Lucy + Andrew

How did you meet?

Andrew, my now-husband, and I met at a networking event in Calgary in October of 2015 and were immediately drawn to one another. Our connection and attraction were instant, dynamic, and completely intoxicating. We spent the next year “as friends” getting to know each other and ultimately falling completely head over heels in love.

When did you know they were the one?

The first trip that we ever went on as a couple was to Andrew’s family cottage in Muskoka, Canada. He had been going to this charming cottage every summer since he was born, and it held a great amount of sentiment to him and his family. When we arrived together, I immediately knew why; taking the boat across the lake, passing by islands and the deep and neverending boreal forest we arrived at the idyllic McMurray family cottage nestled in the trees on the Raven Lake shoreline. We spent the next week swimming in the lake, fishing, and sipping wine dockside nightly watching the sunset over the lake. If I wasn’t completely in love with Andrew when we arrived at the cottage, there was no doubt that I was when we left.

Who proposed and how?

For my 30th birthday, we planned a DREAM trip to Italy to celebrate, and the trip was everything that I dreamed it to be and more. We arrived in Rome and toured all of the iconic landmarks and sights to see. And everywhere we went, there were couples getting engaged. Vatican – engagement, Orange Garden – engagement, Trevi Fountain – 3 engagements(!!!), even the Colosseum – another man dropping the knee. So of course love was in the air and I fantasized about getting engaged. But alas, the next day we left Rome and my left-hand remains bare.

We arrived at the charming town of Civitella in Val di Chiana in the heart of Tuscany for the next leg of our trip. We were completely exhausted from our time in Rome and slept 13 hours, and missed breakfast with the host of our Airbnb. We open the wooden shutters to see our rental car being ticketed by the Polizia. So needless to say, the day started off a little rough. We rushed to get up and get ready to make it to our first stop on our self-made wine tour in the villages surrounding our Airbnb. We drove down the bumpy road lined with silver and green olive trees to a stunning old-world winery, Poggio Molina. At that moment, everything slowed down and we were enamored by the charm of this beautiful Tuscan winery.

We were greeted by our host, Alba, and her little dog Pepa. Alba showed us into the dining room and we began our tasting with a crisp white wine and cheese pairing. By the third course Andrew and I were swept up by the divine surroundings we ended up in and began professing our love and admiration for one another. Andrew asked me if I would take a photo with him and he set up his camera on the mantle and led me in front of the grand fireplace. I turned towards the camera, struck a little pose while he just smiled, and then gently pulled me back and took my hands. He said his little speech (which I’ll choose to keep between him and me) and dropped down to one knee. After a few tears and about 100 kisses, I said YES! And little did I know, he was recording the entire thing. So we can always go back and watch that moment whenever we want to. He then told me that he had the ring (a family heirloom passed down from his grandmother to his mother, and now to me) in his pocket the entire trip, and was waiting for the perfect moment. And without a doubt, with just the two of us, it truly was perfect.

What was the best moment for you at the wedding?

After our engagement, we enjoyed the first few months enjoying the excitement and high of being newly engaged. But of course, I was so eager to start planning our wedding. We decided to return to where it all happened, the Poggio Molina winery in Italy. We chose a beautiful villa nearby for us and 15 of our closest friends to stay in and enjoy the week. I found an incredible photographer and florist to help bring our dream wedding to life. We chose our menu, wines, and every other detail of the day.

Then, in early 2020, a global pandemic hit and shook up what was supposed to be the most incredible day of our lives. We knew that it would not be possible to have our dream wedding on August 29, 2020, so we broke the news to our 75 wedding guests that we had decided to postpone and would keep them posted on what we decide. After 3 months in lockdown/quarantine, we decided to leave our home in Calgary and travel to the most special place in the world to us, Andrew’s family cottage in Muskoka.

We spent the summer drinking wine on the dock, swimming in the lake, and falling even more in love. Just as we did when Andrew brought me to the cottage the first time. And after 2 months of living the lake dream, and our wedding day beginning to approach we decided to write our own rules and do what we felt was right – get married!

We quickly found a wedding officiant, florist, and we already had the perfect setting for an idyllic Muskoka elopement. The only thing we didn’t have was my wedding dress, Scottie, which was hanging in my closet – 3,600km away in Calgary. By some magic, our close friends (and would-be wedding photographers) happened to be in Calgary and were flying back to our area the next day. I immediately called and asked if they could go to my house, get my wedding dress and fly it back with them for us to pick up, and of course, they said YES!

We spent our wedding day making a big breakfast with our moms, hanging out by the fire, and having a quiet and stress-free day to ourselves. The rain eventually broke and we were ready to do our first look. Andrew stood at the end of the dock, looking across the lake, the clouds broke and a beautiful beam of sun came out just in time for me to reveal myself as his bride to be. The moment was absolute perfection and we both broke into tears at the first sight of each other.

We all hopped in two boats and traveled to a small island in the middle of the lake to be wed. Onshore stood Andrew, me, our moms as witnesses, and our lovely officiant, Evelyn. In boats along the shore were Andrews’s brother and now fiance, and our cottage neighbors to watch us say “I do”. We exchanged personally written vows while standing under Andrew’s handmade wedding arch and a floral arrangement we made together the night before. The moment was intimate, simple, and absolutely perfect surrounded by the stunning beauty of the Muskoka lakes and Boreal forest.

What was one thing you did differently for your wedding?

We spent our wedding night back at the family cottage sipping Tuscan wine and eating an Italian feast of Lasagna, Caprese Salad, and homemade cake – a homage to the wedding that would have been.

So like I said, it wasn’t the wedding we originally planned, but it was absolutely perfect.