Robin Simcoe and Justin Warger discovered the Pacific Rim on Friday. Three days later, they were newlyweds.
Enamoured with their West Coast surroundings, and each other, the Malakwa B.C. couple celebrated their spontaneous big day at Ucluelet’s Amphitrite Lighthouse on a sunny Monday afternoon.
“On Saturday, we got rings. On Sunday, we got a dress and flowers. On Monday, as soon as Westland Insurance opened, we got a marriage license and it all came together,” Justin said.
“Monday was crazy,” Robin added. “We literally, on foot, ran all around Ucluelet and finally got our marriage license and we found flowers; it was the last bouquet.”
The pair and their son Jase were visiting Vancouver Island for the first time and romantic wheels began to turn as they felt the community’s warmth during the Pacific Rim Whale Festival Parade in Tofino Saturday morning.
“That morning, we’d had so many encounters with people just smiling and talking to us and hearing how friendly everybody was with everyone and, I think, we just really got caught up in a feeling of just happiness and that just struck us and stuck to us,” Robin said. “I said, jokingly, to Justin, ‘Hey, you want to get married today?’ He said, ‘Yeah!’ and everything just snowballed from there…I’m not even quite sure how it all became real, but we always wanted to do something simple. It felt right.”
Justin said the pair had been engaged for three years, but had never been able to settle on a spot to tie the knot until they discovered the West Coast.
“It’s probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s phenomenal out here,” he said. “The community is fantastic, but also just the whole area is fantastic. There is so much going on at once, yet it is so calm and relaxed and laid back…I can’t really describe the feeling you get out here, but it’s one of a kind.”
Justin’s parents were travelling with them and Justin said that not only were they instantly on board with the idea, they scouted out the Amphitrite Point backdrop.
“My parents had driven out there before and they said, ‘It’s an absolute perfect spot to get married.’ So we said, ‘Sure, let’s do it there.’ We actually hadn’t seen the lighthouse until we got out there to get married,” he said.
“The crazy thing about it is that we had a bunch of whales in the background too. The weather was absolutely fantastic. It was pretty surreal being out there, getting married.”
After securing officiant Judy Michaud to make their wedding official, the pair invited locals to their big day through social media and not only found a photographer willing to immortalize the moment—Jen McLeod—but also a community of new friends.
“It was amazing,” Robin said. “We started the wedding and we weren’t really sure if anybody was coming. Then, just as we got started, a group of girls came down the path and they were smiling and laughing. They ran up to us and immediately I was happy. Then, right in the middle of the wedding, a bunch of other girls came out in all different directions, all laughing, and it brought tears to my eyes. It was so joyful. I’d never met any of them, obviously, and it felt like they were all supposed to be there.”
Robin was beaming with happy memories Tuesday morning.
“It’s raining and everything is still so beautiful and happy and I’m just excited,” she said. “I don’t feel like I can even express how thankful I am to everybody that helped and those girls that came out to the wedding.”
Justin was equally enthusiastic.
“It all really came together a lot better than we thought it was going to and all the people that came out just made it so much more fantastic,” he said. “I want the local people to know that it’s a dreamland out here. It’s fantastic. Everything is a great experience. Life is so much better out here.”
The couple will return home as newlyweds on Thursday.
