'It hasn't even been an hour': Elora rallies to find lost ring on Toronto couple's wedding day
A Toronto couple is thanking the community of Elora for springing into action to help them find a lost ring on their wedding day.
Adam Richardson and Tamar Silverbrook were married on Feb. 20, 2022, at the Elora Mill. After the ceremony, they went to take photos in nearby Victoria Park.
Adam Richardson and Tamar Silverbrook pose with their wedding party at Elora Mill (Supplied: Assaf Friedman Photography)
“We went outside, everybody was together, we grabbed snow, we were going to throw it up in the air,” Richardson said.
As he threw his handful of snow in the air, Richardson felt the wedding band he had just received slip off his finger.
“It hasn’t even been an hour and I’ve already lost this ring.”
The ring flies off Adam Richardson's finger during wedding photos (Supplied: Assaf Friedman Photography)
The moment was captured by their photographer, Assaf Friedman, as were the moments after, as the group searched for the ring in the snow.
“With the 20 people we covered at least 15 feet around, and we still couldn’t find it,” said Caely Penner, a ceremony specialist at the Elora Mill who was there with the couple. “And I’m just watching our poor bride leap through the snow, trying to find it.”
Tamar Silverbrook searches for her husband's wedding ring in the snow (Supplied: Assaf Friedman Photography)
After about half an hour, they became worried that someone could accidentally step on the ring and bury it further, so some of the wedding party went back to the Elora Mill, and a smaller group of searchers changed their strategy
“We were tracking down rakes and shovels, things like that, we were making phone calls to people that we knew might have a metal detector,” said Ethan Bleskie, also a ceremony specialist at the Elora Mill.
“We started searching by hand at first, just tearing up the area, that 15-foot circle grew to 20 and almost 25. It was torn up in here and we were still having no luck finding it.”
But as the search continued, people passing by noticed and tried to help.
Elske de Groot was walking through Victoria Park with family. When she heard what was happening, she posted a call for help on a community Facebook page.
“About half an hour later, I checked my phone again and there were so many responses on the community share page that I went, ‘whoa!’”
Adam Richardson and Tamar Silverbrook's wedding party looks for Richardson's missing ring (Supplied: Assaf Friedman Photography)
People were sharing the post, and there were also offers to come help with the search, or try to track down a metal detector.
But in the end, it was another person walking through the park with family who found the ring.
Bryan Poletto was on a walk with family and when he heard what was happening, he went home and got his metal detector and began searching for the couple.
“Within a few minutes we happened to find that ring for them,” Poletto said.
It was a happy ending to a search that had taken about three hours in total.
“They were just super happy, and relieved,” Poletto said.
“Where the ring was located was totally outside of our search area, so had we not had the metal detectors, there’s no way that we would have found the ring,” said Richardson.
Richardson and Silverbrook say they’re just relieved Tamar’s ring was not lost, as it was a family heirloom. Adam’s could be replaced, but they’re still glad his original ring was found.
“It’s still meaningful because it was part of the ceremony, so it just means that much more now that we have this whole story behind it,” says Richardson.
The couple is thanking all the searchers for their efforts.
“Family Day weekend, in the cold, your time, your energy, everything, your positivity, thank you,” said Silverbrook.
“The community is awesome, it’s special, they went out of their way for hours to do something for us,” Richardson said, adding the couple will be sharing the story for years to come.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6903244.1716897063!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING NEWS Scotiabank suffers direct deposit outage on pay day
Scotiabank has acknowledged technical difficulties affecting direct deposits as clients report missed payments Friday morning.
Paris Olympics begin with unique opening ceremony along the Seine
The Paris Summer Olympics officially get underway today with a unique opening ceremony. Instead of marching into a stadium, representatives from more than 200 competing countries will enter the Games on boats along the River Seine.
BREAKING Canada Soccer head investigating 'systemic ethical shortcoming' amid spying scandal
Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue said he was investigating a potential 'systemic ethical shortcoming' within the program but has not considered pulling the women's soccer team from the Paris Olympics due to a drone spying scandal.
'She led it the whole way': 18-year-old B.C. woman leads hikers to safety in Jasper National Park
As fire threatened people in Jasper National Park, Colleen Knull sprung into action.
DEVELOPING Trudeau, with Australian and New Zealand PMs, pen letter renewing ceasefire calls for Gaza
Prime ministers of Canada, New Zealand and Australia released a letter renewing calls for an “urgent ceasefire” in Gaza on Friday morning.
Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics
Outgoing French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that sabotage and arson that hit key parts of France's high speed rail network on the eve of the Olympics had 'a clear objective: blocking the high speed train network.'
Latest updates on wildfires in Jasper National Park: Rain, cooler weather limiting spread
Cool and wet weather is making a difference in Jasper National Park.
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
Sunken treasure: Is the champagne nestled in a 19th-century shipwreck still fit for a toast?
A team of Polish divers has discovered the wreckage of an old sailing ship loaded “to the brim” with luxury goods including porcelain items and about 100 bottles of Champagne and mineral water about 58 meters (190 feet) deep off the Swedish coast.