Lacrosse my heart: Athletes meet and marry at destination wedding
“She lit up the room,” he said of Whitney, a finance director at ITG. A star lacrosse player — she played on both the Dartmouth and the U.S. National teams, as well as in the World Cup — she easily bounced back. Both were living in New York; Mark was then recently out of a relationship while Whitney was dating sporadically. Neither imagined their wedding adventure would turn serious, however they both felt a hint of promise. [...] for their first real date, Mark, a Canadian who played hockey at Princeton, planned a fancy dinner out even though it was the same night as a Stanley Cup game. When he mentioned that he had a friend in the match, Whitney immediately suggested they ditch dinner and duck into a sports bar. “Beauty, brains, fun and loves sports?” said Mark. [...] it was when Mark, originally from LeDuc, Alberta, met Whitney’s parents that he knew he’d found his match. Being a team player means you don’t whine, you always push ahead. In 2010 the couple moved from New York to Presidio Heights for work and a lifestyle change. Both wanted a better work-life balance and to live in a city where they could spend lots of time outdoors. On June 20, on the banks of Lake Huron in northern Michigan, near her grandparents’ home, the two married, supported by nearly 200 family and friends. Whitney’s dad walked her down the aisle, and at the first look at his bride, a huge smile washed over Mark’s face. The shimmering lake was a backdrop to the evening’s events, and dancing went on until midnight. “We’re so grateful to everyone who made the trip all the way to Michigan, and to our parents for making everything possible — and so perfect,” said Whitney, now back at work and daydreaming about the couple’s first dance, for which the normally shy Mark busted out with moves learned at a dance class.