Lavish, loud Ferris-wheel wedding of singer and politician in Surrey ticks off neighbourhood

Surrey RCMP say they were bombarded with noise complaints late Tuesday into Wednesday morning after more than 50 residents called about a large wedding celebration in the 7700-block of 192 Street.

According to a written statement from the Surrey bylaw department, officers issued 15 parking tickets and towed a number of vehicles after receiving multiple noise and traffic complaints from neighbours between 10:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m.

"Bylaw officers advised the organizer of the wedding to stop and desist their activities due to noise and traffic issues impacting the neighbourhood," it said.

Officers visited the property once again on Wednesday morning, along with the RCMP and the City of Surrey's building and electrical inspectors, due to multiple illegal tents that were set up at the back of the property, including a Ferris wheel, the city said.

An order to stop work on the property was issued to owners for not obtaining proper permits to set up large tents and the city also issued compliance orders over concerns about the electrical setup.

The city said bylaw officers will be issuing fines for zoning and building infractions and the RCMP are also involved.

"As we understand it, the Surrey RCMP are considering issuing fines for violations to the public health order regarding COVID."

Ferris wheel for lighting

The wedding, which had fewer than 130 people in attendance, according to South-Asian luxury wedding planner Jessie Khaira, was for Punjabi singer-actor Parmish Verma and Geet Grewal, who ran but lost in the recent federal election as the Liberal candidate for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon.

CBC News contacted the bride for comment but has not received a response.

Khaira, the planner, said it was an "intimate wedding" with just the bride and groom's closest friends and family.

"The groom's friends were here, we had local artists and then we really wanted to have a nice lighting feature for the reception which is where the Ferris wheel came in," Khaira told CBC News in an interview.

Tuesday night's reception, she said, was the last event of a traditional seven-day South Asian wedding. The number of guests that attended is not considered big, she said, as they tried to keep in mind the pandemic.

"Was it big in terms of design? Was it big in terms of experience? Definitely," she explained, "but was it big in terms of guests? Definitely not."

She said given how COVID-19 has put restrictions on gatherings for the past two years, couples should try to celebrate in whatever way they can.

"I think that every moment, especially in the last two years, we've really learned that we need to celebrate everything that comes our way because we don't know when things will change."