Banff
Married in Pink at Moraine Lake
Isis & Nick | Alberta, Canada
From the bride…
We hadn’t really even considered a traditional wedding. We were planning a trip to Canada and thought about how epic it would be if we just eloped while we were there and then had a party to celebrate with our loved ones back home. A beautiful lady that I work with had shown me photos from her recent trip to Moraine Lake and told me about how it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. When I told Nick about it, it was almost decided instantly that it was exactly the kind of scenery we were looking for.
THE FLOWERS
I knew from the get-go that I wanted a flower crown and a HUGE bouquet of florals in dusty pink and maroon.
THE VISION
We wanted our day to be really relaxed and stress-free and it couldn’t have been more perfect! Our ceremony was planned for 6 pm so we slept in, had a nice breakfast, went for a hike and even had a nap before we had to get ready. So many of our friends had told us how stressed they felt on their wedding day and how they felt as though they couldn’t really enjoy it or that they wished they had eloped and we didn’t want to look back on such a special memory wishing that we had changed things or spent less money or whatever. I think we nailed it!
THE DRESS
I just really didn’t want to wear white! I had always pictured a pink dress, but not too Barbie-like and not too pale. As much as I love dressing up and being girly, I also LOVE being comfortable. I knew I was going to be scrambling over rocks so I couldn’t really have a long train, and I didn’t want a veil but wanted something flowy that was also removable, so we decided on a cape instead and I chose a pair of black and white Vans with some pink ribbon.
THE DAY OF
It was so surreal standing at that lake the morning of our wedding, taking it all in and realizing we made it! We traveled for 21 hours and were so tired but we did it! We only told our family and close friends, and it made our announcement feel even more special and made us feel like our wedding was ours, and that we were doing it for us and not for anyone else. I was a pretty lazy bride and all I cared about was marrying the man of my dreams. I thought that planning our wedding from Australia would be difficult but it was actually such a breeze.
THE VOWS
I couldn’t wait to hear Nick’s vows and to call him my husband and Nick says his favorite part was seeing me in my dress for the first time which I think is pretty cute!
LOOKING BACK
Everything was so easy and went so smooth, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. Eloping definitely took a lot of the guesswork out of planning, we didn’t have to think about decorations and we also didn’t have to worry about impressing other people, we could focus on just us and that was the main thing for the both of us when we were planning our day. Luckily, Mother Nature put on a show with the most spectacular weather. It had been raining pretty much since we landed in Canada and cleared up right before our ceremony began.
ADVICE
Do what you want to do! Don’t let other people make it about them or change your mind, or make you feel like what you want doesn’t matter. I mean this with my whole heart – you don’t get to get to marry the love of your life every day!
Before we left for Canada, we had a sign made that read, “We Eloped – Moraine Lake, Canada, 13th August 2019.” This date is my G’ma’s birthday, and although she is no longer with us, I wanted her to be part of our special day. She would have loved Nick.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: ENV Photography
Floral Designer: Willow Flower Co.
A Fun Rocky Mountain Wedding in Banff
Janelle & Clayton | September 9th
From the bride: Our wedding had a forest, mountain theme, as we love to be outside exploring the Rocky Mountains. I have always loved the colors burgundy and navy and thought they would look beautiful in a mountain setting.
THE PROPOSAL
We went hiking in Kananaskis Country, Rawson Lake and Clayton proposed at the end of the hike. He was even able to film the whole proposal without me catching on as to what was about to happen! After I said yes, he went and grabbed something from his bag- every single bottle of nail polish that I owned! He knew I had always said that I wanted my nails to be painted nicely for when we got engaged, so he brought them all along for me.
FIRST LOOK
Our first look was such an anticipated moment for both of us. Seeing each other for the first time on our wedding day, all dressed up, it was very emotional and a very special moment.
THE CEREMONY
Exchanging our vows is something we will never forget. It was how we had always envisioned it. Standing outside surrounded by trees and mountains in a quiet private setting. Clayton made the arch for us to stand beside. It was perfectly brought our vision to life.
THE CHAMPAGNE POP
At the end of our bridal party photos, we chose to pop champagne as a fun, expressive photo to show off the individual personalities of our bridal party, as well because it was a day to be celebrated! I asked Clayton to give the bottle a few extra shakes because I had wanted to ensure there would be plenty of foam to spray out. When he finally did pop the cork, we definitely had enough spray and we all started to react and cheer watching it explode. Just after the cork was released, a sudden gust of wind came up and ended up reversing the direction of the spray, and our screams grew as we watched the spray come back towards us. The maid of honor and one of the groomsmen ended up having their heads soaked with the champagne, but we were all able to laugh it off and were already able to recognize what a hilarious memory this would become.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Kim Payant Photography | Venue: The Fenlands | Wedding Gown: Stella York, Essence of Australia | Grooms Attire: EPH Apparel | Flowers: Canmore Safeway Florist
A Beautiful Wedding in the Canadian Rockies
Philomena & Lesley | Banff, AB, Canada
From the couple: We are both in love with the Canadian Rockies and spend as much time as we can visiting them. Natural and grandeur; it is the feeling all humans experience when they fall in love. We wanted the free and majestic beauty of it captured at our intimate ceremony and reception.
THE RINGS
Unlike the showy engagement rings, we both knew the wedding bands would be the timeless keepsakes that would be worn more often than not. We splurged on a matching set. The flowery bands aren’t a typical choice for most brides, but for us they are perfect.
