As a couple, they have been together for 9 years, with almost 6 of those years being in different countries. But not many couples can say that they have gone through a life-threatening situation together at the tender age of 19. It was 2009 when Ian suddenly discovered a weird lump at the tip of his jawbone and underwent surgery to remove it. But everything came crashing down when the diagnosis revealed that Ian had cancer of the salivary gland. It was heartbreaking to find out about the cancer diagnosis at just the tender age of 19, when life seems to take off for most teenagers.
In 2010, Ian had to undergo another operation, and it took place on Michelle’s 20th birthday – on the 27th of February in Singapore. At that time, Michelle was undergoing internship with 1 of the most renowned airline in the world. It was a lesson on life’s priorities. She left her internship and headed for Singapore. Many condemned her, claiming it was a stupid mistake but she knew exactly what she needed to do at that point of time in such situation.
God saw them through the most difficult season of their relationship, to date. Ian later took the rest of the year off to recover from it.
On Michelle’s 25th birthday, Ian was officially CANCER FREE.
The journey was never smooth sailing, but it was necessary for them both to grow individually and in God’s perfect timing, all things were made beautiful. Hear more of their story in the 10 minute video highlight below.
Navin and Faika’s wedding trilogy ended with a big bang on the 3rd day…their actual wedding day. As usual, Faika looked stunning in her wedding dress. As with most Bangladeshi weddings I have photographed, their decorations are always very elaborate. The venue where their wedding was held could cater for a few events at once. The entire palace setting on the stage was constructed on the wedding day itself. The highlight of the day was when Navin and Faika looked at each other through the mirror as husband and wife for the first time.
1.5 years before their wedding, Navin and Faika spoke to me over Skype, all the way from New York city. They were planning their Bangladeshi wedding way ahead of time, and soon, we were hired to photograph their event in 2017. By this time, I have been to Bangladesh a number of times, and it felt like familiar ground once I stepped off the plane in Dhaka once again. For Jamie and Jennifer who were with me, it was their first time traveling there, so the experience was new and exciting. The moment we arrived at our hotel, we were welcomed with a gift from the couple, which included wet wipes, chanachur snacks, medication for tummy aches, mosquito repellant and more! They were so thoughtful and we felt blessed to be part of this wedding.
