The Citizen, 2010-03-04, Page 14When it came to planning a
wedding, there was really only one
thing that mattered to Nicki Gropp
and François Risdon — to be
married near the beautiful French
River.
The two share a love of the
outdoors and from the time they met
five years before they spent their
holidays fishing, boating and
camping on the French. So special
has the beautiful ruggedness of the
area become to them that it was here
François decided to pop the
question.
Not before getting her attention,
however. While on their camping
trip, François had planned a day trip
to Deer Lake. “He had the boat out
earlier and his seat had been broken
so he used mine. He neglected to re-
attach it before we went out, so the
first rapids we hit shot me straight up
in the air,” laughs Nicki.
Things improved though, with a
shore lunch then a proposal. “He
called it our special spot,” she said,
then adds laughing, “I think he
thinks it’s special because he gets a
lot of fish there.”
Joking aside, the love for the place
is mutual, so when talk turned to
wedding the destination was
unanimous. “François has been
going there for over 10 years. When
we first met he took me there and it’s
just so beautiful. It’s our favourite
place.”
However, before they could be
married there, there were factors to
be addressed “Location was the first
thing we had to work out.”
The only place that would work
was the Lodge at Pine Cove in
Noelville. Modern but with rustic
charm, the building itself had space
for the service, dining and reception.
A screened-in porch overlooks the
French River system, which
surrounds the property, the perfect
setting for a ceremony away from
bugs and bad weather.
From the lodge a footpath wends
its way to the recently renovated
cabins in the woods, where guest
could stay. The structures ranged in
size from studio to housekeeping
with kitchens.
“We knew this would be suitable,
but it did present some challenges,”
said Nicki. The first was the fact that
there was only room for 47 people,
and if the couple wanted the Lodge
exclusively over the weekend they
needed a commitment from 40
people for the stay.
“We did the wedding invitations
quite early because of this, sending
them out to about 100 people just
after Christmas for our June
wedding.”
Once they had the count things
went along more naturally with all
the other details, such as wedding
dress, photographer and menu
following.
Nicki said the internet was a great
tool for getting ideas from the type
of gown she’d like to invitations and
centrepieces. “You can certainly find
just about anything. We wanted
invitations that reflected the natural
setting and I found perfect ones.
They were reasonably-priced and
arrived promptly.”
One thing that carried through
from beginning to end of the
planning was the importance of
creating a weekend that would be
memorable for their guests — in a
positive way. “This was not as easy
for them as showing up at a church
so we wanted to make sure they had
a good time.”
With many questions coming her
way, Nicki decided to have a
brochure printed that would clear up
concerns and deliver answers. “The
big challenge was getting people on
board with where we were going.
We had to convince them they
wouldn’t be eaten by bears,” she
laughs.
The week of the wedding Nicki
and François arrived at the Lodge on
the Wednesday to work out final
details. Her parents arrived the next
day to enjoy some down time with
the couple before the guests arrived.
The day included a boat ride and
picnic lunch by the rapids. That
evening they went on a pontoon boat
ride.
As guests pulled in Friday they
were met by the couple, then taken
to their assigned cabins. There they
found a large hamper courtesy of
Nicki and François. Inside were
items in keeping with a camping
theme. “A lot of the questions were
about what people should bring with
them. My idea at first was to make
sure they’d have things they might
not consider bringing.”
The idea took on a life of its own
and though she admits it was a bit
costlier than she had planned, it was
PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010.
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The beautiful French River special setting for wedding
Their special wedding
For Nicki and François Risdon making their wedding day special would be sharing one of their
most favourite places with family and friends. It posed some interesting challenges, but on
June 20, 2009 the couple was married at the Lodge at Pine Cove in Noelville on the beautiful
French River. The facility had minimal accommodation meaning it would be an intimate
gathering. By the end of the two-day celebration everyone had become acquainted.
(Ron Schefller photo/wwwronscheffler.com)
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
So special has the beautiful
ruggedness of the area become to
them that it was here François
decided to pop the question.
Continued on Page 16