On Saturday, December 14, 2019, Jane Doucet and Craig Pothier were wed in Halifax. Their story is truly romance novel-worthy.
Reconnecting
Jane and Craig met at their Yarmouth, N.S., high school in the mid-1980s but lost contact after moving to different provinces to attend university and then start their careers. More than two decades later, they ran into each other by chance on Quinpool Road in Halifax.
The pair scheduled a café date for December 14, 2014, at Halifax Central Library, the day after it opened its doors to the public. "We didn't want to go on opening day because we knew it would be really crowded,” says Jane.
Together, they explored the brand-new building and settled in at the fifth-floor café for tea and chocolate cupcakes. It was raining, so Craig drove Jane home, and she forgot her umbrella in his car (she swears it was unintentional!). The rest is history.
Library connections
Over the next few years, Jane and Craig continued their relationship through life and career changes—and many more visits to the Library to borrow books and have tea.
In fact, in June of 2017, Jane, an author, hosted the launch of her debut novel, The Pregnant Pause, in Room 301 at Central Library. "It's a special place to us for many reasons," she says.
And in 2021, Jane Published, Fishnets & Fantasies, a laugh out loud second novel about a married couple in their late 50s who open an adult shop in tiny, tourist-friendly Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. You can borrow Jane's books from Halifax Public Libraries:
Full-circle moment
On December 14, 2019—five years to the day of their first date—Jane and Craig got married in the RBC Learning Centre on the third floor of Halifax Central Library. That date also marked Central Library's fifth-birthday event, so the celebratory energy in the building was perfect—and just like on their first date, it rained!
Jane and Craig created a wedding day that was representative of the beginning, middle, and future of their relationship story. They'll always look back on it with great fondness.
Congratulations from all of us at Halifax Public Libraries, and thanks for letting us be part of your story!
All photos by Tony Bremner
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