Yesterday’s Canmore wedding was a delight to publish. The unexpected June snowstorm made everything look so magical. But what I love most about yesterdays wedding are the steal-worthy details. Here are the top five:

Have something for kids to do.

Weddings are boring for kids. (Truth be told, they’re boring for some adults too, but that’s another issue). To keep kids happy, create a coloring or crafting table for them. Set it aside from the main tables so children can congregate, mingle and have fun together without being underfoot.

Don’t worry about the weather.

Look back through the archives of real brides’ Hindsight Advice and you’ll find a pattern. A majority of mountain brides wish they hadn’t worried about the weather. Most of the time the weather is just fine, especially in western mountain regions that enjoy more than 300 days of sunshine each year. Even if the weather does turn foul, there’s nothing you can do about it,  so there’s no point in worrying about it. In fact embrace it. Oftentimes rain and snow make gorgeous wedding portraits.

For more variety, take pictures before the ceremony.

This Canmore couple and their bridal party traipsed all over town taking fun, quirky, and classic wedding portraits. They marched down the street, hung out in the library, and found the most beautiful mountain vista in the area for formal portraits. None of this could have happened if the couple scheduled the traditional hour after the ceremony for formal portraits. Now, if you’re the traditional sort, and don’t want your future husband to see you in your wedding dress before the ceremony, that’s fine. Just don’t expect the variety of bridal portraits you’d get if you set aside the afternoon to explore fun places to have you picture taken with your love and your bridal party.

Mix and match rustic with elegant details.

Romantic elegance and rustic ambiance are no longer mutually exclusive. If you like pink, girly, frilly details as well as more rustic elements, you’re in luck! Rustic elegance is trending in the wedding world and it’s sure to become a classic. This Canmore bride mixed pretty mix-and-match bridesmaids dresses with a romantic birdcage veil. The attire for this wedding was elegant and romantic. Then she incorporated rustic details, such as the wooden round cake stand and chalkboard signs for a relaxed, downhome feel.

Have your bridesmaids pick out their own dresses

This is one of the things this Canmore bride is glad she did: She’s glad she let her bridesmaids pick out dresses they liked and felt comfortable in. She writes,  “it took the pressure off of me having to pick one dress to look good on all of the (which is impossible) or picking a dress that was too pricy.” For information of choosing styling your bridesmaids, see Rustic Wedding Chic editor Maggie Lord’s advice here.

Photography: Lisa LaCroix of Life.Style Photography