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When Nicki and François Risdon decided they wanted to be married at the French River it raised some different challenges.
The couple loved the area. François had been camping and fishing there for a decade and, after they met, Nicki often joined him. It was the place he chose to propose to her in 2008.
“”It’s beautiful. It’s our favourite place,” said Nicki. “We wanted to be married there and share it with others.”
However, while a tent in the woods was good enough for their vacations a little more was required for a wedding. “Location was the first thing to work out. The only place that would be nice enough was the Lodge at Pine Cove, so we had to see if that was available.”
Discussions with the owner of the Lodge, a picturesque sprawling building by the water with 15 newly-renovated cabins ranging from studio to three-bedroom, went well, but did raise another challenge.
“To have the Lodge exclusively we needed to have 40 people, but couldn’t have more than 47.”
The couple decided to send their invitations quite early to get a count on how many would attend a weekend celebration. Then if numbers fell short, they would go to the expanded list.
“It was a bit of a challenge because we had to be strict about the fact that people had to be there for the entire weekend. Our first mailing went to 100 close family and friends, knowing that many would decline because of the distance, expense or time conflicts.”
Once people accepted, questions soon followed. So many that the bride began to ponder ways to get the information out and alleviate any concerns.
“This was a different kind of destination wedding. It made it interesting to get people on board. We sent a brochure out that included answers to questions, photos of the Lodge, what to expect and what they’d need to bring,” said Nicki. “That said, there were still people worried about being eaten by bears.”
Ensuring that the guests enjoyed the French River experience was paramount for the couple. Nicki and François visited the Lodge and decided on the arrangment of people in the cabins based on relationships, needs and personalities.
Also, “I was thinking of things that people mightn’t think to bring and decided to do gift baskets for their cabins. They ended up costing a lot of money but they were fun to do.”
Greeting guests as they settled in was a hamper containing beach mats, mosquito coils, rain ponchos, marshmallows, jiffy pop, sparklers, glow sticks, citronella candles, frisbees, a map of the river system and a map of the cabins indicating where everyone was staying.
A wedding in Ontario’s north also meant there were some logistic problems. “First there was concern about my grandparents. I spoke with the Lodge and made arrangements to transport them to and from the Lodge as the terrain is quite rugged. But it would still have been difficult for them if my aunt and uncle hadn’t taken such good care of them. They made it possible for my grandparents to be there.”
Then there were the flowers. “It wasn’t feasible for someone to drive to Sudbury to pick them up so we opted to pick them.”
Considering Mother Nature’s palette it was decided that green bridesmaids’ dresses would match whatever colours were in the bouquets.
A friend of the couple offered to look after the flowers. “She went and took a course at a flower shop. We brought ribbon and flower tape and on the day of the wedding, off she went wearing my bug suit. It came in handy.”
The bouquets, daisies, buttercups and ferns, were perfect for the ceremony.
Besides the internet, drawing on the talents of family and friends is not just a blessing for the couple. “People really seem to want to help and I think it made the day more special for them too because they had played a part in it.”
Prior to the event, Nicki, her mother and a bridesmaid spent a fun evening with You Tube selecting music for dinner.
Requests were sent to the guests for music for the reception.
All of this was burned onto CD by her older brother. Her younger brother played the music for the ceremony. Her mother did her hair, a friend did her makeup and nails.
Where they fell short was with a photographer. “We had three in our wedding party (the maid of honour, a bridesmaid and usher), but not a photographer to be found.”
They finally hired a friend of the usher, who was on hand to shoot the entire weekend.
Deciding to take a stretch from the norm when planning a wedding will bring its share of drama, Nicki said. “But if somewhere has great meaning to you, then that feeling will come through.”
“There are some battles you need to fight and some that don’t matter. You need to know what is important to you. For us it was French River and that was not even going to be discussed. If you want it, don’t be talked out of it. But, pick your battles.”
