When Chad Armand first noticed Jenna Stewart at work, he was intrigued, but it took him months to build up the courage to speak to her. She was beautiful, confident, “and completely out of my league,” Chad recalls, with a laugh.
“Except I had already noticed him,” teases Jenna (now Armand). When Chad finally said hi, it sparked an undeniable connection. But, as single parents — Chad with two boys and Jenna with a daughter — they chose to stay friends to protect their children’s happiness.
When the two families met, however, it was their children’s joy that sealed things.
“I knew this was forever when I saw [Chad] with my daughter and how seamlessly he loved her like his own,” says Jenna. After welcoming their youngest daughter in 2015, they decided to plan a wedding involving all of the kids.
A decade later, on May 17, 2025, Jenna and Chad were married at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s Grazers Restaurant — a special place for their family. “The zoo was our first ‘date’ with all our kids 13 years ago when we started seeing each other,” explains Jenna. Their wedding party was a family affair, with the eldest daughter as the “Jr. Maid of Honour,” their sons the groomsmen and their youngest daughter the flower girl.
Despite plans for a sunny, outdoor ceremony, unexpected rain created a different memorable affair. “It was perfect in the most chaotic, wonderful way possible,” Jenna says, laughing. The couple has a running joke that they always get caught in unexpected downpours, so naturally their wedding was no exception. Their guests even stayed outside in the rain as long as possible, drawing out umbrellas with grins until hail chased everyone indoors.
“Everyone ran like joyful kids splashing through puddles,” Jenna recalls.
Inside, the Grazers team quickly guided guests to the Enmax Conservatory to finish the ceremony. Grazers brought the dreamy reception to life. Inspired by the show Bridgerton, the conservatory was a combination of soft pastels, candlelight and florals hanging from the ceiling. “It was absolutely perfect,” says Chad.
Their wedding day wasn’t just a union of two hearts, but a celebration of their family. “We got married to celebrate what was already there,” says Jenna.
