Melissa Cormier, 35, a gym owner, and Devon Mistry, 28, a construction site supervisor, wanted their Banff elopement to be quiet, intimate and completely off the radar—no guests, no announcements, no expectations. They told family they were flying west early to prepare for their 18-guest micro-wedding at Emerald Lake Lodge later in the month. Instead, they covertly hiked up a mountain during a snowstorm wearing their bride and groom outfits for a sunrise ceremony at Peyto Lake, where a photographer met them to capture the moment. One windswept photo from that stormy ceremony ended up going viral, alerting their families to their secret plan. Here’s how it all came together.
Devon: I always say that the universe had a sense of humour when it brought us together. It was early 2020, the very start of the pandemic, and I was managing the final construction closeout in a new downtown condo. Melissa had just moved in—literally a week earlier—and needed her appliances set up and some pictures hung. Mario, the concierge, called me up. I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. Then she opened the door.
Melissa: I still laugh thinking about that first moment. He walked in with tools in hand, confident, helpful and so kind. And that smile—god, that smile went straight through me. There was playful banter, nothing dramatic, but I closed the door thinking, Did that just happen? I was definitely struck.
Right after that, I left for Calgary for two weeks, and when I came home, my paintings had fallen off the wall. I called up Mario and said, “Can you please send up the same person?” Minutes later, Devon was at my door. He had forgotten my name. I didn’t forget his, though. He talked his way out of it so sweetly that I still wanted to see him again.
Devon: She had this hilarious thank-you card with a crane on it—“Thanks a ton!”—and a gift card with her number. I texted her immediately. I wasn’t playing games. Our first official date was an outdoor trip to the Toronto Islands. We couldn’t do anything traditional because of lockdowns, so we improvised. Honestly, that made everything more genuine.
Melissa: Every date was outdoors—walks, patios when they briefly opened, picnics, sunsets by the water. We didn’t even see our first movie together in a theatre until two years into the relationship. It was unconventional, but it built this softness and closeness right from the start.
Devon: She was adventurous, up for anything, and so open. I loved that. We built experiences instead of routines. Very quickly, I realized how caring and hardworking she was—someone who supported you without even thinking. I just felt anchored.
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Melissa: I grew up in New Brunswick with separated parents, and most of my parents’ attention was on my brother because he struggled with mental health challenges. I poured all my energy into martial arts, starting when I was four. My instructor became like a father figure to me—guiding me, challenging me, and teaching me discipline, focus and confidence from a young age. That foundation shaped how I approached life and love.
Devon: I also grew up with separated parents. I moved to Brampton from the United States with my mother and sister when I was eight, and the adjustment was challenging. I’d been through my own experiences with family and past relationships, so I immediately understood Melissa’s strength and independence. Her dedication and resilience and the values she carried from family and martial arts connected with me deeply. We both knew what it meant to navigate life with love and responsibility, even when things weren’t perfect.
Melissa: That shared experience of being children of separated parents connected us instantly. Combined with our outdoor dates and simple moments together, it set the tone for everything that came after.
Devon: Our first trip was in December of 2020, to Emerald Lake Lodge in the Rockies at the height of winter. A full week of snowboarding, early mornings and total disconnection—no Wi-Fi, no cell service. It was the first time I’d experienced mountains like that and the first time I realized I was falling in love with her.
Melissa: I lived in Calgary from 2013 to 2017 before I was recruited for a job opportunity in Toronto. In those four years, I did a ton of skiing and hiking and exploring lakes around the Rockies. My favourite place in the entire world is Emerald Lake—it’s where I feel most like myself—so that’s why I wanted to take him there. We hiked, snowshoed and played card games by the fire, and he helped improve my snowboarding skills. It was simple and magical. That was when I thought, This is real.
Devon: In the summer of 2021, when travel briefly reopened, we booked a last-minute trip to Greece. Everything that could go wrong did—delays, ferry issues, lost reservations—but we laughed the entire time. Ten days, island-hopping, finishing in Athens. Somewhere in the chaos, we said, “I love you.”
Melissa: That trip cemented everything. If you can survive Greek ferry chaos together and still smile, you’re good for life. For me, that was the moment I knew he was the one.
Devon: That September, I moved in with Melissa downtown. We started meeting each other’s families, slowly merging our worlds. Our travels continued—France, Sardinia, Corsica, Costa Rica. All smooth sailing. Then came a family trip to PEI, where our parents met for the first time, and everything felt easy and natural.
Melissa: I was deeply moved by how naturally my family embraced Devon—especially my brother. The two of them connected instantly. Even now, my brother calls Devon just to chat. That bond means everything to me, and seeing them get along so well was one of the most important parts of this journey.
In 2023, life got real. I was working as a personal trainer at a luxury gym in Yorkville, and I decided to take a leap and open my own fitness studio. Devon was extremely busy with work. It was chaotic, stressful and nothing like our dreamy travel days. But we pushed through together, and honestly, it made us stronger than ever.
Devon: I knew that it was the right time for us to take our relationship to the next phase. Melissa had a work course in Calgary in May, so I went with her. We spent my birthday, May 4, in Banff. Everyone expected a normal birthday trip. Instead, I got down on one knee. And she said yes.
