Lovers of holiday TV movies will recognize Brittany Bristow as the leading lady in their favourite films, including this season’s oh-so-festive My Sweet Austrian Holiday and The Christmas Chocolatier. But before she became Hallmark queen, she was Hallmark princess — daughter to Lief Bristow, director and producer of many of the channel’s top-rated Christmas movies. Now, the actor shares how she found her leading man for life, Dustin Keating.
How they met
It’s painfully cliché, but we met at the gym. For over two years, we would see each other there and talk, but it took us a while before we finally went on our first date. We call it the “long con.”
The first date
Our first date was at the now-shuttered [Parkdale restaurant and bar] Superfly (RIP) on Aug. 15, 2019. The lead-up to it is the real story. Months earlier, we had a tentative date scheduled, but a series of unfortunate events — and my trademark clumsiness — got in the way. I fell down a flight of stairs and bruised most of the bones in my foot. Instead of explaining the situation properly, or sending proof of my very, very swollen foot, I sent a somewhat vague, “I’m sorry, I have to cancel — I hurt my foot” text. Not my best work. Understandably, Dustin thought I was bailing and didn’t push any further. Months later, Dustin was at a dinner at a mutual friend’s house and my name came up, to which Dustin mentioned the failed date, to which someone at the table confirmed seeing me hobbling around that day, and that I had not blown him off. Dustin texted me first thing the next morning to ask if I was free that night. Spoiler alert, I was.
The relationship
Shortly after our first date, I was scheduled to leave for North Bay to work on a TV series, so we packed in eight days together. Back to back to back we had dinner, walked around the city, hit balls at the driving range — all before I had to leave. The first weekend, I came back to town, and the next weekend we rented a cottage near production.
When the shoot finally wrapped, we had just six days before I flew to Vancouver for a Hallmark movie. We spent every minute together. From the start, we decided not to overthink anything — just to go all in.
By the time the movie wrapped, we had rented a car and embarked on a road trip from Seattle to California, which took a sudden detour to Vegas, and then a plane to Belize. We just didn’t want it to end! By the end of the trip, we had only been together for 3.5 months, and then COVID happened, so really — it’s like it never did.
The proposal
It was perfect. We were visiting Dustin’s family in Nova Scotia, and he wanted to propose at their cottage where we always watch at least one sunset over the water. Dustin enlisted his parents for help. His mom and dad, Susie and Patrick, put on Oscar-worthy performances. Susie staged a “doctor’s call,” and they both insisted they couldn’t leave Halifax. They urged us to go ahead [to the cottage] without them.
On the drive, I realized we’d be at the cottage for the two-year anniversary of our first date! I suggested we grab champagne to toast the occasion, unknowingly helping Dustin set the scene. He later confessed that he had no plan for disguising the impromptu champagne detour.
That evening, we cooked a beautiful dinner and walked down to the water at sunset. We popped a bottle of champagne, I said, “I love you” and that’s when Dustin began his speech. When he pulled out the ring, I screamed, “YES!” before he even got the words out. Turns out, he’d nailed the timing — it was exactly two years to the day since our first date.
The wedding
We got married on Sept. 16, 2022 — one year, one month and one day after the proposal — at The Toronto Hunt.
For our honeymoon, we started in Rome, where Dustin had previously lived. From there, we travelled to Barcelona and then explored Santorini, Milos and Athens in Greece. It was unforgettable.
Shared hobbies and interests
Golf is a big one. During the pandemic, it became our escape, and it’s stayed a huge part of our relationship. We even wrote a movie about golf while playing — it’s kind of our thing. We’ve golfed with both our families, on vacations, and are even planning on golfing in Asia this winter.
Outside of golf, we love cooking, designing furniture and pieces for our home and watching British panel shows.
The secret to success
We’re a team. We support each other. We show up for each other and prioritize what matters to us, and on top of that, we genuinely enjoy being together. We’re lucky in that way, and while we prefer to be together, we’re just as committed to seeing each other succeed both individually and as a team.
Balancing careers and a relationship
It’s all about support. Dustin’s design and fabrication company, the Make Nice Project, has been a huge success in just two years, and I love seeing him thrive. For my part, this industry can be a roller coaster, but Dustin is my biggest cheerleader. He celebrates every opportunity that comes my way and keeps me grounded. When I’m travelling, we make time to connect daily, even if it’s just to say good morning and good night.