Alan Frew and Marcy Mihalcheon couldn’t have chosen more different career paths: Alan’s the Juno winning (and Grammy nominated) frontman of Canadian band Glass Tiger (he also wrote the song “I Believe” for the Vancouver Olympics), and Marcy’s entrepreneurial inclinations ultimately led her to start her own booming business, Marcy’s Gourmet Croutons.
Alan and Marcy tell their story:
How they met
MARCY: We met on a blind date back in 1988. I’m an Edmonton girl, and while travelling through Toronto, I had dinner with a good friend who was working on Glass Tiger’s “I’m Still Searching” video. During the meal, she wouldn’t stop bringing up the fact that Alan and I should meet. I nonchalantly said, “I’m leaving for New York in the morning, so if you think we should meet, ask him to fly there. ”The next day, however, I decided I wasn’t interested in a blind date and told my friend to call the whole thing off.
ALAN: Too late. The damage was done. I had called her hotel.
The first date
ALAN: On the day of our first meeting, which ended up being in Toronto, I had a snooker charity event for United Way and called Marcy to say that I would pick her up around 2 p.m. — but she nixed that idea immediately.
What happened?
MARCY: The night before the big date, my sister and I went to a record store and purchased a Glass Tiger cassette and squinted to see which one he might be (we should have bought the LP!). On the day of the event, I entered the hotel and saw Alan; my heart leapt, and my tummy had a whirl of butterflies, which remained for the duration of the date. And the rest is history!
ALAN: When she came down that escalator she gave me a feeling that screamed, “You have never met a woman like this before.” We have been together ever since that day.
The courtship
MARCY: We spent a few years doing the long-distance courtship, which was tough on the both of us. Yet we always managed to find a way to make it work.
ALAN: We’re spirited and passionate partners who have most definitely had our tough moments, but we’ve never, ever let those hardships and strong-willed dynamics overshadow our depth of caring and love for each other.
The proposal
ALAN: Which proposal? There have been two proposals and three engagement rings!
MARCY: Alan first proposed at Fairy Lake in Newmarket, at a picnic table right beside a path. I was in a state of bliss — I showed my engagement ring to anyone who would give me the time!
ALAN: That proposal just never quite cut it (and the ring? Well I made the mistake of soliciting help from one of her friends who was supposed to know here taste in rings …WRONG!).
MARCY: Because of an illness in my family, the wedding was never planned. So on my 40th birthday, when we were in Italy, Alan proposed again. After that proposal, though, we had a baby! When our daughter turned two, we finally tied the knot.
The wedding
MARCY: We married in our backyard with dear friends and family around us. The day was enchanting, and well worth the 19- year wait.
ALAN: The bride was escorted by a Celtic/Cajun trio. Our little daughter was our flower girl, and she spent the ceremony in her mommy’s arms,much to the delight of all. The evening then began with a dinner created by Massimo Capra, under a large tent adorned with magnificent flowers.
MARCY: The celebrations continued into the night with the sounds of a Glenn Miller orchestra. The groom sang two Frank Sinatra numbers at his own wedding.
ALAN: That night I got the two things I always wanted: 1) sing with a big band like Glenn Miller, and 2) to marry Marcy.