Federal NDP leader Singh to tie the knot in Brampton, Mexico ceremonies

FILE: Jagmeet Singh (Photo By BGM Riding Association – This file has been extracted from another file: MPP Jagmeet Singh at his annual community BBQ in 2014.jpgI took this picture of MPP Singh at his annual community BBQ in 2014, taking place at Wildwood Park in Malton, Ontario.Previously published: Published on Jagmeet Singh’s Facebook., CC BY-SA 3.0)

OTTAWA — Newly engaged federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will tie the knot with a large wedding celebration close to home before travelling to Mexico for a more private ceremony and honeymoon.

News of the plan, which a spokesman said has been in the works since the holidays, comes less than two weeks after Singh, 38, invited the media to watch his proposal to 27-year-old fashion designer Gurkiran Kaur at a downtown Toronto restaurant.

The first wedding ceremony, known as a Kirtan in the Punjabi tradition, will be held on Feb. 4 in Brampton, Ont., and involve a large gathering of friends, family, neighbours and well-wishers.

The couple will then travel to Mexico on Feb. 19 for a private ceremony before spending the rest of the week in the country on their honeymoon.

The House of Commons does not sit the week that Singh and Kaur are gone.

Singh had closely guarded details of his private life during last year’s NDP leadership campaign, but was quick to post videos on social media of the couple dancing and showing off the engagement ring after proposing to Kaur.

That move raised eyebrows within his own caucus.

“When a party believes that better Instagram tricks or gala planning is the path to success we lose touch,” Charlie Angus, who ran against Singh for the leadership, posted to his own social media account last weekend.

Angus later deleted the tweet, and said this week that it wasn’t helpful.

Singh has been dating Kaur for about a year, but the two have known each other since 2010.