It’s been a surreal experience for Drumheller residents Cameron White and Megan McLauchlin. One moment they were two of the thousands of fans waiting to see the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the next they were surrounded by media and thrust into the national spotlight.
During the TNG Exposed event at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, Saturday evening, Cameron asked Megan for her hand in marriage, while dressed in Star Trek uniforms.
“I had my mother’s ring in my pocket. We were in Star Trek uniforms at TNG Exposed. I felt it was the perfect time. I wanted to make it our own, but I didn’t expect it to get as crazy as it did,” said Cameron.
“I’m telling everyone that it was the biggest surprise of my life. I had no idea, I never saw it coming,” said Megan. “When he got down on one knee, that moment happened where you think ‘is this for real?’ Then he did it."
Attendees in the area began to cheer the couple. Soon, the cheers had spread throughout the building.
Almost immediately afterwards, they were surrounded by media and the Twitterverse and Facebook erupted with comments about the couple. Emily Expo, the face of the Calgary Expo even took a moment during a speech to congratulate Cameron and Megan. Afterwards and during the following day, strangers would come up and congratulate the two.
This is their second year volunteering at the Expo. Leading up to the weekend, Cameron attempted to arrange something special for the proposal, but felt that this way was the best for them.
“I was thinking about it, but not really sure how to do it,” said Cameron. “I figured it was a special event and I wanted to make it special for us.”
Both grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation.
“I grew up with TNG and watched them religiously with my parents. Star Trek is one of those things that’s always been a part of my ‘geekism,'" said Cameron.
“I watched TNG after school everyday and loved it,” said Megan.
However, they caution they are not as zealous as some other fans.
“Whoever reads these stories will probably think we’re the biggest Star Trek fans ever, but if we are asked even basic questions, we might not know the answers. We just really enjoy the shows,” said Megan.
They didn’t even have the uniforms they wore before the Calgary Expo. The uniforms were bought on Friday afternoon.
The two first met almost 15 years ago while teenagers in Kamloops. They dated for a long time and moved to Drumheller nine years ago to work at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
“We first met through music, we both played in bands,” said Megan. “We dated for a long time. Moving to Drumheller was the first time we lived together.”
One of the most asked questions they were asked was if the wedding would have a Star Trek theme. Sorry to disappoint, there won’t be any Trek uniforms at this wedding (or a Betazoid wedding for that matter).
“There will be a little hint of Star Trek. Some people will pick up on it, some won’t. It’s going to be a bit different and creative,” said Megan. “We won’t make people dress up.”
