Our Story

2010

The first day we met

“I remember walking towards Kelly’s apartment and seeing her waiting for me at the apartment entrance. She had invited me to a weekly meeting of her church group. First impressions, she was very bubbly and cute” – Hamman

May 7th

Her first flowers

“We had been shopping together at Sobeys and I had been chatting with Kelly a lot over the past few days. I had really started liking her and decided to tell her! While we were about done with our shopping, I took her towards the flowers section, got a bouquet of red roses, and handed them to her. She seemed quite confused. We walked to a Starbucks shop and she asked me why I had given her these flowers. So I reached out and held her hand, looked into her eyes and told her I liked her.” – Hamman

“I was a little afraid when he said he wanted to be with me, because to me he is like from another planet. But he encouraged me and said ‘try me’! It was funny. ‘Try me’ reminds me of the makeup samples at Sephora 😀 But I could see he was serious.” – Kelly

May 10th

Our first trip

“Our first trip together was to the Rocky mountains. This trip will always be very special because might not have met without it. Kelly first contacted me by email to get information about the trip and register for it. Kelly almost changed her mind about going on this trip!” – Hamman

“It was during our first trip that I started thinking he might be the one for me. He was one of the organizers and coordinators of the trip, he helped with many things during the trip, like counting to make sure no one is left behind or lost when we got off the bus. And he also helped to book and arrange meals. I could see he is a very detailed person, thoughtful, considerate and conscientious. This impressed me a lot! And even holding hands felt different when I thought different.” – Kelly

June 19th

Our first dance

“Actually, none of knew how to dance. I suggested that we take ballroom dancing lessons together! It was fun and yet challenging because the man has to lead in the dance, and some people don’t like following!” – Hamman

August 9th

Long-distance

“Kelly was in Canada for a year, but had to go back to China to complete her doctoral studies. Today was the start of our long-distance love.” – Hamman

“Long distance… it doesn’t sounds good to most people, but our love didn’t stop because of being apart. It was opposite. I loved him more and more each day. China and Canada are almost half day apart, so when it is morning in China, evening starts in Alberta, Canada. He would stay up for the whole night just to stay with me during my day. He is always there whenever I need comfort. We could not do simple things together, like what other lovers do: eat together, watch a movie together, go out together. But we had our way own of being together, for example playing and watching a movie at the same time on our two computer terminals, or eating meals at same time, eg. he had his dinner with me during my lunch, and we both ate apples. To me it feels he is always with me, and our love went beyond what I could imagine. I should say he is my soul mate. Thank God for leading us to today.” – Kelly

September 30th

2012

China, Birthday, Proposal, and Engagement!

“I had told Kelly I was coming to China to celebrate her birthday with her. This was my very first trip to China. She didn’t know that I had secretly gotten her a ring! I met Kelly’s family for the first time at her hometown of Fushun, and it was a very heart-warming experience. One evening, after visiting her grandparents, we decided to take a walk around her undergraduate university, which was within walking distance of her parents’ home. While we were walking, we started some argument, going into the university campus. While we were still arguing, I sat her down and proposed to her. I didn’t have the ring with me, it was hiding in my luggage. But she said yes, and got the ring eventually!” – Hamman

“It was the first time I got proposed by someone, and it was my first diamond. I was a little afraid of marriage actually, but his love broke my fear of uncertainty. I also learnt that the scene of being proposed is different with what is shown in the movies! I just could not stop crying for no reason, and some big change happened in my deep heart. I was holding his hand on our way back home, I felt I was holding the whole world. I became his fiancee since that time.” – Kelly

Here I Am

June 8th

2013

Our Wedding

“We are planning to get married in Edmonton on October 19th, 2013! It’s been an amazing journey, and this is just the beginning! 亲爱的人，亲密的爱人，谢谢你这么长的时间陪着我!” – Hamman

October 19th

Bride & Groom

“Two drifters off to see the world, there’s such a lot of world to see”

“Hamman was born and raised in Yola, Adamawa, Nigeria, but is a Punjabi Pakistani. He has four sisters, and is a doctoral student in computing science at the University of Alberta. He likes Kelly, and also likes writing poetry, making music, cloud-watching, movies, food, soccer, badminton, and computer games”

“Kelly was born and raised in China, and has a PhD in electrical and computer engineering. Kelly’s hometown is in Fushun, Liaoning. She is working at Intel R&D in Shanghai, and likes taking pictures, singing, social media, clothes and accessories”

“She also likes traveling, and so far has traveled to Canada, USA, and Korea, but wants to travel to France, Brazil, and other places all over the world”

Ceremony

Date & Time

The ceremony & reception is going to be on Saturday October 19th, 2013 from 4:00. The reception follows directly after the ceremony at the same location.