2020 Georgian Bay Wedding Guide 10th Anniversary Issue | Page 110

C ollin and I met at a mutual friend’s birthday. We were introduced, started talking and had an instant and special connection. I recall sitting across the table with him and thinking… This is the one! It truly was love at first sight. Our first date was watching the Toronto vs. Boston Bruins hockey game at Maple Leaf Square in Toronto. It was the playoffs, game 7 and we were both cheering for opposing teams. In the dates that followed, we learned that we both shared a similar love of the outdoors, country music and big adventures. That summer, our dates were spent outside exploring new hikes and trails, hanging out with friends and family, and road tripping. Each date was better than the last and was always a new and exciting experience. I went away to university that September and made the distance work. It was four years of long distance and a semester abroad to Singapore where Collin was able to come visit and led us to some of our best travels exploring together. 110 Georgian Bay Wedding Guide – 2020 The engagement came when Collin and I had planned to spend the weekend away at my family cottage in Muskoka. We love the fall season and the cottage is our favourite place in the world.  He had planned a full weekend of fall activities starting with a float plane flight to see all of the beautiful fall colours followed by visit to the Bala Cranberry Festival .The final event of the day was Collin’s big proposal! We returned back to the cottage for a sunset boat cruise, a special family cottage tradition, paddled out to the middle of the lake in Collin’s red canoe where he then got down on one knee. He pulled out this beautiful birch bark ring box that he made and asked me to marry him. It was just starting to rain as I said yes and the tears poured down my face. Shortly after we got engaged, Collin and I began the search to find the perfect wedding venue. We looked all over Southern Ontario to find a venue that was rustic yet elegant. We had stum- bled upon Lora Bay and absolutely fell in love.  Nestled along the shores of Georgian Bay and landscaped to the nines, Lora Bay felt like home and the perfect place for us to start our new beginning.