Canadian swimmer Michelle Williams finds her soulmate in the pool

She was born in South Africa. He was born in South America. They found each other at a swimming pool in Toronto. Next weekend, Canadian Olympic swimmer Michelle Williams is marrying North York Aquatic Club swimming coach Guillermo Toro.

Williams was just 12 years old, Toro was 14, when she first met him at the club in Toronto. They kept in touch over the years never thinking too much of one another. Williams was in the pool practicing and Toro was coaching.

They've been dating for nearly eight years now are finally getting married on Dec. 17 in Etobicoke, Ont.

"Originally we were going to have it in the summer but that would have been way too close to the Olympics," Williams said. "This worked out perfectly."

Toro said the original plan was actually to have the wedding next May, partly because Williams didn't want to have a winter wedding. He convinced her otherwise.

"I didn't want to wait that long," Toro said.

It started out as a small wedding with family and close friends on the list. The number of people attending was at about 40 people. But that quickly changed when the two started talking about all their friends in the swimming community.

Nearly two hundred people will gather to celebrate their marriage, including Penny Oleksiak, Kylie Masse, other swimmers and coaches.

Williams left her soon-to-be husband a to-do list while she was swimming at the FINA world short-course championships this week in Windsor.

"That's the only way to get a man to do something, right?" Williams said with a smile.

"Final things like paying for the cake or making a schedule for the DJ."

Toro said he's crossed off nearly everything from the list, except one small detail.

"I have to get a haircut," he said. "I know when she sees me on Monday she's not going to be happy with my hair."

And while Toro's hair is his concern, Williams wedding dress is top of mind.

"Luckily I've been training so I know I'll fit in it. I actually tried it on last week just for fun."

Keys to successful relationship while swimming

Toro and Williams are the first to admit the past eight years haven't been easy, filled with a number of ups and downs. It's the nature of elite sport and training. But the two have created space for one another in their busy swimming lives to make sure they can reach their potential and maintain their relationship.

"It takes someone super supportive to be able to have me live this type of lifestyle. He's just the most incredible, supportive person," said Williams.

"I support her as much as I can. I get excited about everything she does and I'm just happy she's happy," said Toro.

Williams said in many aspects Toro has become her swimming and life coach, describing him as her personal psychologist when things aren't going her way. Toro said she helps him in just as many ways.

For as much as the two have been there for one another and enjoy all things swimming, it sometimes becomes too much.

"I want to come home after practice sometimes and not talk about swimming. And he's so passionate about it, but I'll sometimes be like, no I don't want to talk about it," Williams said.

Toro said it goes both ways.

"She has a really good practice and she wants to talk about it and I've had a long day coaching and don't want to talk about swimming," he said. "In the beginning we never talked about swimming and then slowly it happened more and more."

There is a genuine bond the two have formed and after years of waiting patiently, they finally get to take the wedding plunge.

They've even cleared a week in their busy swimming lives for a honeymoon, fittingly on the beaches of Punta Cana, near the water.