Words From Our Couples
Love Stories
Brittany & Brett Petrie
MARRIED AUGUST 19, 2017
Growing up in small town St. Marys, Ontario, you basically know everyone, and everyone knows you. Brett was a couple of grades older than me, and not a part of my group of friends, but because he was a friend of my brother’s, we were familiar with one another. I never saw him in a romantic way (did I mention that he was a friend of my brother’s?), and then something all of a sudden changed on the night of my prom. Brett showed up at the after party, we talked and got to know each other, and we both felt a new, deeper connection.
Jasmine & Sean Smith
MARRIED MAY 13, 2017
Before all the dating apps of the world, there was a time when people met by chance, in places like coffee shops and bars. So, I guess you can say that our love story began the old-fashioned way. I was out with some girlfriends, celebrating my birthday at the Thorny Devil (a nightclub in London, Ontario), where Sean and his friends also happened to be that night. One of my friends started chatting with one of Sean’s friends, and then Sean and I struck up a conversation. Right away I thought he was cute, but it was the way he made me laugh that told me there was something really special about him. And I haven’t stopped laughing with him since.
Stephanie & Joel Strugnell
MARRIED OCTOBER 1, 2016
When you know, you know! That was the feeling Joel and I had after our very first date. Two small town kids, who attended high school in the same town, but who had never met - until our passion for fitness and health lead us to cross paths at the Stratford GoodLife. Only ever exchanging hellos at the gym, it wasn’t until mutual friends introduced us to each other at a local pub when we took the next step. We talked for what felt like hours, leaving our friends to entertain themselves. As the conversation continued to flow, I was feeling confident and happy about our first real encounter, and assumed Joel felt the same. But when he left to catch his ride and didn’t so much as ask for my phone number, I was left with a surprising reality check.
Ashton & Matt Staffen
MARRIED SEPTEMBER 10, 2016
Our love story began as an office romance, back when we were both working for a large Canadian retailer. I was finishing up my university degree and only in the office part-time, when Matt first started in my department. I would admire his ‘goldie locks’ from afar, and we would smile at each other in passing, since I wasn’t in the office too often through the week. When I began working full-time hours a few months later, overlapping tasks would encourage our email exchanges, and Matt finally mustered up the courage to ask me out. At the time, I was freshly out of a long-term relationship, and not looking for love. However, when Matt insisted that, being new to the city, he was simply looking to make more friends in the area, I thought that a friendly outing wouldn’t hurt. Of course, in actuality, he intended to sweep me off my feet – and that’s exactly what he did! It only took one conversation to convince both of us that there was something incredibly special about each other; and we’ve been inseparable ever since!