VANCOUVER, B.C. — Nikki was on a date when she first noticed the miniature movie theatre attached to the side of the wall, peered through its windows, and saw there were short films being screened inside. “I love it!” Nikki says, smiling at her partner Meaghan, before looking back and appreciating the intricate details inside the ornate theatre and the miniature characters watching the screen. “It’s so good!” Ever since, Nikki and Meaghan have regularly stop to watch movies there (https://www.littlefreecinema.org/). “It’s so random and strange and wonderful and whimsical,” Meaghan says. The couple first connected online during the pandemic but only texted each other during the first two months. “She was interesting and intriguing enough to keep texting,” Nikki says. And by the time they finally met each other in person, it just felt right. “When you meet someone and you know, things just naturally evolve,” Meaghan says. Along with embarking on all sorts of adventures, Meghan started doodling quirky characters to document all the wonderful memories they made. “It was just a slow, steady climb,” Nikki says with a smile. “(And) we fell in love.” They eventually agreed they both wanted to get married, so Meaghan started planning a proposal. “I had to be really sneaky which is hard for me,” Meaghan says. Yet, she came up with a creative way to celebrate their love story. It began one night they were driving the past the little free cinema. “I was nervous,” Meaghan says. “I was like sweaty nervous.” Nikki, on the other hand, was simply curious about why the theatre was lit up and framed with flowers, and asked to stop and see what was happening. “I went to go watch it,” Nikki says. “I walked up the path through the candles, pressed play, and started watching the movie.” And although Meaghan had never animated anything before, Nikki saw that her partner had transformed her quirky drawings into a stop-motion celebration of their love story, that ended with a proposal. “I turned around, shocked,” Nikki smiles. “And she was standing there with a little bouquet of flowers, and it was just fabulous.” Nikki said yes. And Meaghan couldn’t be more grateful to see her fiancée’s heartfelt reaction. “It was like, phew. Relief,” Meaghan recalls of seeing Nikki’s beaming smile and happy tears. “But also like, yes! Absolutely!” Because although their relationship began on a small screen, and this proposal was produced for a wee one, Nikki and Meaghan have no doubt their love story will keep growing until it can’t be contained by the biggest screens of all.
