When Lorena Regan needed something old to go along with something new, something borrowed and something blue for her wedding this past weekend, she didn’t have to look very far — her soon-to-be husband’s 1955 Chevrolet 210 would work just fine.
Lorena and long-time partner Phil Heindel officially tied the knot in Lions Park on Saturday as family, friends and hundreds of classic car enthusiasts and passersby looked on. The ceremony took place beneath a blue tent near the Sturgeon River in the middle of the Saturday afternoon show-and-shine as part of St. Albert’s annual Rock’n August festival.
Lorena said it was actually her idea to get hitched at the car show.
“He finally said yes, so I threw it together,” said the new Mrs. Heindel after the ceremony concluded.
“So many people we know are here, and our vehicles are here all the time, so what better place?” she added.
For his part, Phil was happy to have finally tied the knot among friends.
“I’ve been running into people all day and saying, ‘Hey, come on by, I’m getting married,’” he said with a laugh.
While Phil, 54, and Lorena, 40, have been together for 10 years, not all that time has been spent planning the nuptials. In fact, everything had to come together in a matter of just 72 hours.
“Getting the marriage officiant, my engagement ring done, wedding bands, flowers — it was mass text messages going out,” Lorena said with a laugh, adding that they even had friends drive up from Golden, B.C., on short notice to be part of the ceremony.
Phil added that, when the St. Albert Cruisers Car Club got wind of what they were planning, they were extremely co-operative.
“They told us, ‘Go look in the park, where do you want to park, how many cars do you need and we’ll have it all roped off for you,’” he said.
Joan Tkaczyk, the marriage commissioner who conducted the ceremony, said she had presided over many weddings, but none quite like this one.
“Not in this setting. But it’s absolutely wonderful,” she said. “All the ceremonies I do are unique because I work with couples to personalize their ceremonies. This is absolutely wonderful.”
When the couple approached her with the idea, she was more than happy to oblige.
“Whatever the bride and groom want, I’ll do my best to be there and make it your ceremony,” she said.
The couple met about a decade ago when Lorena went into the PartSource location on 137 Avenue in Edmonton, which Phil owns.
“I came in because my radiator needed to be repaired,” Lorena said. “I had never been into PartSource before, and I saw him and we started talking. Then I got hired, and about four months later, it started to blossom.”
Lorena admitted that she wasn’t as passionate about classic cars as Phil was when they first met, but she caught the bug soon enough.
“I didn’t really understand the whole car thing until I was given my Trans Am as a gift,” Lorena added. “When I got that, I really understood what the car thing was all about. Then it was something great to do together.”
In addition to the ’55 Chevrolet 210, Phil also had a 1971 Chevrolet Z28 R/S on display at Rock’n August, and Lorena had a 1971 Pontiac Trans Am out at Lions Park.
In fact, thanks to a little advance planning by Phil, the registration card for the Trans Am already had “Lorena Heindel” on it before the ceremony got started.
And, whether or not they add more cars to their garage, they'll keep coming back to Rock'n August, and not just for the memories.
“It’s a complete event,” Phil said. “It goes all week long, there’s tons of cars and great people. The city supports it, and that helps greatly.”
