My Besties Got Married!

This past weekend two of my favourite people in the world tied the knot in an intimate farm wedding near Goderich Ontario! It was a two day fun and family filled affair, and I’m pretty sure my sides still hurt from all the laughter.

I’ve known Phil for longer than I care to quantify because it makes me feel old: just know that crayons were a daily fixture in our lives when we started hanging out! He is without a doubt one of the funniest and sweetest people I know. When he met Maris, I knew he’d found his match and I’m pretty sure we both fell in love with her right away. They mesh together so well, it’s definitely a pairing that was written in the stars and destined to be. 

An Intimate Farm Wedding

It was a two day celebration of Phil and Maris’s love: complete with dogs, horses, bouncy castles and Hawaiian shirts! The intimate ceremony, reception were held at Maris’s family farm while “The Sky’s the Limit We Just Got Married” Party was at their own farmhouse at the other end of the county. It’s almost 200 years old and Maris’s horses still live there. Her parents take great care of them and she visits them every week! There were about 60 people in attendance – not including the animals – and it was the perfect mix of traditional and laid back. There was no first dance or anything like that and the bride did horse tours in her dress!

Phil is a volunteer firefighter and Maris is a school sexual health nurse. They met when he was doing an educational call at Maris’ school! After the call he texted a friend to get the number of “the smokeshow nurse”, and there you go! They love to spend their time either being social for Phil’s extroverted self or at home with their dogs (who definitely made an appearance at the wedding!) for Maris’s more introverted heart. They are both fitness fanatics, and the boys even did a brutal at home CrossFit workout the morning of the wedding!

“I predict I’ll be reading this letter at our wedding”

Maris walked down the aisle with both of her parents after Phil and Maris had their first look, and she had her best friend of 10 years as her maid of honour. Kaitlyn worked with the bride’s late sister and their bond is so special! One thing I absolutely loved about this wedding was the focus on being present with family and friends. We took the bulk of the photos beforehand so they could focus on their guests during and after the ceremony. The other two members of our childhood friend group were involved in the wedding as well! The forever best man and officiant (Nick and Rhys) have both known Phil longer than I have!

The ceremony and speeches brought a tear to everyone’s eye – but not in the way you think! One thing about Phil and Maris is that when you’re with them, you’re laughing. No matter what else is going on, you can always count on them to lift you up. Their wedding was no exception! People were literally crying laughing during all the speeches, and when Phil asked for the rings his best man handed him a ring pop. It wasn’t without sweet moments though. Phil wrote Maris a letter four weeks after they started dating that said she was the one for him, and he predicted he’d be reading the letter at their wedding as part of his speech. Cue the tears!

Thank you for being here – Enjoy the scroll of Phil and Maris’s Farm Wedding near Goderich!