Surrey, B.C., man's marriage proposal nearly ruined by flight delays

It's a special Christmas for Joven Rai and Winona Bhatti, who recently got engaged in Santorini, Greece, but their journey there was far from ideal.

Rai had an elaborate proposal that he had planned for months, but those plans were nearly ruined due to flight issues.

"Everything was going well until we got to the airport and realized that this journey might be a lot longer than we thought," he said.

They were supposed to fly out of Vancouver International Airport at the end of November, but their first of several flights was delayed because of staffing issues.

That meant a 16-hour journey ended up taking multiple days.

"Missed flight after missed flight after missed flight," Rai recalled, adding that their luggage also got lost.

In all, the journey took the couple 56 hours. They missed eight flights and passed through seven different airports, but they finally got to Santorini with just hours to spare, because Rai had a photographer already booked.

He said it was tough trying not to spoil the surprise.

"I was worried because I knew what was at stake. If we missed this, then I don't know what to do because my whole proposal plan goes down the drain," he said.

"He's a very calm and collected person and he was very stressed out (during the travel ordeal)," his fiancé Bhatti said.

"It was interesting because a lot of times he would be like, 'Sit here, I'm going to talk to the agent. Don't worry. I'll figure it out.' It was very sweet and he did everything he could to get us there."

While their romantic getaway took multiple days and cost them thousands more than they had planned, it all came together in the end.

"I'm engaged!" Bhatti said, adding that the journey was both stressful and unforgettable.

She said, looking back, they're certain about one thing.

"I don't think I could have been as happy or positive going through that experience with anyone else," she said.