Friends, community rally around couples after wedding venue burns down

Two couples, one who was supposed to get married and another set to renew their vows, were left scrambling on Saturday after their venue went up in flames.

Crews were still on scene at Puslinch Lake on Sunday spraying water on the smouldering ruins of the Old Marina Restaurant just outside Cambridge, Ont. The historic building is considered a total loss after a fire ripped through it the day before.

Joe and Marcy Poulin were supposed to renew their vows at the venue on Saturday after COVID-19 postponed their major wedding parties.

“From day one, we wanted to get married on the water and this was our go-to,” Joe said. “We were lucky to get it.”

Instead, when their special day came, the couple arrived to find the building on fire.

“I had to turn Marcy’s head away, because I didn’t want her to see it and I gave her a big kiss,” Joe said.

As the flames grew, the couple were left looking for somewhere else to go and were met with an outpouring of generosity from the community.

Joe and Marcy Poulin renew their vows at the Cambridge Mill on Saturday July 30, 2022; an improvised option after their original venue burnt down on the day of the ceremony. (Submitted)

“People pulling over on the side of the road and just complete strangers offering their restaurants, hotels,” Marcy said.

Wedding guests also tried to help, managing to find space at the Cambridge Mill.

“For the first Saturday in I don’t know how long, we had a spare room,” Cambridge Mill general manager Alex Kastner said. “This never happens, but we happen to have a spare room.”

All of the 70 wedding guests made their way over to the venue.

Scrambling for food and décor, the Cambridge Mill called in extra staff and managed to provide a ceremony, a meal and a dance floor.

Scrambling for food and decor, the Cambridge Mill called in extra staff and managed to provide a ceremony, a meal and a dance floor for the couple and their 70 guests. (Submitted)

The Poulins weren’t the only ones with an event booked at the Old Marina Restaurant on Saturday. The venue was also set to host another wedding, which also had to be moved.

That couple found space down the road at an outdoor area.

“Venue, food, music, what do we need to do,” Tara Douglas, a childhood friend of the couple said, recalling how the wedding party sprang into action.

“We called Azores Bakery in Cambridge and I told them, ‘we have three hours, whatever you’ve got, can you help us out?’”

Bride Nikola Fielding and groom Roland Dalrup talk to CTV News on July 30, 2022. (CTV Kitchener)

Bride Nikola Fielding and groom Roland Dalrup said they had to cancel a few wedding events in 2020 because of the pandemic so this was just another hurdle.

“We were kind of used to things getting in the way so it didn’t really hit [us] that hard at first,” Roland said. “We kind of just got on the phones and did what we could.”

They managed to pull in food for 100 guests and the celebration went on.

“It’s amazing, it all came together, we had our family and friends to support us,” Nikola said.

As of Sunday, crews have been unable to get inside the ruins of the Old Marina Restaurant to investigate the cause of the fire.

No injuries have been reported.