Words From Our Couples
Love Stories
Shauna & Tyler Rae
MARRIED OCTOBER 5, 2018
When you grow up in a small town like St. Marys, Ontario, you know of other people even if you don’t know them personally. That was Tyler and I. Even though we weren’t friends at the time, we were still connected at a young age through Tyler playing road hockey with my brother, and since his mom was my kindergarten teacher. In our final years of high school, Tyler and I had lockers in the same hallway at DCVI. For a while, he would just catch glances at me as I walked down the halls, but then one day his friend Louie messaged me on MSN to tell me that Tyler really liked me and suggested we hang out sometime.
Kristen & Jacob Nuhn
MARRIED AUGUST 19, 2017
When you have a twin, there are so many perks that the two of you share. Perks like having a built-in best friend, reading each other’s minds, finishing each other’s sentences, and understanding what the other person would want in a romantic partner. That last perk is particularly important for this story. About five years ago, my twin sister, Jessica, set me up on a blind date with Jacob, a friend of her boyfriend’s, who she said would be perfect for me. Jacob and I went on a double date with my sister and her boyfriend, and when it came to an end, Jacob and I continued to hang out and talk until three in the morning! With chemistry like that, you’d think that the rest was smooth sailing.
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.
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!