The Cues from Heaven
Let’s set business aside for a moment and speak about the business of love.
If I look back honestly, Cupid had a flair for drama in my story with Stacey.
We were still in school when we met at a mall one afternoon after classes. It was meant to be an ordinary meeting until thousands of rose petals began cascading from the ceiling as part of a promotional display. The crowd paused, phones lifted, laughter filled the space, and for a brief moment we stood beneath falling petals as though the universe had carefully staged the scene. At the time, we dismissed it as coincidence. Years later, it feels like a beginning written in bold.
First Dates and Confessions
Our first date took place at T.G.I. Fridays. I remember leaning back with misplaced confidence, powered by my dad’s pocket money, and telling her to order whatever she liked. Stacey, determined to appear poised and effortless, chose a salad. Only years later did she confess that she had been absolutely starving that evening but did not want to seem inelegant on our first date. We talked for hours. On the cab ride home, somewhere between hesitation and certainty, we shared our first kiss. It was a simple moment, yet it lingered with a quiet kind of permanence.
Seventeen Gestures of Love
By the time her seventeenth birthday arrived, I already knew I wanted to celebrate her in a way that unfolded over time. I arranged seventeen gifts and coordinated with seventeen of her classmates, asking each to present one surprise across three weeks. Each gift carried more thought than the last. Somewhere within that stretch, I decided to bake her a chocolate cake myself. It collapsed entirely. I salvaged it with a full tub of Nutella and hoped enthusiasm would compensate for technique. She received it as though it were perfect.
Between those gestures and the quieter sacrifices that never needed an audience, our relationship deepened with the steadiness of something growing roots. We matured alongside one another. And although we rarely spoke about it directly, there was an unspoken understanding that we were building toward a shared future.
A One-Of-a-Kind Proposal
When the time came to propose, I approached it the only way I knew how: by designing an experience around her. I gathered musician friends to compose an original proposal song. Videographers helped me capture our story across different locations. I persuaded a cinema to let me screen the final film for one evening. A custom ring maker crafted a ring to my exact vision. Our closest friends and family quietly filled the theatre seats.
As the film played and our story unfolded on the screen, she slowly realised what was happening. By the time the lights rose, I was already beside her, asking the question that had been forming for years.
Two Cities To Celebrate Our Union
Our wedding carried the same philosophy. It was never confined to a single setting because our story had never felt contained. We began in dazzling Dubai with 150 guests, then moved to Goa, drawn by its beachside venue and its UNESCO heritage church. The guest list grew to 300, because if someone wished to celebrate with us, we wanted to make space for them. To ensure the experience felt cohesive, we flew in our videographers, our emcee, and our band. Every detail was considered through the lens of hospitality and memory.
Today, Stacey and I live in London, yet much of our life unfolds across romance destinations. Each month brings a new coastline, a historic villa, and a different cultural ritual to witness. Each journey deepens our understanding of how love takes shape in different corners of the world.
Celex Ensemble emerged from that lived experience. It grew from moments that were carefully imagined and others that surprised us entirely. It grew from the belief that love deserves thoughtfulness, creativity, and intention.
Valentine’s Day: The CELEX Way
Valentine’s Day often celebrates love in gestures and symbols, yet for us it has always represented something quieter and more enduring: the decision to keep building, to keep designing experiences that honour the people at their centre, and to keep choosing one another with the same enthusiasm we had when petals first fell from the ceiling.
That philosophy continues to guide our work at CELEX. The celebrations shaped within our community are rooted in the same understanding that love, when treated with care and imagination, has the power to gather people, cross borders, and create memories that endure far beyond a single day.
And perhaps that is what Valentine’s Day truly invites us to remember.
Wedding Credits
- Bride & Groom: Stacey & Ruel Baker
- Venue: Bay 15 Goa
- Wedding Design: KV Decor Goa
- Photography & Videography: Magic Motion Media
Proposal Song Credits
- Proposal Venue: Novo Cinemas, Dubai
- Vocals and Lyrics by Ruel Baker
- Music and Instrumental: Nathan Rodrigues, Brandon Mendes, Bentic Sebastian
- Direction, Videography and Editing - Rahul Menon, Tarish Tolani, Brendan Lopez
- Partners and Supporters: House of Pianos, YRS Diamonds, Kanzen Montors, Our Families/Friends
