A Vancouver couple’s dream day turned into a nightmare when thousands of dollars in valuables went missing on the flight to their destination wedding.

After Lance and Stephanie Brown flew from Vancouver to Maui for their wedding, they found some crucial items gone upon arrival.

Lance’s suitcase was open and wrapped up in plastic and tape covered in Air Canada logos. Valuables, including his wedding ring, were missing.

"I thought maybe the latch broke, even, but when I got the bag back to the house we opened it up and the latch is working just fine - it could have been easily closed - and all my valuables are missing,” Lance told CTV News. “Most importantly at that point was my wedding ring and my grandfather's cufflinks."

Four days ahead of the ceremony the couple scrambled to get a new ring and attempted to get answers from the airline company and provide the necessary documents with no luck.

“We’re on our wedding week with all of our friends in Maui and we’re spending two hours on hold trying to sort out what the next steps are, plus another half day at the police station filing a police report, and then not to mention all the other time and effort after we returned home to try to get an answer from them,” Stephanie said.

The couple ended up using a leather bracelet in place of the wedding band and there was no resolution from Air Canada for two weeks.

"Eventually that’s when I contacted CTV and we got a response back immediately afterwards," Lance said. “Within 12 hours,” Stephanie added.

An Air Canada spokesperson told CTV News that the company deeply regrets the incident and will give the couple a $1900 compensation cheque on Monday.

Air Canada also reminds travelers to keep their valuables in carry-on luggage since checked baggage is handled by many people.

But Stephanie says travelers have a reasonable right to expect that their possessions will be kept safe.

"You should be able to have your stuff in your suitcase, locked or unlocked, and people should respect your personal belongings," she said.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Penny Daflos