Dressed in their referee-best, with skates and mitts on, a couple from the United Kingdom said 'I do' on the Rideau Canal on Wednesday.
"We're both hockey referees back home and what better place to (get married) than on the ice," says Roy Hamilton.
Hamilton and his new bride Alice Stanley met while reffing in the UK in 2002. Stanley's sister and brother-in-law live in Ottawa and the couple has visited the capital a few times, but always in the summer.
Stanley and Hamilton were already planning a visit to experience Winterlude. When they got engaged at Christmas, the idea about tying the knot on the canal was floated.
"This obviously percolated in their brains and a couple of months ago, they decided the would actually try and make this work," explains Stanley's brother-in-law Marc Stevens.
The pair contacted Keith Langille, an officiant and avid hockey fan. He helped them make arrangements for the wedding and on the big day, included some hockey humour.
"Do you promise to love each other longer than it will take the Toronto Maple Leafs to ever win the Stanley Cup again?" he asked the couple during the ceremony.
Langille says he's performed weddings on the canal before, but this is the first time he's married referees. It was a perfect day.
"It's just amazing," says Stanley. "It was supposed to sleet and be miserable. The canal is open, it's a beautiful day."
The wedding almost didn't happen. A package including some important documents got lost and made it back just in time for the ceremony.
"It was a bit stressful," recalls Hamilton. "A few swear words were thrown FedEx's way, but we got there in the end."
The pair have done all of the Winterlude activities, but can't get enough hockey. They're headed to the Ottawa 67s game on Wednesday night before heading to watch the Ottawa Senators play on Thursday.
