Andrew Crum (rob's cousin and childhood best friend) has been best friends with Shay's little brother Austin for 20 years. So Rob & Shay have known each other for a long time. Out of high school they both started bar-tending and managing a nightclub together. It didn't take anytime at all for them to go from being family friends to best friends who spent all their free time (and work time) together. For years it was all Working, Traveling, Concerts, Road Trips, Eating, Dancing, Going to the Gym, and Laughing! So much laughing. The kind of laughing that hurts so bad (but good) but only some people can bring it out in you. Rob & Shay both continually had feelings for each other through the years but neither wanted to chance ruining the friendship. But it got harder and harder to deny those feelings. Especially when the reasons "why not" were quickly dwindling away. May 15th 2016. Shay's co-workers 19th Birthday at the Coachman. This was the night. The night to stop kidding themselves. There was no more denying it. It was time to jump in head first and take the chance and since then it's been the best decision of their lives!

This day was very special to both of us and Rob did such a thorough job planning the whole thing out. But trying to put the events into words doesn't quite capture the magic that this day meant for both of us. That day will forever live in our hearts and memories so perfectly but it deserves to be told with words. We literally can't wait to tell this story over and over again to every one of you who wants to hear it!

For those of you who aren't aware of the significance of Pender Island to us, please give this a read! Washington Grimmer was/is a Canadian Pioneer. In 1882 Washington Grimmer took up 1,400 acres of land on an island between Vancouver & Victoria. The land was heavily forested and had good soil with plenty deer, grouse and pheasants. Washington was a lonely bachelor determined to spend his years making this ocean front island into a settlement. He would row his boat to-and-from Victoria for basic purchases such as mail and writing paper. In 1885 Washington Grimmer married his wife Elizabeth Auchterlonies and in 1889 she gave birth to their son in their row boat on their way through the Navy Channel to Mayne Island. Neptune "Nep" Navy Grimmer spent 70 years continuing his dads legacy of building up Pender Island. The Grimmer's helped start a school, established the Anglican Church, built a grocery store, and in 1891 Washington Grimmer persuaded the federal government to build a dock near the post office which is now known as Port Washington. The Grimmer's founded the island, built and donated land and settlement and have lived on the Pender almost as long as British Columbia has been a province. Robert is the youngest Grimmer of his family tree. Rob brought Shay here when they first started dating and this place was steeped in family history. There are family statues, roads, beaches everything named after this family and from that point on, Shay knew that they would be married here when the day came. Pender is home. And literally can't wait for everyone to see how beautiful and special this island is to us.