Words From Our Couples
Love Stories
Nadine & Chris Crozier
MARRIED SEPTEMBER 22, 2018
Chris and I met each other through mutual friends at University. At the time, his best friend was living with my best friend, but somehow we hadn’t crossed paths until one particular night when our friends threw a party. In the midst of talking and catching up with people, I somehow caught Chris’ eye from across the room. I must have had the same expression of interest on my face that he did, because for the first half of the night, we both tried to get close enough to each other to start a conversation.
Megan & Adam Fontaine
MARRIED SEPTEMBER 15, 2018
Adam and I aren’t your typical high school sweethearts, although that is where we met. At a young age, I remember knowing that Adam was my person. We started out as friends, but by grade 10, he became the only man on my mind – and from that point on, I was pretty much on a mission. It took a few years, but right before I was about to make my big to move to Toronto for college, we made it official.
Emily & Kevin Alferink
MARRIED SEPTEMBER 8, 2018
Kevin and I met at a church event when I was only 14 years old and he was 16. At the time, I was living in Windsor and Kevin was based in London, so we only got to see each other every other week when I was home to visit my Mom. We talked for a few weeks (the first time either of us had ever been in any sort of relationship!), but the distance between our hometowns was too much for our age, so we decided to break things off.
Hayley & Patrick Johnston
MARRIED AUGUST 3, 2018
Patrick and I were never supposed to meet. We were from different cities, went to different universities, traveled in totally different circles, and up until the day we met, never knew we had any friends in common. Everything changed on Friday, October 3rd, 2014 when we were both guests at a wedding.
Kelly & Patrick Darby
MARRIED JULY 21, 2018
Our wedding story began back in 2013 when we were set up by my sister and brother-in-law. Patrick had been a friend of theirs since high school, but since he was a few years older than me, we had never had a chance to meet. It wasn’t until we had both graduated from university seven years later, that my sister and brother-in-law suggested to both Patrick and I, separately, that they knew we would be the perfect match. Phone numbers were exchanged, and eventually Patrick and I went out.
Julie & Brian Garel
MARRIED JUNE 30, 2018
Brian and I met almost 10 years ago on the first day of orientation, at the University of Waterloo. We were in the same orientation group, and aside from a few name games with the rest of the group, we didn’t officially meet until later in the day during a campus tour. Brian had broken his flip-flop during a really intense cheer-off earlier in the day, and was stuck at the back of the tour with one shoe. I felt bad (and also thought he was cute), so I walked slowly with him at the back of the group, and we chatted for the rest of the tour (not paying any attention to the actual tour!). Later that day (after getting lost on campus) I was talking to my friends about the cute boy I had met, and told them that I was pretty sure I had found my future husband!
Samantha & Spencer Ball
MARRIED MAY 11, 2018
I guess you could say that our love story began as a total cliché. Spencer and I met at the tender age of 14, in grade nine science class, where he sat directly behind me. At the time, Spencer was nursing a particularly bad ankle sprain, after being injured playing for the Huron Perth AAA Lakers. Being that he was on crutches, I figured that he could use some extra help carrying his books to and from class. So, I volunteered to help him out on many occasions and we got to know each other a little better. Spencer’s hilarious sense of humour, caring and charming personality, and beautiful blue eyes had me hooked, and I began to realize that I wanted to get to know him on an even deeper level.
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.
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!
Tiffany & Jordan Mandigo
MARRIED AUGUST 20, 2016
Our story began back in December 2011 at an ugly Christmas sweater party. Not wearing an ugly sweater, Jordan came to the party with my best friend and her husband, who had mentioned to him that there was someone at the party they wanted him to meet (me!). At the time, he was living in Calgary, but was home for the Christmas holidays. Following the party, we interacted every day by texts, long distance phone calls, and trips back and forth between Calgary and Ontario – and our relationship continued to grow. Finally, in August 2012, Jordan made the move back to Ontario and we bought our first home together.
