Sara and Steven’s love story has always been unconventional, beginning with a series of twists of fate that landed Sara and her friend Ruth at Coachella in 2014. Little did Sara know that Steven was amongst the friendly group of Canadians she would befriend on their adventure. While there is photographic evidence that Sara and Steven interacted on this fateful weekend, neither can remember meeting the other at this point.

Fast forward to the summer of 2015. Steven’s friends had stayed in touch with Sara and invited her to join them at the Pemberton Music Festival. Being the music festival lover that she is, Sara immediately said yes and brought along her pal Jackie, officially kicking off the adventures of the Vancouver Girls. It was also there that the Vancouver Girls officially met the Edmonton Boys. The summer quickly filled up with these new friends meeting up all over the West Coast from Invermere, BC, to Edmonton, Cold Lake, AB, Vancouver, and even a road-trip down to Oregon.

Steven’s first visit began with a phone call, asking Sara if he could visit the following week. Sara was taken aback (and impressed!) by his spontaneousness and assertiveness, and said yes. Their first 48 hours together (aka the world’s longest first date) was jam-packed with Vancouver activities: stargazing in Squamish to watch the Persoid meteor shower, hiking the Quarry Rock and paddle boarding in Deep Cove, cliff jumping down the rock-slide in Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver, and hiking the famous Chief hike in Squamish. Their adventurous spirits and yearning for exciting experiences created a thrilling connection, and they were drawn to this quality in each other.

Despite the distance, they continued their visits back and forth. Amidst the getting-to-know each other period, Steven shared his dream of backpacking around the world. Sara, always wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps who travelled in his 20s, was thrilled at the idea and thus they began planning for this shared goal. In 2017, the dream became a reality, and they took off to Asia with carry-on sized backpacks and one-way tickets.

They spent 10 months exploring 13 countries throughout Southeast Asia, experiencing the highs and lows of backpacker life. They planned their travels and activities, adapted to different cultures and environments, and made friends from around the world together. They tried new foods, hiked mountains, danced the night away, and problem-solved together. They learned that they could only be 100% authentically themselves when spending 24/7 together. It was during this year, amidst all of these experiences that they felt the genuine ease of their compatibility. They were able to visualize what an exciting, adventurous, and passionate life they could share together.

After Asia, they actualized Steven’s dream of living on a beach (literally), by moving to Australia and setting up shop on Kirra Beach in the southern Gold Coast. It was here that they reunited with the other half of the Vancouver Girls, Jackie, and shared a humble apartment with ocean views of one of the best surf breaks in the world. They fell in love with the culture, work-life balance, values of the country, and lifestyle Australia offers, and still plan on making their way back down there for the next chapter of their lives. Sara and Steven’s relationship deepened through this reimagination of what their life could look like together. Their adventure continued on after a year in Australia, and they journeyed on to South America and Mexico, and finished up their global adventure in New York City.

Upon their return to Edmonton, Sara and Steven took on a new challenge together: transforming a house into a home. They sold their previous residence, acquired a new one, and dedicated themselves to renovating it into a space that reflected their shared dreams and aspirations.

COVID closures may have slowed them down a little, but they have continued to stay true to what brought them together in the first place: going on adventures. Whether it’s a trip to the lake, a local mountain, Toronto, LA, Vancouver, Calgary, or Europe, Sara and Steven continue to find ways to make life exciting and unconventional. Connection, both with each other and with their friends and family across the world, is a value they share.

Fittingly, on one of their visits to Vancouver in September of 2023, Steven proposed in the very spot Sara took him on their first date - in picturesque Deep Cove, just outside Vancouver. Steven claims that when they spent that fateful day together in 2015, he decided he would one day ask Sara to marry him here. What used to be Sara’s favourite spot in Vancouver, became a landmark in their love story.

When thinking about how they wanted to celebrate the next phase of their love story, Sara and Steven started imagining this Wedding Adventure Trip. Their vision is to bring together all the people they love most around the world in one place, to share an adventure, and experience new things together. Sara and Steven feel so blessed that they will be able to start the next chapter of their lives surrounded by the love and support of friends and family from all corners of the world. They are counting down the days until they get to celebrate their love story and marriage while adventuring along with all of their favourite people.

Steven's first Christmas gift for Sara in 2015. He handmade a gold bar necklace and inscribed S²Adventures onto the back. Little did he know that this would become their defining catchphrase.