A Manitoba couple who had planned to get married at a resort in Whiteshell Provincial Park on Saturday say they are still hoping their wedding can move forward as scheduled.
The province issued an evacuation order on May 13, closing the park two days later due to extreme fire conditions, related to an out-of-control wildfire burning at the Ontario border, near Ingolf.
The closure came just over a week before 25-year-old Jessica Boswick and 28-year-old Bryan Honcharik’s wedding at Falcon Trails Resort on Saturday.
“Our wedding is kind of put on hold,” Boswick told CBC News on Tuesday.
“Our first dates were at Falcon Lake and we both grew up in the Whiteshell, so we wanted to have our wedding circle back to where we all started,” she said.
Boswick said the couple share a love for the outdoors, and had planned to tie the knot in front of about 80 guests in the park where they each have so many fond memories at family cabins.
The couple booked the venue nearly a year in advance. They also hired a caterer, florist, hair and makeup artists and an officiant for the weekend ceremony.
Many of their guests will be flying in for the event, with about 50 people from the wedding booking stays at the resort, Falcon Trails told CBC in an email.
Falcon Trails Resort co-owner and general manager Caleigh Christie said she is still hoping the resort will be able to host Boswick and Honcharik’s wedding on Saturday.
Christie said she is expecting an update from Manitoba Parks on Wednesday morning and her team will begin planning for the weekend if a reopening is permitted.
Christie said Falcon Trails is taking the park closure “day by day,” while keeping guests with upcoming stays and events in the loop. She said guests affected by park closures can get a full refund on their deposit or credit toward a future stay.
But Boswick said they haven’t asked for a refund. She’s hopeful the park could open on Wednesday or Thursday.
“I’m holding out until the last minute to see if they’ll open,” she said.
As of Tuesday night, it was unclear whether Whiteshell park would reopen.
The Ingolf fire has spread to more than 32,000 hectares, fire maps for Manitoba and Ontario showed as of 9 p.m. on Tuesday. The fire is still not under control, according to the maps.
On Tuesday, the fire was showing “increased activity” due to Monday’s high winds, the Whiteshell Cottagers Association said in its most recent fire update.
The park is also in close proximity to the out-of-control Nopiming fire and the Lac du Bonnet fire, which is now being held, Manitoba’s fire map shows.
While Boswick’s wedding plans remain uncertain, she says she feels lucky to be safe and out of the fire zone.
“Wildfires don’t have a schedule,” she said.
“Luckily, weddings are not as serious as losing your house or your family. They can be rearranged and moved to other venues,” she said, adding the couple hopes the community will come together to help them find an alternate venue in time for the wedding.
No matter what happens — whether the wedding takes place in the Whiteshell or a rented tent — Boswick said the couple still plans to get married on Saturday.
“At the end of the day, no matter where we get married, I’m still marrying Bryan. As long as we have each other, that’s all that matters at this point,” she said.
“I think no matter where we are, we’ll still have a beautiful wedding.”
Reservations cancelled, wedding plans in limbo due to Whiteshell wildfire
