Couple's Whiteshell wedding put on hold, as wildfire evacuations remain in place at provincial park

Lauren Scott · CBC News

· Posted: May 21, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

A Manitoba mates who had planned to get joined astatine a edifice successful Whiteshell Provincial Park connected Saturday accidental they are inactive hoping their wedding tin determination guardant arsenic scheduled. 

The state issued an evacuation bid connected May 13, closing the parkland 2 days aboriginal owed to utmost occurrence conditions, related to an out-of-control wildfire burning astatine the Ontario border, adjacent Ingolf. 

The closure came conscionable implicit a week earlier 25-year-old Jessica Boswick and 28-year-old Bryan Honcharik's wedding astatine Falcon Trails Resort connected Saturday. 

"Our wedding is benignant of enactment connected hold," Boswick told CBC News connected Tuesday. 

"Our archetypal dates were astatine Falcon Lake and we some grew up successful the Whiteshell, truthful we wanted to person our wedding ellipse backmost to wherever we each started," she said. 

Boswick said the mates stock a emotion for the outdoors, and had planned to necktie the knot successful beforehand of astir 80 guests successful the parkland wherever they each person truthful galore fond memories astatine household cabins. 

The mates booked the venue astir a twelvemonth successful advance. They besides hired a caterer, florist, hairsbreadth and constitution artists and an officiant for the play ceremony. 

Many of their guests volition beryllium flying successful for the event, with astir 50 radical from the wedding booking stays at the resort, Falcon Trails told CBC successful an email. 

Falcon Trails Resort co-owner and wide manager Caleigh Christie said she is inactive hoping the  edifice volition beryllium capable to big Boswick and Honcharik's wedding connected Saturday. 

Christie said she is expecting an update from Manitoba Parks connected Wednesday greeting and her squad volition statesman readying for the play if a reopening is permitted. 

Christie said Falcon Trails is taking the parkland closure "day by day," portion keeping guests with upcoming stays and events successful the loop. She said guests affected by parkland closures tin get a afloat refund connected their deposit oregon recognition toward a aboriginal stay. 

But Boswick said they haven't asked for a refund. She's hopeful the parkland could unfastened connected Wednesday oregon Thursday. 

"I'm holding retired until the past infinitesimal to spot if they'll open," she said.

As of Tuesday night, it was unclear whether Whiteshell parkland would reopen. 

The Ingolf occurrence has dispersed to much than 32,000 hectares, occurrence maps for Manitoba and Ontario showed arsenic of 9 p.m. connected Tuesday. The occurrence is inactive not nether control, according to the maps.

On Tuesday, the occurrence was showing "increased activity" owed to Monday's precocious winds, the Whiteshell Cottagers Association said successful its astir caller occurrence update. 

The parkland is besides successful adjacent proximity to the out-of-control Nopiming occurrence and the Lac du Bonnet fire, which is present being held, Manitoba's occurrence representation shows. 

While Boswick's wedding plans stay uncertain, she says she feels fortunate to beryllium harmless and retired of the occurrence zone. 

"Wildfires don't person a schedule," she said. 

"Luckily, weddings are not arsenic superior arsenic losing your location oregon your family. They tin beryllium rearranged and moved to different venues," she said, adding the mates hopes the assemblage volition travel unneurotic to assistance them find an alternate venue successful clip for the wedding. 

No substance what happens — whether the wedding takes spot successful the Whiteshell or a rented structure — Boswick said the mates inactive plans to get joined connected Saturday. 

"At the extremity of the day, nary substance wherever we get married, I'm inactive marrying Bryan. As agelong arsenic we person each other, that's each that matters astatine this point," she said. 

"I deliberation nary substance wherever we are, we'll inactive person a beauteous wedding."