When Nicki and François Risdon decided they wanted to be married at the French River it raised some different challenges.
The couple loved the area. François had been camping and fishing there for a decade and, after they met, Nicki often joined him. It was the place he chose to propose to her in 2008.
"It’s beautiful. It’s our favourite place,” said Nicki. “We wanted to be married there and share it with others.”
However, while a tent in the woods was good enough for their vacations a little more was required for a wedding. “Location was the first thing to work out. The only place that would be nice enough was the Lodge at Pine Cove, so we had to see if that was available.”
Discussions with the owner of the Lodge, a picturesque sprawling building by the water with 15 newly-renovated cabins ranging from studio to three-bedroom, went well, but did raise another challenge.
“To have the Lodge exclusively we needed to have 40 people, but couldn’t have more than 47.”
The couple decided to send their invitations quite early to get a count on how many would attend a weekend celebration. Then if numbers fell short, they would go to the expanded list.
“It was a bit of a challenge because we had to be strict about the fact that people had to be there for the entire weekend. Our first mailing went to 100 close family and friends, knowing that many would decline because of the distance, expense or time conflicts.”
Once people accepted, questions soon followed. So many that the bride began to ponder ways to get the information out and alleviate any concerns.
“This was a different kind of destination wedding. It made it interesting to get people on board. We sent a brochure out that included answers to questions, photos of the Lodge, what to expect and what they’d need to bring,” said Nicki. “That said, there were still people worried about being eaten by bears.”
Ensuring that the guests enjoyed the French River experience was paramount for the couple. Nicki and François visited the Lodge and decided on the arrangment of people in the cabins based on relationships, needs and personalities.
Also, “I was thinking of things that people mightn’t think to bring and decided to do gift baskets for their cabins. They ended up costing a lot of money but they were fun to do.”
Greeting guests as they settled in was a hamper containing beach mats, mosquito coils, rain ponchos, marshmallows, jiffy pop, sparklers, glow sticks, citronella candles, frisbees, a map of the river system and a map of the cabins indicating where everyone was staying.
A wedding in Ontario’s north also meant there were some logistic problems. “First there was concern about my grandparents. I spoke with the Lodge and made arrangements to transport them to and from the Lodge as the terrain is quite rugged. But it would still have been difficult for them if my aunt and uncle hadn’t taken such good care of them. They made it possible for my grandparents to be there.”
Then there were the flowers. “It wasn’t feasible for someone to drive to Sudbury to pick them up so we opted to pick them.”
Considering Mother Nature’s palette it was decided that green bridesmaids’ dresses would match whatever colours were in the bouquets.
A friend of the couple offered to look after the flowers. “She went and took a course at a flower shop. We brought ribbon and flower tape and on the day of the wedding, off she went wearing my bug suit. It came in handy.”
The bouquets, daisies, buttercups and ferns, were perfect for the ceremony.
(Ron Scheffler photos www.ronscheffler.com)
Besides the internet, drawing on the talents of family and friends is not just a blessing for the couple. “People really seem to want to help and I think it made the day more special for them too because they had played a part in it.”
Prior to the event, Nicki, her mother and a bridesmaid spent a fun evening with You Tube selecting music for dinner.
Requests were sent to the guests for music for the reception.
All of this was burned onto CD by her older brother. Her younger brother played the music for the ceremony. Her mother did her hair, a friend did her makeup and nails.
Where they fell short was with a photographer. “We had three in our wedding party (the maid of honour, a bridesmaid and usher), but not a photographer to be found.”
They finally hired a friend of the usher, who was on hand to shoot the entire weekend.
Deciding to take a stretch from the norm when planning a wedding will bring its share of drama, Nicki said. “But if somewhere has great meaning to you, then that feeling will come through.”
“There are some battles you need to fight and some that don’t matter. You need to know what is important to you. For us it was French River and that was not even going to be discussed. If you want it, don’t be talked out of it. But, pick your battles.”
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