Melissa: It was perfect—peaceful, private, in the mountains again. Full circle. We always knew we didn’t want the traditional Toronto wedding. The cost didn’t make sense, and we’d heard too many stories of couples barely spending time together on their big day. We wanted a wedding that was 100 per cent about us.
Devon: Before moving to Toronto, Melissa had worked for many years in Calgary. She adored the Canadian Rockies. I knew that she’d always longed for a winter mountain wedding. Banff was the only place that made sense. Emerald Lake was where we first fell in love. Choosing Banff felt like choosing home.
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Melissa: I woke up at 3 a.m. to get ready. We left the hotel by 5 a.m., met our photographers at Lake Louise by 6. Unfortunately, with rain in the forecast for Lake Louise, our photographers advised us to switch the venue at the eleventh hour. We drove through rain, freezing rain and snow toward Peyto Lake. The winds were wild. Checking the forecast at our backup location, Peyto Lake, we realized we were choosing between rain and heavy winds. In the end, we chose the latter. Devon was perfectly layered for a winter morning in the Rockies. Meanwhile, I had gone full bridal—no thermal layers under the dress. I was basically going commando in the middle of a snowstorm. He carried my cape in a garment bag on his shoulder like a total champ.
Devon: We hiked up the snowy mountain during a strong wind, which felt epic. The lake below is shaped like a wolf—perfect for two dog lovers. When Cole, our officiant, started the ceremony, we got blasted by a huge gust of wind. I leaned forward to block Melissa, her cape flew dramatically and Cole joked that we should take a quick warm-up break in the trees. It was freezing but beautiful.
Melissa: We finished photos at Peyto, then Lake Louise, then Emerald Lake, where the clouds sat low over the mountains. By noon, we were starving—bison burgers at Emerald Lake Lodge never tasted so good. We ended the night with drinks at the Fairmont Banff Springs and dinner at Bluebird Steakhouse. It was intimate, romantic and perfect.
Devon: We didn’t tell our families about the elopement beforehand because we wanted the day to be ours alone. Only two people knew—one of our friends and my boss, Jenn, who happened to be in Banff the same weekend. We told everyone else that we were just going to do some prep ahead of our micro-wedding.
Melissa: Before posting anything, our photographers, Dorota and Marcin, asked for our permission to share photos from the elopement on their Instagram grid. Their feed is already full of breathtaking mountain elopements, so we didn’t think much of it. But, within days, one windswept shot from our ceremony went viral and was being shared across major wedding pages, and we were getting interview requests from the US, Asia—and pretty much all over the world. After that, we decided it was time to tell our families, especially since their closest friends were already finding out on their own. When we called Devon’s mum, she was in the middle of grocery shopping. She immediately stepped out of the store, overwhelmed with joy, telling us how happy she was. Our families’ support made everything feel even more real and grounded.
Devon: We did our micro-wedding celebration at Emerald Lake Lodge on November 28. We invited 18 guests—mostly friends, plus her dad, my mom and my sister. The ceremony was outdoors at the third viewpoint along the Emerald Lake trail, with our friend Phil officiating.
Melissa: We held the reception in the President’s Room and Yoho Lounge at Emerald Lake Lodge, with bison meatballs, bacon-wrapped scallops, butternut squash soup, lamb chops, an open bar and a simple cake. It was cozy, elegant and exactly us. Just a day after we got married, Emerald Lake froze over completely. It felt like the universe had timed everything perfectly. We had a simple black-and-white theme, a winter mountain aesthetic and a seat reserved for my martial arts instructor, who had passed away. It meant everything.
Devon: We’re still processing the fact that we’re married. One moment, we were standing on a snowy ridge exchanging vows in complete secrecy; the next, we were giving interviews to publications around the world while still planning our micro-wedding. It’s been surreal and overwhelming, but these joys fully belong to us. After everything we’ve navigated together—from our first hallway encounter to a stormy Banff elopement—we’re ready to take on this new life as husband and wife.
Melissa: For our honeymoon, we’re planning to go back to Greece—back to where everything really began. Hopefully, this time we won’t face any travel meltdowns, but even if we do, we’re ready for it. After everything we’ve been through, we know we can handle anything—as a unit, as a couple.
Cheat Sheet
Elopement
Date: November 10, 2025
Officiant: Cole Hofstra (@marriedbycole)
Photography: BDFK Photographers
Florist: Willow Flower Co.
Dress: Rosa Clará
Cape: ANLaceStudioShop via Etsy
Bridal boots: Steve Madden
Bridal heels: Gianvito Rossi
Bridal handbag: Mini Lady Dior
Alterations: Tannis Emmett Wedding Style
Devon’s outfit: Suit Supply
Micro-wedding
Date: November 28, 2025
Venue: Emerald Lake Lodge Presidents Room
Photographer: Kendal & Kevin Photography
Flowers: Willow Flower Co.
Hair: Jaime Sturgeon from Mane Studio
Makeup: Maddie Kidd from Blush & Coco
Ceremony gown: Leah Da Gloria
Alterations: Rodika at White Toronto
Reception gown: Katherine Tash
Veil: Noon on the Moon Bridal
Melissa’s shoes: Dior
Devon’s outfit: Suit Supply
