Calgary widow creates special community Valentine’s event after partner passes
Posted Feb 9, 2026 11:22 am.
A widow in Calgary is turning her grief into something special this Valentine’s Day, after the passing of her partner of seven years.
Hannah Carnat-Gronnerud lost her fiancé, 31-year-old Ian de Metz, to a workplace accident in Calgary just six weeks before their wedding day.
“There was no warning, there was no goodbye, and at the same time, I’m so thankful because of the place that we were at and how excited we were for our wedding,” she tells CityNews.
The fly fisher who loved cars held a gentle presence and collaborated with Carnat-Gronnerud to create social media content for years.
Saying her feeling of dread at knowing the day wasn’t to be was horrible, Carnat-Gronnerud still held a wedding day, where she wore her dress as friends and family flew home for the event.
“It was a beautiful, heartbreaking day. It was absolutely gut-wrenching,” she said.
“But it was so beautiful to be able to honour our love and honour Ian and who he is. I feel incredibly lucky that we still did that.”
After a year-and-a half of grieving and heartbreak, taking it moment by moment, she reached out to her community on social media. With the help of her wedding planner, she organized a Valentine’s event to bring together other widows to connect and support one another.
“To have the opportunity to be with other people who understand, or whether or not they understand, who are willing just to be there and witness whatever you’re going through is so vital because grief is the most universal experience, right?” she said.
“And I’ve said this before, but we celebrate life and babies and birth and marriage, but then what about the other part of everything that we will all go through?”
The free “Women and Widows Valentine’s Day” event on Feb. 15 will include food, drinks, activities, and quiet spaces for people to connect and support. Her mother is also showing support with a meditative space.
“I could not be more thankful that we still had our wedding day in whatever ways that we did, and that I’m still able to honour Ian … with this event as well,” she said.
While registration ended Sunday, information about the event can be found on her Instagram page @thatgrlhannah.
