On a bright sun-washed weekend in mid-July, Maitland which lies on the north shore of the St Lawrence River, in south-eastern Ontario, witnessed a one-of-a-kind event. This was a rich wedding ceremony of a Zoroastrian man of Pakistani origin and an Anglican white woman with Canadian roots several generations deep.

Such an event in Toronto would not have caused a flutter, but in the tiny community of Maitland where 99.3 per cent of the population (all of 1,200) is European-Canadian and the other 0.7 per cent is Native Canadian, the sudden influx of sari wearing women some in their gorgeous garas (Parsi saris embroidered with ancient Chinese motifs) and others in saris with kors (quintessential Parsi borders) created quite a stir.

For Katie Galvin, the bride, it was a childhood dream to be married in the backyard of the house in which she grew up. “It was a promise I made to myself that one day I will get married right here on the shores of this river which is so a part of my life,” she said as she addressed the crowd of 160 guests who were invited to witness the occasion.

The ecumenical ceremony which was graced by Rev Dr Alan Bennett and Ervad Nower Kotwal was an eclectic mix of readings from the Holy Bible as well as invocation of Zoroastrian prayers.

The irony was not lost on us as just as the waters of the St Lawrence straddle two countries, (the United States and Canada) so did two different cultures come together on the banks of this mighty waterway.

For the groom Godrej Engineer, (whose parents Jehangir and Khurshid Engineer hail from Karachi) support from his parents and grandparents was paramount. Quiet and shy, almost to a fault, he’d rather have his wife and others around him do the talking.

According to his aunt, Yasmin Kharas who is also from Karachi, “Godrej’s choice of bride came as no surprise. It was a natural outcome of a family which has integrated into the Canadian society but at the same time retained core aspects of their Pakistani-Zoroastrian culture.”

It seems for Katie the learning curve might just be a steep one. “I am going to have to learn to love the so-called ‘small’ family gatherings which can number anything from 6 to 60,” she adds, “while Godrej has learnt to adapt the fine art of playing board games after a succulent Christmas dinner which would end at 6pm!”

For Khurshid Engineer it all comes down to living an honourable life. “I have been conducting religion classes for children in the Zoroastrian community in and around Toronto for the past 35 years. What I am trying to teach them is to live a good life. Retain your culture and tradition while accepting the good from others too. So this coming-together of two cultures is quite the reality check and work in progress for all of us.”

Following the daytime ceremony in the Galvins’ backyard the guests were treated to a one-hour guided tour of the beautiful 1000 Islands on the St Lawrence River. Much food followed as saris fluttered in the wind aboard the ‘Galvineer.’

By sundown all 160 guests were called upon to partake in the wedding feast in the chic tent set up in Katie’s backyard and festivities lasted till late into the starry night.