When a close friend of ours told us she’d be getting married in St. Andrews By The Sea, we booked the weekend off work, booked the flights, and prepared to pack as much fun into three days as humanly possible. Mission accomplished!

The ceremony and reception were held at the Algonquin Resort in St. Andrews, an hour’s drive from St. John. The hotel was originally built in 1889, destroyed by fire in 1914, and replaced that same year. It’s one of the most photographed buildings in New Brunswick, and we can certainly see why!

The resort is stunning, with countless windows and incredible views. What’s truly remarkable, however, is how many different areas there are for eating, drinking, socializing, relaxing, or even playing some board games supplied by the hotel!

An additional exterior feature that’s hard to miss is the giant waterslide that winds its way out of an upper floor, around the side of the building, and then exits back inside next to the pool. If you stand beneath the tube, you can hear the shrieks of the people flying through the pipe overhead!

The day of the wedding, the skies were looking a bit ominous. We took a short walk into St. Andrews, which was quaint and welcoming, to check out the shops and waterfront.

Sadly the weather was just not reliable enough for our friends to have their ceremony outdoors as planned, but this was no problem for the hotel. One of several stunning, glass-walled rooms was quickly transformed into a beautiful event space for a beautiful bride and groom!

Once the formalities were done, it was time for everyone to cut loose – and cut loose we did! A friend wanted to take a photo of my wife and I at the bar area later on, and just as she was about to click the shutter, she flashed us to get a reaction. It clearly had the intended effect!

Let’s just say it was a slow, leisurely start to the next day, where we enjoyed one last brunch with our fun, fabulous group before going our separate ways.

We took another walk through St. Andrews – it was pretty in overcast weather, and it was also pretty in the glorious sunshine!

We took a winding route back to St. John, where we were able to explore the area around Market Square before meeting some friends for dinner. It’s a hilly walk, with lots of historic sites and interesting buildings to see – some with the imprints of long-gone businesses still visible.

We could have done with several more days to enjoy all that New Brunswick has to offer, but this trip was short and sweet. Sending lots of love out to our friends Alex and Mark for including us in their celebrations. We wouldn’t have missed it for the world!