The Love Story
After a maximum of 2 days of talking, Melissa ended up giving Nicholas her number. Within hours, a date was planned. The date was planned for an 11 am coffee on Sunday, May 15th, 2016. Melissa, who had very little faith left in “finding the right guy” showed up with little expectation in a baggy shirt, very little makeup, and hair thrown up in a bun (much like her day to day look). Nick, on the other hand, had shown the majority of his co-workers at Air Canada her photos on Facebook boasting about the upcoming date. The two met at McDonald’s in Deerfoot meadows at 11 am and didn’t part ways until the very last second before Nick had to leave to go to work that night. After sharing 20 chicken nuggets, the greatest conversations, the two were inseparable from that moment on!
Within a few months of the love birds dating, Melissa had met the other girl who had Nick’s heart, his little girl Skylar. It was abundantly clear that Melissa and Nick wanted to try this little family in the comforts of their own place. September 8th, 2016 marked the day that they got the keys to the new tiny condo! 500 sq foot small to be exact! They would live there until they physically outgrew the shoebox of an apartment. With the abundance of love that the entire family had for Skylar, Christmas FILLED the house with toys, books, and activities till there was almost not enough room for adult life.
Melissa and Nick had talked many times open and candidly about getting married. Prior to Nick, Melissa’s view on marriage was a very expensive piece of paper. That was until she actually felt the love that would last a lifetime. Nick had attempted to plan the most romantic way possible to ask the woman of his dreams to be his wife, and he knew that the only expectation Melissa had was that there was a photo of it! One of Melissa’s friends lived on an acreage about an hour away from Calgary, and he knew that the country loving girl didn’t need some big fancy engagement, but she would love that it was out in the middle of nowhere. The weekend had already been set for a trip out that way for her friend’s Birthday, so Nick had asked if he could hijack the weekend. Knowing that Melissa has a very close relationship with her parents, it was mentioned that when the time came she had asked him to be respectful and ask for the stamp of approval. Everyone knew but Melissa! When it was stated that photos outside were being taken in the middle of the snowstorm that was that Saturday, Melissa was less than enthused, but put on some makeup and grumbled about the idea, and stomped outside. When the group photos were done, Nick asked her to turn around and to her surprise, he was down on one knee in the snow asking her to spend eternity together! And with the tears streaming… She said YES!
Then came the wedding planning- which was going fairly smoothly with the assistance from family members, the date was fast approaching until COVID -19 hit Alberta. The cancelation of events started with the bridal shower with family due to attend from Manitoba and all over. After Melissa’s birthday at the end of April and no end on the horizon for restrictions, the supposed-to-be bride and groom decided to postpone (with no date) the nuptials. As the supposed to be date was fast approaching the bride was getting more and more upset.
17 days till the supposed to be date, Melissa reached out to Deb at The Heritage Centre by Mountain View Events and the ball quickly started moving and the wedding was back on! With restrictions still in place, the big wedding the two had planned was not able to take place so they had immediate family and extremely close friends. Even some of the bridal party was not able to be in attendance, but virtually attend or were a part of the day.
The location is a short drive just northeast of Calgary in Cremona, Alberta. The barn has been beautifully transformed by the founder; Debora Rice-Salomons and offers everything every Bride has dreamed of. The Barn was a 1908 historic piece of Alberta’s history and has been salvaged and transformed into the premier Event Centre West of Calgary. The space boasts a modern rustic feel, with beautiful lighting, and an outdoor/indoor event space for receptions and dinners.
Located just a few steps away is the Heritage House which was established in 1915. The original homestead of this historical Alberta farm shared its birthdate with The United Farm Women of Alberta (UFWA). Their focus was to include the legal status of women and children, cooperative marketing, farm safety, and environmental concerns. Issues such as property rights for farm women, reproductive rights, farm economics and marketing, the stress in farm families, child care in rural areas, access to affordable medical care, rural depopulation, and loss of schools and services. Originally designed as an Eaton House (http://www.winnipegarchitecture.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Eaton-Plan-Book-of-Ideal-Homes.pdf), incredibly, the interior woodwork and some stained glass windows original to the home have been preserved. Featuring a main level entertaining area with a covered porch, and a special bridal suite above, the Heritage House is sure to be the perfect backdrop for your special event. The Heritage House can accommodate up to 40 guests.
The architectural vision has created a floor space capable of hosting up to 650 guests. Set on 10 acres, there is plenty of parking and vistas for beautiful photographs.
The morning started out with the Bridal party getting ready in the Heritage House and the Groom and Groomsmen getting ready in a private room in the Barn. The lighting in both the Barn and the Heritage House was a dream for getting hair, makeup, and photos done.
Once everyone was ready for the ceremony, the Bridal party walked over to the Barn into the stunning ceremony hall which was decorated with an arch and chivari chairs. The ceremony (and most of the evening) was shared on a Facebook group live, so that those that couldn’t physically be there could still attend the wedding from afar. The pair said their I Do’s and then headed outside for their photos with their loved ones. Some fun was had with the Bridal party photos and then Nick and Melissa were able to sneak off for some pictures on their own.
After the photos were complete Nick and Melissa joined their group of friends and family for the reception and dinner. Throughout dinner and speeches, there were a few happy tears shed as stories about the couple were shared. Melissa’s Maid of Honour called through facetime to give her speech. She has been Melissa’s best friend since birth (26 years!), but because of living in Manitoba, she couldn’t make it. Melissa was surprised to see her on video all done up in her dress with her hair done and makeup to join the wedding. Family watching on facetime watched throughout dinner and even had their dinner with the wedding party! This is the new normal for weddings with the impact that COVID-19 has had on people that are unable to join weddings, and the guests sure made the most out of it.
After dinner was complete the dancing got underway with the first dance for Nick & Melissa being the acoustic version of Beautiful Crazy by Luke Combs. Nick shared a special dance with his daughter to a Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman which was so special. The couple enjoyed the rest of the evening with their friends and family. It was everything and more than the two had planned, Melissa will fully admit that Deb was the fai
ry-god-mother she didn’t know she needed! In the end, Melissa Ashley Bergen married Nicholas Antony Wright and they have the best story to tell, COVID and all!
Sources
Jennifer Eunson Photography/The Heritage Centre by Mountain View Events/Marry Me Ceremonies/Debora Rice-Salomons, The Heritage Centre by Mountain View Events aka Fairy Godmother/Bridal Party/Alpine Catering/Rebecca Watmough/Lizette Taylor & Patti Bergen/David’s Bridal/Costco/Moore’s/Ciana Novello/Breakthrough Hair Design/Zhedora, Peoples Jewellers, Claire’s/A gift from the groom to the bride on their 1st Christmas together/Passed down from Groom’s grandfather/Eagle Feather Entertainment/Diane McD
onald/Alysha Thomas