Barbara & Leonard Adams
MARRIED JULY 16, 2016
Len and I met at a lounge in downtown Toronto, one night in April 2013. We joke that our eyes met across the crowd, but really it was above the crowd, seeing as we’re both so tall! As we were leaving the lounge that night, he asked me for my number, and promptly sent me a text that said “nice to finally meet you”. Even though I wondered if Len was just really good at pickup lines, when he asked me to go out with him the next day, I agreed. And as it turns out, we really hit it off. We found out that we lived in the same area of the City, which made it so easy for us to begin to spend a lot of time together. It was quite the whirlwind romance, and a lot of the fun getting to know each other while also enjoying our city.
Danielle & Dan Bialas
MARRIED JUNE 11, 2016
They say ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ and this is how I would describe how our love story began. Dan and I originally met in high school, but it wasn’t until after we returned home from college when we really connected. In 2010, we started unofficially ‘dating’ for a few months, and then I took off to live in Australia for a year. We kept in touch throughout the early months of my trip, and sure enough, Dan ended up flying halfway across the world to visit me for a few weeks during the Christmas holidays. When I returned home from Australia later that year, we picked things up right where we left them.
Kira & Tristan Hughes
MARRIED MAY 21, 2016
Grade seven was when it all began. That’s when Tristan and I met for the first time. I quickly fell for his cute face, sporty style, and spiky hair. Tristan probably couldn’t have told you my name, but when my friend asked him out for me, he agreed to take me on a movie date. However, when date night came around, Tristan brought a friend on our date – so needless to say, there was no date number two (at least not for a while).
Robin & Michael McCurdy
MARRIED JANUARY 9, 2016
Michael and I were high school sweethearts. Our love story began at the age of sixteen, when we met playing for our school’s tennis team. Michael was really good at tennis, and took it very seriously. Me on the other hand, I really only joined as an excuse to miss some school and hang out with friends! My friend Lauren and I would sit and chat on the sidelines as Michael practiced, which probably annoyed him to no end. Despite the fact that I didn’t take tennis as seriously as he did, we became good friends throughout the season and started hanging out together outside of school.
Kristen & Brian Hogervorst
MARRIED AUGUST 15, 2015
Sometimes things just happen for a reason. That’s how Brian and I like to think of how our paths crossed.
I grew up in Vancouver, B.C, spending the majority of my childhood in the mountains and lush green forests. Brian grew up thousands of kilometers away, in the flat countryside of Ailsa Craig, Ontario. At that time, the idea of our paths crossing was one in a million. However, when my Dad’s job required him to move our family to Ontario, it was a decision that would bring me a little closer to Brian. And then when Brian and I both decided to attend Brock University, not yet knowing each other, our paths started connecting even more. It was when a mutual friend of ours at Brock introduced us to each other when our lives would entwine. At the time, neither of us was looking to get into a serious relationship, but something changed when we met each other — it felt right!
Lauren & Killian Sharp
MARRIED APRIL 11, 2015
We’ve all seen movies portraying the most perfect fairy tales, and although they are magical and touching, we can’t help but sometimes think that stories like these are unrealistic and basically not how love really works. I was one of those people who thought that real life fairy tales didn’t exist, but mine and Killian’s love story has been nothing short of just that.
Olivia & Greg Meta
MARRIED SEPTEMBER 13, 2014
Sometimes things just happen effortlessly. For Greg and I that is exactly how it all started. We shared several mutual friends, grew up in neighbouring small towns (Greg is from St. Marys, and I grew up in Stratford, Ontario), and we always seemed to end up in the same places; so, falling in love was what most would call fate.å
After being with Greg for a year, we decided to buy our first house together in his hometown, which is where I opened my own business as well. Just four short years later, Greg and I bought our second home together in St. Marys, knowing that it was where we wanted to settle together as a couple and grow as a family. St. Marys was never a place I thought I would live in, originally being from Lake of the Woods, but I couldn’t be happier now that this is where life has brought us. And my little piece of northern Ontario is now something Greg and I enjoy together, with spending most of our vacation time away at cottages up North, and Greg enjoying fishing as his favourite hobby.