THE WEDDING DAY
The night before the wedding both Canmore and Banff were enveloped in the thickest wildfire smoke we’d ever seen. The further we drove from Calgary, the thicker the smoke got, our hearts sank. By the time we arrived in the mountains, you wouldn’t even know it as you couldn’t see the mountains with all the smoke. We ate breakfast on the patio on our wedding day, and from there the view hadn’t gotten any better. We were at peace with it. There was nothing anyone could do and being sad about it would just make it worse. Then what seemed to be a miracle happened on our drive up to Two Jack Lake. As the limo passed Lake Minnewanka, we realized you could see the beautiful view complete with a bright blue sky.
THE CAKE
We questioned if anyone would really eat the cake at all after a full buffet and cheesecake. Turns out it was delicious and there wasn’t anything left of the 100-serving cake (except for the top tier that’s still sitting in the freezer for our anniversary).
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Kim Payant Photography // Ceremony location: Two Jack Lake, Banff National Park // Hair & Makeup: Lilies & Lace // Reception Venue: Cornerstone Theatre
View more Canada Weddings
A Modern Mountain Wedding at Lake Louise
Cara and Keith’s wedding at the Chateau Lake Louise was a chance to celebrate their New York City love story with the bride’s massive Albertan family and introduce the beautiful Rockies to the couple’s urban guests that had flown in mostly from NY, SF, London, and Hong Kong for the occasion. The couple wanted to create a warm and celebratory atmosphere that would both complement the beautifully lush mountain setting and reflect the understated modern elegance of the newly updated Victoria Ballroom where the reception was held. For the waterfront ceremony on Victoria Terrace, they let nature take center stage, enhancing the blue of the lake and skies with pops of blue in the fuschia, pink and peach bouquets.
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For the reception, they were determined to have long feasting tables –the longer the better, to create a sense of togetherness and facilitate conversation amongst old friends and new. Lush grey-green garlands of Eucalyptus ran down the center of the tables, bringing the natural theme indoors and providing a muted backdrop to the roses that seemed to bloom from the garlands. The low florals ensured that revelers could see and hear each other clearly, and the ivory pillar candles dotting the length of the tables ensured everybody was cast in a romantic, flattering glow. The silvery napkins provided a modern contrast to the light gold linens. Rose gold sequined linens added a touch of glamour to the head table. The couple infused personal touches throughout, from handmade magnetic gold animal place-card holders to reflect their joint love of wildlife, to tables named after the 9 separate cities that they lived in until they met, to a dessert table laden with the couple’s favourite treats –mini cupcakes in creative flavor combinations, a towering croquembouche dusted in icing sugar like snow on a mountain top, macarons in rose, mango, and green tea, lemon meringue tartlets, and mini smore cookie sandwiches to tie back to the welcome bonfire-and-smore reception held the night before on the shores of the lake.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Infused Studios // Event Planner: Evelyn Clark Weddings // Flowers: Flower Artistry // Venue: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise // Rentals: Special Event Rentals // Desserts (except croquembouche): Kake by Darci // DJ: Pez Productions // Hair: Hammerheadz Salon
See more: Canada weddings | Lake Louise weddings
An Intimate Tunnel Mountain Reservoir Wedding in Banff
From the bride, Mandy: The best part of the day was exactly what it should have been: the time my husband and I spent together holding hands during the ceremony, and speaking from our hearts. The moments that followed with our photographer, ENV Photography were unexpectedly special– we spent our first few hours as a married couple just one on one, being close, enjoying that giddy energy, helping each other balance over the bluffs, and it was wonderful. I would not change a thing about my wedding day. It was the best!
For our hand-binding ceremony, we used the same cloth used by my in-laws.
ADVICE
Do not cater to others. Your wedding is about you and your partner– that’s all you need, and all that matters is that you can look back and say that it was exactly as you wanted it to be.
Our photographer was impeccable. I recommend ENV Photography without hesitation.
An Intimate Wedding in Banff
From the bride, Ivanna: I am from Ukraine, my husband is from Bulgaria, and we both moved to Canada after a long, long-distance relationship. We did not want to have a big wedding, but rather an intimate celebration with our closest friends. We definitely wanted a fairytale location with a breathtaking view, The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise was the perfect fit for us.
We brought my baby with us, a Scottish Fold cat named Gregory House.
It is kind of embarrassing, but I could not repeat my vows after the commissioner. I was so stressed and laughing as all this English seemed to me like a language I do not speak. Fortunately, everyone was laughing with me.
We Skyped the entire ceremony with our family so they could be part of the ceremony.
Since Anton & I met in Cyprus, everything Greek is special to us. So, after the ceremony, we went to dinner at a Greek restaurant. It was fun to reminisce about how we met and how we spent our first year together.
My advice: Splurge on your special day! You can always earn more money, but you can’t turn time back and order better flowers or pick a nicer venue!
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Kim Payant Photography // Ceremony Location & Lodging: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise // Reception: Balkan Greek Restaurant // Flowers: Forget-Me-Not Flowers // Dress Designer: White by Vera Wang // Bridesmaid Dresses: BCBG // Men’s Wear: White by Vera Wang
See more: Canada weddings | Chateau Lake Louise weddings
An Intimate & Relaxed Wedding in Canada
From the bride, Leonie: We wanted a fun and intimate wedding in a majestic setting. We did a lot of the details ourselves as we wanted it to be a true reflection of us. We wanted to share a less traditional, and relaxed day with our friends and families.
We had fun with the colour by ordering orange socks, suspenders and a stripy tie. The orange also complemented the setting of the lake.
Leonie’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Kim Payant Photography // Photographer’s assistant: Elisabeth Levesque-Mumford // Venue: Emerald Lake Lodge // Bride’s Gown: Ritva Westenius // Groom’s Tux: Vera Wang // Hair and Makeup: Complexions Artistry // Flowers: Alpine Flowers