| Cherisse & Travis Photographed by Mango Studios Featured in Summer/Fall 2011, Eastern Canada Edition |
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~ an elaborate plan ~ After an eight year romance, Travis knew it was time to propose to Cherisse. He set about planning the proposal of a lifetime but things unfolded quite differently than he had intended! “Travis suggested booking a last minute trip to New York City for just the two of us, days before Christmas, 2009. I loved the idea! I also thought, ‘Hmmm, could there be a proposal?’” recalls Cherisse. She was right. Travis planned to propose and had arranged for her parents to join them in the city afterwards. He had also enlisted Cherisse’s sister Cindy to set things up in New York City and most importantly, make sure the engagement ring arrived from Las Vegas. The ring was enroute from jeweler Leor Yerushalmi (friend and future groomsman) who had worked with Travis to craft a 3.5 carat princess cut diamond stunner. On the morning of their trip, things started to go awry with a missed flight, resulting in standby seats. (Cherisse had set the alarm for the wrong time). While waiting at the airport, Travis received bad news from Cindy–the ring was delayed due to a snowstorm which had diverted all FedEx shipments to the city. Things started unraveling further when the standby flight was full. Realizing his plan was now impossible, Travis cancelled the whole thing telling Cherisse it was pointless to go. "I felt so bad for messing up our plans because of the alarm clock! I tried to talk to him about rescheduling our trip to New York for after the holidays, but he didn't seem interested in it. At that point I said to myself, ‘Ok, there definitely wasn't a proposal planned!’ I found out later that we couldn't go on the 2:30pm standby flight, because our parents were booked on that flight! It would have ruined Travis’ surprise! So Travis had to secretly stop our parents from checking in, deal with Cindy on the phone in NYC (who was in complete tears), and stop me (still clueless) from blaming myself for us missing our trip!” Although Travis’ plans for the original elaborate proposal were dashed, he regrouped and popped the question on December 25, 2009 as their two families celebrated Christmas at Travis’ parents house. Travis had one last trick up his sleeve. He placed the engagement ring in an oversized Louis Vuitton box and presented it as a Christmas gift. “When I unwrapped it, I thought he had bought me a purse. When I slid open the box, the first thing that came to mind was that it was a black clutch purse with a really shiny embellishment or buckle. But then I saw Travis go down on one knee and he said, ‘I know this is long overdue, but do you still want to marry me?’” ~ the day arrives ~ The couple were married on August 28, 2010. Throughout the process, Melissa Andre of Melissa Andre Events played a pivotal role. “Melissa and I hit it off right away! She completely understood our vision and sometimes it felt like she was able to read my mind. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done without her!” recalls Cherisse. Cherisse’s gown was ‘Lenora’ by Ines Di Santo. “My dream dress! I tried it on and fell in love instantly.” A pair of silver Manolo Blahnik heels completed the look. “I searched forever for the right shoes and finally saw a picture of them on the internet. They were not available in Canada so I tracked down one of the very few pairs left in my size at Barneys New York in LA, and purchased them over the phone without ever seeing them in person! I didn’t care if they didn’t fit properly, I loved them so much that I was going to make them fit no matter what! I made a ‘shoe trip’ to LA, and luckily, it was a great fit!” The seven bridesmaids, junior bridesmaid and flower girl all wore hot pink gowns from Mona Richie Bridal. The couple worked with the Westin Harbour Castle to create an all-pink sweets table with one very unique treat called ‘Dragon’s Breath.’ “It was something we had seen at a hotel opening in LA. It’s a complex recipe of popcorn balls, spices and liquid nitrogen. When you chew it, you breathe out of your nose and a stream of smoke-like mist comes out like a dragon’s breath. Unfortunately, no one knows the exact recipe for it besides this hotel in LA, and it’s tricky because you’re dealing with liquid nitrogen. Luckily, the hotel kept trying to make us happy and surprised us the day before our wedding by finding it through trial and error! We were so excited, and our guests LOVED it! The best part—we did it with pink popcorn instead of the white.” |
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