Calgary Couple Says “I do” in Airport Wedding

May 03, 2017   |  

Photo of a wedding at YYC
Calgary residents Jeannine Beck, 27 and Fareed Rawji, 32, arrived at YYC Calgary International Airport today single, but boarded their plane married!

The Calgary couple became the first-ever to have a wedding ceremony in YYC’s new International Terminal, something that helped them accomplish their goal: a ceremony that their guests would truly remember.

“Originally, we were looking at having a destination wedding, but wanted something that was truly unique,” the bride-to-be said. “Rather than having our wedding ceremony in Mexico, we thought, ‘let’s get married in Calgary in a colourful way’.” We reached out to Sunwing and the airport, who immediately jumped in and helped us organize an amazing ceremony that we and our guests will never forget. What a memorable way to start our honeymoon and life together!”

The ceremony took place in front of an intimate crowd in YYC Calgary International Airport’s new International Terminal departures check-in hall, coincidentally as Sunwing marks its 10-year anniversary flying out of the gateway. In addition to the bride and groom, in attendance were three bridesmaids and three groomsmen, an officiant, Sunwing staff and of course no Calgary wedding would be complete without YYC’s White Hat Volunteers.

“We create memorable moments in destination for thousands of brides and grooms every year, and can now add to our list the making of memories before the plane takes off,” said Jacqueline Grossman, Senior Director of Marketing for Sunwing Vacations. “When we first heard about Fareed and Jeannine’s request we knew immediately we had to participate. Destination weddings are a growing trend, and on May 3rd we simply proved that the journey can be just as fun.”


“YYC Calgary International Airport is a place where thousands of passengers and guests pass through on a daily basis, and we’re in a unique position of being the first and last place people see on their journey,” said Jody Moseley, Senior Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations for The Calgary Airport Authority. “We were thrilled to play a role in the first step of this couple’s journey by hosting our first ever wedding ceremony in our beautiful new International Terminal Building.”
Video footage of the wedding is available. Please request from media.

About Sunwing
As Canada’s #1 to the sun and North America’s largest vertically integrated travel company, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from over 34 airports across Canada to over 50 popular sun destinations. This scale enables Sunwing to negotiate the best deals and exclusive offers at all of the top-rated resorts across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. Renowned for its award-winning service, Sunwing is consistently voted the #1 leisure airline by travel agents and is the perennial winner of the Consumer Choice Award. Customers can look forward to starting their vacation off in style with award-winning inflight service, which features a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, tea and coffee and non-alcoholic beverage service; together with a buy on board menu of light meals and snacks (including kids’ choices) inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford. Sunwing customers also benefit from the assistance of the company’s own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey.

ABOUT THE CALGARY AIRPORT AUTHORITY
The Calgary Airport Authority is a not-for-profit, non-share capital organization, incorporated under the Alberta Regional Airports Authorities Act, and is responsible for the safe, secure and efficient management of the YYC Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Springbank Airport (YBW) under long-term lease from the Government of Canada. YYC's mandate is to advance economic and community development by providing improved airline and transportation services for the benefit of the public. The Authority has invested over $4 billion into the continued development of YYC, opening Canada's longest runway in 2014 and a new International Terminal in 2016. YYC is a key economic driver for Calgary and Alberta, generating more than $8 billion in economic activity annually and creating 48,000 jobs.