Match: A country music festival set the stage for this romance

Who: Jeff Carrick, 42, superintendent; Marissa Carrick, 32, hair stylist

Location: Barrie, Ont.

Relationship status: Together since 2015

A festival flirtation

Marissa: In 2015 I went to Boots and Hearts [Music Festival] with some girls from work. We were setting up our brand new trailer the night before the festival started, but we didn’t know how to flip the propane switch. I saw this guy wandering around near by and asked for help.

Jeff: I told them my friend was a propane tech and I went to get him. The truth was my friend was a carpenter, but I didn’t know what I was doing. I had had a couple of beers and didn’t want to make a fool of myself.

Marissa: We hung out a lot that weekend – went to a bunch of the shows together. There was a photo installation at Boots and Hearts that says “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?” We were walking by it and this couple asked us to take their picture. And then they asked if we wanted ours taken. So that was our first kiss.

Match: This gallery owner tried to sell an artist his own painting, then they fell in love

Giving love the boot

Marissa: Two years later we were back at Boots and Hearts to see Luke Bryan on the Sunday night. I remember thinking something was up because Jeff wasn’t wearing his cowboy boots. He always wears his boots, but that day he wore sandals and had his boots in a bag.

Jeff: I had the ring inside my boot. It was the only way to get it in without her knowing about it. The whole thing almost got busted going through security.

Marissa: We went to find the sign where we had our first kiss. We were posing for a picture and our friend asked me a question to get my attention. When I turned back he was down on one knee. I didn’t even say yes, I got down on my knees too and said “Thank you. I love you.”

Jeff: I said, that’s great, but are you going to say yes? There are a lot of people watching.

Barnyard bliss

Jeff: We got married in 2017. It was a full on country wedding: cowboy boots, in front of a barn. My best man was that friend who first fixed the propane switch. Our first dance was Then by Brad Paisley.

Marissa: I thought it was perfect because it’s about thinking back on the early days and how you think you loved each other then. … We also danced to Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not? which I have always thought of as our theme song.

Jeff: We went back to Boots and Hearts that summer. We were planning to get a honeymoon photo by our sign, but it was gone.

Marissa: We looked everywhere! If anyone knows were it is – we really want another photo. We have a little one on the way in October, so it might look a little different. We’re really excited.

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