Edmonton couple holds surprise wedding with early-morning workout group
Kyle Muzyka | CBC News | Posted: May 22, 2017 10:59 PM | Last Updated: May 23, 2017
Nonnie Jackson and Ian Rousseau dragged their friends and family to a 6 a.m. workout to say 'I do'
First comes a workout, then comes marriage.
Or so it went for Ian Rousseau and his newly wedded wife Nonnie Jackson.
The Kinsmen Park playground seemed the perfect venue for a post-workout marriage, with a little help from their fellow November Project members.
The November Project is an intense group workout session which starts at 6 a.m. three days a week in Edmonton.
Jackson and Rousseau have been together for 19 years and started attending workouts almost three years ago. They've gone three days a week ever since.
"We loved the environment and the workout and the team atmosphere, and we've been going ever since," Rousseau said Monday.
At the end of every workout, the group gets together and the leaders will ask if there are any special events like birthdays or anniversaries coming up.
That's when Rousseau got the idea.
"I thought, 'Wouldn't it be funny if someone got married that way?' " he said.
So he and Jackson did exactly that.
'Right time and place'
Jackson said she was "caught a little off guard" by the idea at first, but was immediately onboard.
"We tried to surprise as many people as we possibly could, including our parents," Jackson said Monday.
They only told the November Project organizers, a pastor who exercises with the group and their siblings, who were tasked with dragging Rousseau and Jackson's parents out early in the morning.
The day of their wedding, Jackson and Rousseau showed up at 6 a.m. sharp, just like any other day. Except this time, they each brought a change of clothes — Jackson brought a white veil and a tutu.
They also brought all the family they would have invited to a traditional wedding, because many of them happened to be in Edmonton visiting.
"Just the perfect storm happened," Jackson said. "It just seemed to be the right time and place to do it."
After the workout, as is tradition, the November Project leaders asked if there were any upcoming birthdays. But this time, they also asked if there were any weddings happening.
The group laughed at first, but then Rev. Jason Anderson cleared an aisle between the group.
'It really changed our lives'
"Everyone was completely caught off guard by the fact that we got married there today," Rousseau said. "Including our friends and family."
"We got to walk through all the smiles and claps and a lot of cheers," Jackson added.
The two were married in front of hundreds of their friends and family.
It seems unconventional, but the November Project is a significant part of both Jackson and Rousseau's lives. They go with their 14-year-old son and have made many friends among the group.
"We really do love the group — not just the workouts, but the actual people," Jackson said. "It really changed our lives.
"I wouldn't have wanted to get married any other way."