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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Beverly Isaiah thought her son was joking when he called her to say he and his fiancee were getting married the next day, on Valentine's.

Nathan Isaiah and Dawn Bell share a kiss following their wedding in the Greenstone building. - Danielle Sachs/NNSL photos

"I was shocked and so excited," she said.

Nathan Isaiah and his fiancee, Dawn Bell, both from the Deh Cho, were in Yellowknife for a few days for an ultrasound examination. The couple are expecting their first child.

Last Wednesday Dawn joked that it would be funny if they just got married on Valentine's Day instead of waiting until the summer of next year like originally planned.

Nathan agreed it was funny but instead of keeping it a joke, Dawn started making calls and soon everything was falling into place.

Even though city florists were at their busiest time of year, Dawn was able to find a bouquet. But the couple also needed rings, outfits, a justice of the peace and a location.

They found all of those things within 24 hours and soon the couple were setting up inside the Greenstone Building with their mothers, including the bride's, Cathy Bell-Sanguez. The only other person to attend was the justice of the peace who officiated the wedding.

"It was pretty rushed," said Nathan.

But rushed or not, Dawn said she was not nervous at all.

"It's really smooth going today," she said on her big day. "Even the sun is coming out."

The couple started dating after Nathan's birthday party. Although they both grew up in the same town, neither of them had hung out together much before then.

"It was the best birthday ever," said Nathan.

The newlyweds weren't planning on telling any of their friends about the last-minute wedding until after everything was finished.

"We're going to put a picture on Facebook that says, 'Happy Valentine's Day from Mr. and Mrs.,'" said Dawn.

"That's how we'll let everyone know."

After the wedding, the couple posted a photo on Facebook of them sharing a kiss while holding a sign that read "Mr. and Mrs., February 14, 2013."

Come summer there will be a big party and ceremony so all the couple's friends and family can join in on the celebration, said the mother of the bride. The pair already have their groomsmen and bridesmaids chosen for their future wedding.

"We'll have a big wedding at Trout River. Everyone will have a chance to take part in that," Bell-Sanguez said.

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