Real Weddings 2013: a summer camp-inspired wedding at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club

By Michelle Higgins, Bronwen Jervis, Sharon Monuk and Amanda Panacci | Photography by Mango Studios

Date: July 28, 2012 | Location: Royal Canadian Yacht Club | Guests: 123 | Budget: $60,000

Christine Farrugia, a 32-year-old corporate finance specialist, and Sean Davis, a 36-year-old businessman, met in 2008 at Camp Oochigeas in Muskoka, where they’d volunteered as counsellors for kids with cancer. Sparks ignited immediately, but Christine, a Toronto native, was finishing up her MBA at Stanford University and Sean lived in Whitby, so they kept in touch over Skype, phone and email. After six weeks of flirting, Christine decided she needed to see Sean face to face; he met her at the airport and they decided to pursue a long-distance relationship. Three years and thousands of frequent flier miles later, Sean dropped to one knee at the exact same spot where he first picked her up at Pearson. For their wedding, the couple wanted to recapture the fun of summer camp, so they settled on the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Guests boarded the club’s boat and headed to the island, where they drank cocktails and lawn-bowled. “Once you get on the ferry you feel like you’re escaping to the country,” says Christine. For the reception, the pair chose vintage weather balloons over traditional flowers, and served Timbits instead of wedding cake.

See the wedding album »