a mix of their favorite things. James’s favorite thing is a good chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream. Gisele’s is anything coconut. Chocolate chip cookie cake with vanilla and coconut filling.