That’s a whole lot of RSVPs
Mayor, fiancée invite entire town of 37,000 to their wedding
“I told her, ‘It’s different if you date (a politician); we have a large extended family.’ Then she learned how big.” JUSTIN ALTMANN WHITCHURCHSTOUFFVILLE MAYOR
Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Justin Altmann and his fiancée, Jenny Hillier, have some big wedding plans: The couple invited their entire town of 37,000 to celebrate with them.
With a date set for Aug. 6 at Civic Square in downtown Stouffville, the ceremony is to take place at12:30 p.m. in front of the Lebovic Centre for Arts & Entertainment, 19 On the Park.
Altmann, who was elected mayor in 2014 , said it was “absolutely” love at first sight when he met Hillier last November in line at a horse show.
“She’s genuine, down to earth, very kind, understanding,” the mayor told the Star. “She, too, sees what I see in my community. I love this community and the people here. I told her, ‘It’s different if you date (a politician); we have a large extended family.’ Then she learned how big.”
The couple, engaged five months now, sent 800 invitations to “VIPs and dignitaries,” family and friends. All other residents planning to attend the ceremony were asked to RSVP by email.
“We sat down (and) my list kept growing,” Altmann said. “Once we got up to 500 people, we realized . . . we had to do things a little bit differently and just invite the whole community, so no one’s left out, so no one’s missed.”
He added that he just wanted an “old, simple, town-country wedding that the community can come out to and watch us say our vows . . . and from there, go to RibFest.”
Guests are encouraged to join the newlywed couple after the ceremony at the annual BBQ celebration in Memorial Park, adjacent to the wedding venue. Admission is free, but a meal will set guests back about $25.
It’s the perfect place for an afterparty, said the mayor. “Everyone can sit at whatever table they wish . . . help themselves . . . everyone can relax and enjoy the day and not worry about the details.”
Altmann also made it clear that, despite rumours around town, the cost of his mega-wedding is coming “solely out of our own pockets. Nothing (will be paid for by) the taxpayer.”
He’s as curious as anyone to see what the credit card statement will be at the end of the month. But they’ve budgeted the wedding to come in at about $40,000. That’s including the horse and carriage, the five limos, extra security, loads of flowers and paper fans embossed with the couple’s wedding logo. Oh, and the cake. At six-by-eight feet, and four flavours — vanilla, chocolate, Nutella and red velvet — you can’t forget the cake, by local chef John Ferdinald, of Vanilla en Glaze.
“This is the biggest ceremony I’ve done,” said florist Jaimie Vander Henne, who has been in the business since 1999 and owns the Stouffville flower shop, Centerpieces.
“Today, he told me he wants to hand flowers out to people . . . so I need 300 or 400 singles wrapped up for him now, too.”
Vander Henne said the total floral damage is looking like $8,000. “I think it’s really good he’s making an effort (to shop local),” she said. “We can do everything here they can do in Toronto. This (wedding) proves it.”
Giving back is a priority for the couple who have asked guests, in lieu of gifts, to make donations to a mobility washroom project. Possibly the first of its kind in North America, the trailer is an undertaking of local resident Diane Ward, who told the Star it is a washroom for people with special needs and will be available for rent to local fairs and festivals.
Ward has raised almost $15,000 of the $120,000 needed and said she’s “absolutely thrilled” the mayor would put his mega-wedding behind her project.
The bride-to-be, from her Toronto office where she’s a senior manager with the Bank of Montreal, also agreed that community was a cornerstone of this commitment. Hillier hasn’t just fallen in love with Justin, she said, she’s fallen in love with Stouffville.
“Obviously, we want to support the town,” said Hillier, when asked about all the local touches.
“The residents have been so wonderful to us, and we want to give back any way we can.”
All the media attention has been outside her comfort zone, but Hillier doesn’t seem to have a Bridezilla bone in her body. She’s sweet and talks at length about the couple’s values.
“Sharing our commitment and love with everyone is so important to us,” she said. “I just wanted to keep everything very simple.”