Weddings

Our memorable Wedding weekend at Ruby Lake Resort.

A Real Story we chose to share to thank the Cogrossi family and all her staff. This is our story. Natalie and Jeremy’s wedding from Vernon, British Columbia.

Some places host weddings. Others create experiences. What we found at Ruby Lake Resort was something else entirely.

This is not a story about perfection, luxury, or polished details.It’s a story about a place that feels alive, about people who genuinely care, and about a weekend that unfolded in the most natural and unexpected way.

We chose to share this experience to say thank you. To the Cogrossi family, and to every member of their team who made us feel not like guests, but like part of something much bigger.

What follows is exactly how it happened. We heard from a friend about this small, family-run Italian resort on the Sunshine Coast. They said it was different. Not fancy, not polished, just… different. So we decided to go.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon in early May, the second week of opening. Spring was just starting, the place felt quiet, just waking up for the season, the weather not fully warm yet.

We walked up to the front desk, where we found this funny guy holding two fresh spotted prawns in his hands, showing them to the lady at the front desk. We quickly realized that was Aldo, the chef and owner. He was so excited about the fresh seafood.

He told us to go into the restaurant, even though it wasn’t open. We walked in, called out, and he said, “One moment.” He came out with a small plate, a couple of prawns. The smell of garlic was strong, very strong, and luckily we love garlic. We just stood there and ate them. They were absolutely to die for.

That was our first impression, and that was the pitch for the special of the night, spaghetti with prawns, fresh tomato, and garlic.

Then we checked in, dropped our bags in one of the cottages. Around seven o’clock, we walked out of our room and started walking toward the restaurant. There is this floating bridge, and the lights were just coming on. It was quiet.

And then we heard something in the lagoon. A big splash. We stopped. And there it was. A huge beaver, just moving across the water. We just stood there for 10 minutes, hypnotized like two kids watching this beaver carrying branches back and forth.

Then we kept walking all the way into the restaurant. It was the second week of May, and it was a bit chilly. The wood-burning fireplace was on. It’s such a rare thing to see a real wood-burning fireplace, and the smell was amazing. They sat us right next to it, because the place was practically empty. And it was just really enjoyable.

The server came out. We told her about Aldo and the prawns, so she recommended the spaghetti with prawns. I had a beautiful Livornese pasta, fresh tomato and basil. We shared. We were a bit tired, and we didn’t want to eat that much. We had a glass of wine. It was quiet. We didn’t stay too long. We went back to the cottage.

The next morning, we woke up slowly. We hadn’t said anything yet about getting married. We just wanted to see the place as it was. So we took our own little tour. We pulled up the map of the property on the website and started walking. Path after path, looking around, taking it in. We didn’t want a guided visit, we didn’t want to bother anyone. We just wanted to understand the place without feeling the same pressure.

At some point, we made our way up into the upper village. That’s where we bumped into Aldo again. We asked a few simple questions, and then we spilled the beans. We told him we were exploring different resorts for our wedding.

He engaged immediately. He took us to a big aviary where he had peacocks and chickens. He went on about his birds, about the fresh eggs, and said, if you like fresh eggs, let me give you a few for breakfast, you can cook them in the room. He spoke for a good half hour about the birds. Then he pointed out the washrooms and gave us a few ideas on where to go next, more of the property to explore. And so we went.

That night, we went back for dinner, a little later. He told us to come down later, and we’re glad we did. He came out with one of the servers and sat down with us. No pressure, just a lovely conversation about ideas, fitting our budget. And a few limoncello later, we were sold.

We were done. We were sold and we left with a fresh dozen of organic eggs lol.

We went home, exchanged a few emails with the family, shared some ideas, confirmed a few details. Nothing complicated. And then a year went by. We came back to get married. We chose June, the longest days, mid-June, and we got very lucky with the weather.

Seventy-five people joined us, some from overseas. Friends, family, everyone made a trip out of it. Most people arrived on Friday. Some went straight to their cottages, some met right away, some cooked, some went down to the restaurant. It didn’t feel like a wedding yet, it felt like a gathering.

