Theirs is a love story that was meant to be. No matter where they travelled and whom they met, Mike Holmes Jr. and Lisa Grant always found their way back to one another. The TV personality, 28, and his new wife, 29, first met and briefly dated as teens but they reunited years later. “I remember it so vividly,” says Lisa, a herbalist and holistic health coach. “At 18, I said to him, ‘I think you’re going to be the father of my children one day.’”
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“Lisa always had a special place in my heart,” Mike tells Hello! “People who have known me the longest know that. I would light up whenever I saw her. I knew I was going to marry her.” That’s why family and friends weren’t surprised when Mike, whose father is contractor and TV host Mike Holmes, proposed during a trip to Ottawa in 2016. Lisa was shocked by the romantic proposal, which was shared with fans during an episode of Holmes & Holmes, the home reno series that features father and son.
This August, the couple invited their loved ones to join them for an enchanting outdoor wedding in Ontario’s Blue Mountains area at the cottage of Dragons’ Den star Arlene Dickinson. Here, they share the details of their romantic nuptials.
Congratulations to you both! How does it feel to be newlyweds?
Lisa: When Michael proposed to me, that’s the moment I felt married. I was thinking the wedding is going to be a party and a celebration of love with everyone. But after having all of our friends and family acknowledge our marriage, I woke up the morning after our wedding feeling different. It’s a cool feeling.
Mike: You took the words right out of my mouth. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s like our love has grown somehow, our bond has grown.
Did your wedding have a theme?
Lisa: The theme was secret garden. I always knew I wanted it to be outside. I got married barefoot because I wanted to be grounded and connected with the earth when I said my vows to the love of my life.
Mike: We figured that we’re going to do it in our style. That meant dancing, good music and good food with the people we love.
What did each of you wear on the big day?
Lisa: I wore a lace dress. My grandfather passed away three years ago, and my mom had sewn his wedding band into the dress where my heart is. I also wore a gold necklace that my grandma gave me. I felt like my grandparents were with me.
Mike: I wore a Hugo Boss tuxedo. My dad actually bought me a pair of cufflinks to wear. He said, “On my wedding day, my father gave me a pair of cufflinks. I got you a pair to carry on that tradition.”
How did you feel when you first saw each other at the ceremony?
Mike: I was so nervous. My heart was beating two million times a minute! The second I saw Lisa, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I cried my eyes out.
Lisa: I was actually able to keep it together all day. As soon as I saw Michael, I just started crying. We locked eyes the entire time, except when I had to look away because if I kept looking at him all my makeup would have been running down my face.
What personal touches did you incorporate into the ceremony?
Mike: It was very informal and from the heart. We each said a poem to each other. Both of our mothers also read poems during the ceremony. We wanted our families to be part of it. We wanted this to be a celebration of love for everybody, about two families coming together.
Did you do anything to surprise each other that day?
Mike: I wrote Lisa a note and had a friend bring it over to her before the wedding. It said how I felt about her. I couldn’t wait to see her walk down the aisle and to spend the rest of our lives together.
After all of your planning, did everything play out as you expected it would?
Mike: Everything actually came together better than we imagined. It was raining when we were setting up. Then the weather cleared up as the girls started walking down the aisle. The sun just came out and was glistening over everyone.
Lisa: When I was pulling up, the clouds parted and the sun came out. As the ceremony proceeded, there were rays over the whole wedding party. The setting was breathtaking.
What was the reception like?
Mike: It was an amazing party. People were on the dance floor, beneath the stars… It was really cool. Afterward, we went back to our house and had an after-party with our bridal party that went on until five in the morning.
Have you received any marital advice?
Mike: My dad said there are a few things in marriage that you should always try to remember. The other person comes first, pick your battles, don’t fight over the small stuff and don’t go to bed angry. I thought that was pretty good.
Mike, Lisa has always held a special place in your heart. What’s the secret to your lasting love?
Mike: We’re best friends. We always make sure we have fun, first and foremost. We don’t hide anything from one another and are both pretty easygoing. We could have eloped and been happily married. As long as we’re together, that’s really all that matters.
All photos courtesy of Jordan Presseault/The Holmes Group and John Gillett
