Canadian country music artist Owen Riegling has gone from growing up on a 100-acre farm in Ontario to opening for top country acts to his own Canadian headlining tour In The Feeling, in support of his latest album. The tour includes a stop at the Kee to Bala on July 26. Ahead of his cottage country show, he told us the story of meeting his wife, Olivia (Liv), and their nostalgic farm wedding.
How they met
We lived across the hall from each other in our college dorm at Fanshawe.
The first date
I took her to the music store Long & McQuade in London to look at guitars. And then after that we went home and made spaghetti! We pretty much hung out every day after that.
We started dating in college, then did long-distance for a couple of years before getting our first apartment together. Those long-distance years inspired the song “Weekend You,” as we only saw each other on the weekends, and I often thought about what it would be like to spend a Wednesday evening together, just the two of us. In 2022 we got our first apartment together, and since about 2023 we have been travelling all over North America together for shows.
The proposal
We were dating for seven years before I finally asked the question. It was a total surprise to Liv. I only had the ring for a couple of days, but I couldn’t wait any longer. It ended up being sort of impromptu on a hike with our dog. It felt very “us.”
The wedding
We got married on my parents’ farm outside of Mildmay, Ont., in 2024. We planted grass in the middle of the cornfields, got married just before the sunset, used hay bales as seats and were surrounded by all our favourite people. It was perfect.
The pets
We have a dog named Chevy; he joined our family in 2023! He’s a cockapoo.
Shared hobbies and interests
We are obsessed with our dog, we love travelling together and going on hikes. We hike wherever we can on the road. We’ve seen some great places. Banff is one of our favourites.
The secret to success
We are best friends and genuinely love doing life together, so it’s easy. There’s really no secret to it.
Balancing careers and a relationship
Thankfully, Liv is able to come to most of my shows, which makes being away for work so much easier. We’ve gotten to experience a lot of the world together and make some amazing memories. I’m so glad I get to see all these new places with Liv, even if it’s just through the window of a moving car.
The future together
We would love to have kids, and we’d love to have another dog as well. Ideally we’ll be living somewhere in the country. I’m picturing chaos in the best way.