Saturday morning, we had breakfast together at the restaurant. Juice, coffee, beautiful fruit platters, fresh muffins, toast, jam. A lovely continental breakfast. Nothing fancy. This place is about dinner, not breakfast.

The way we structured it, we made it like a game. We told everybody to meet after breakfast on the Saturday and gave them a theme, Rainforest. We asked them to surprise us.

While we were getting ready, most of the guests went on a little scouting trip around the property, under the supervision of Aldo. They picked ferns, pine cones, branches, and decorated the tables in a very natural way. Some other guests brought flowers. It became something fun, something shared.

By lunchtime, we had organized a lunch we prepared ourselves. We used the outdoor kitchen in the village. People cooked, people set things up. The older guests came up by car from the main road. We had full access to the marquee tent, and we had a beautiful lunch together.

We were told we had to clear the marquee tent by 2 so the staff could set everything up for the big dinner. No problem.

The ceremony was at 5. We chose to get married in the grassy area in front of the cottages. It was beautiful, spontaneous. We made a few arches with branches and flowers. The ducks and birds were just floating around like they were invited. It was overcast, around 22 degrees, not too hot, not too cold. Just perfect.

The kids were all excited, some a bit too excited. One even fell into the water, but it was just part of it. After the ceremony, we all went back to the suite. Everyone returned to their rooms for a bit. Twenty minutes. Then we all met again at the marquee tent.

And from there on… off we went.

Everyone started arriving at the same time. Drinks in hand, hugs, laughter. Prosecco, rosé. A long table of Charcuterie appetizers outside the marquee tent made a big impression That’s where the evening really began.

The grills were already on. You could smell everything. Chicken, fish, olive oil. We ad grill salmon halibut and organic chicken.
Claims bowl and lovely salads. 3 different types of pastas and for dessert we bought our own wedding cake plus the resort made homemade tiramisu and ice cream for the kids.People gathered, talked, watched the chefs cook. It didn’t feel formal. It felt alive.

The band brought their own sound system and a few basic lights, and it was just perfect to start dancing by 9 pm.The bar was just a few feet away from the amphitheatre. The washrooms were close by, really nicely arranged.

Older guests stayed by the tent at first, then with a bit of help, moved and sat in the amphitheatre, while most people danced on the ground below. If they didn’t feel like being too close to the music, they stayed in the marquee tent, a couple hundred feet away, quiet enough to talk.

People moved back and forth. Nothing felt forced. Everything just flowed.

It created an environment where we felt safe. Safe for the kids. Safe for everyone. We even had a guest in a wheelchair, and it was easy enough to move around. Washroom access, paths, everything was doable.

By midnight, Aldo’s son and a few of the servers came by to say hi. We invited them to dance. And as tradition, Aldo joined us, dancing, drinking with us.

We truly enjoyed it, because it didn’t feel like staff and guests anymore. It felt like we were part of an extended family. We appreciated the hard work they put into delivering something that felt well done, and having them be part of the celebration made it unique.

At the end of the night, around 1:30 a.m., Aldo was still there with a few of us. He helped shut down the bar with the staff. Then we all slowly made our way back to our rooms.

The next morning, we showed up around nine. A bit slower this time. We had another lovely breakfast. Some people went canoeing, some went swimming. It wasn’t that warm, but a few still jumped in the lake. Others just sat around, coffee in hand, talking about the night before.

We planned it in a way where we had a reservation for a late ferry on Sunday. We packed the cars slowly. Some of us stopped for lunch in Gibsons and Sechelt, went for a walk in a beautiful park along the way. It all just flowed.

I would highly, highly recommend making a ferry reservation. It makes a big difference. We showed up about 40 minutes before, no stress, no waiting.

And just like that, we were on our way back. We made it home to Abbotsford around eleven that night. Tired. Happy.

We felt extremely blessed.

And since that day, like in this letter, I recommend this place to anyone looking for something unique. I understand it’s not for everyone.

But for us, it was truly unforgettable.

Thank you again for the beautiful memories.
Natalie & Jeremy.