Elegant Late Winter Canmore Mountain Wedding with Turquoise Details

I love it when I receive a submission that’s a little outside what you would expect at a so-called typical mountain wedding. The fact is, there is no such thing as typical style for mountain weddings. They come in all styles. Case in point: this elegant, late winter Banff wedding with Tiffany blue details. So Pretty! Also, Christina offers great Hindsight Advice. For instance, want amazing photos? Christina suggests you wear boots under your dress for outdoor shots, and, if you’re using a destination photographer, make sure he or she scouts the locations ahead of time. Read more of her advice below…

Why a mountain wedding?

My husband and I spent many great moments in the mountains before our big day. We love getting away – in any season – to enjoy the mountain parks. Our first trip away together was to Kananaskis – the mountains are our “go to spot” to mark special occasions.

The mountains were also the perfect location to have an “away” wedding without actually venturing to far away from our home in Calgary. It helped us justify a more intimate guest list.

The inspiration for our wedding was about 2 things – simple and elegant. We wanted a vintage flavour to the wedding while at the same time keeping things simple and making us (the bride and groom) the main focus of the big day. Our reception portion followed the same theme; we were inspired by the fact that we wanted to have a fun, classy celebration by those that meant the most to us.

• We really stamped our personality everywhere by keeping things simple.
• We did a traditional Polish wedding ceremony when we entered the reception.
• Ensured the songs we chose for the reception activities (flower/garter toss, first dance, first dance with everyone, etc.) had special meaning to us.
• We made sure our vows were meaningful and incorporated words we use to describe our relationship.
• We had a close friend play the piano at the ceremony – it was our only music there – and each song was meaningful.
• We subtly stamped our programs with ‘PCinYYC’ (standing for Peter and Christina in Calgary – and the name of the blog we write together).

EVERYTHING! Haha – there were so many incredible moments and our setting in the mountains really leant itself to creating those moments. The church and saying our vows; getting in the car and driving off to get photos done; our photos in the most beautiful, secluded spots, entering the reception and being announced as husband and wife as our loved ones cheered, and our first dance together. It was the perfect day.

• Renting A Bear and Bison Inn for the entire weekend. It was so nice to have our wedding party and family close to us, and they dealt with all the details to make our rehearsal, big day, and gift opening easy. Meals and accommodations were all taking care of so we could relax and enjoy every moment.
• Renting an amazing car for the bride and groom! The experience we had with our sleek, classic car rental from Highland Executive was awesome. We had so many special moments during that ride – and I must admit having people stop on the streets and wave to us made me feel like a princess!
• Taking a moment alone together before the reception. We took time to sneak away before the reception during cocktail hour after we mingled – just upstairs from the pub at Silvertip Resort. We grabbed a glass of champagne, put our feet up and truly enjoyed one another. We talked about the day so far and reflected on the moment. I’m so glad I have that specific memory to look back on and we had that private moment during a fun and busy day.

Nope – we didn’t over plan so that we could go with the natural flow of the day. Everything worked out the way it should have!

What was the best piece of wedding advice you got?

To take that special moment alone together – which we did!

To be honest I did my own thing and happy I did. I had a few helpful books that I read for advice – some tips I followed and some I didn’t. Do what feels right and what highlights who you and your groom are as a couple and you won’t be disappointed.

I think I was the most relaxed bride in history – must have been the mountain air!

The dress fitting process. I was lucky and found a dress the first day I looked – but scheduling fittings, etc. was something new to me. Take to your bridal shop as soon as you get the dress and talk through timelines so your both on the same page.

How did you choose vendors?

I went with the recommendations provided by our 2 key vendors – Silvertip Resort and A Bear and Bison Inn. I thought it was important to choose vendors that already had relationships so the details could fall in to place smoothly. The fact that they all knew one another and dealt with one another on a regular basis meant  less heavy lifting for us and ease of communication.

• Keep your bridal party small – that way you really get to spoil those involved in your wedding. And it keeps things manageable and gives you time with everyone at your wedding.
• Keep the wedding intimate. Invite your long lasting friends and loved ones. Don’t get bogged down with huge lists. Smaller parties mean a bigger slice of the budget can go to the fun stuff.
• Splurge on food! Everyone remembers their meal. We went all out and received so many compliments – plus we really enjoyed every bite!
• Take a moment together privately – the best piece of advice we got, and took.
• Get an awesome photographer! Ours (Davin G Photography) went a day early to scope out amazing, untouched spots. Our photos are gorgeous and unique and we owe it all to them!
• Speaking of photos, bring a change of footwear for under your dress – I had uggs on for our outdoor shots – kept my feet warm, made moving through the wilderness easier, and I got a break  from my wedding pumps!
• Invest in cool transportation. Highland Executive shuttled our guests from the hotels to the reception – which made everyone feel important and special. And our special ride and chauffeur made the day easier and worry free. They took care of so many details you don’t think about until the day of. So much better than just renting a car and driver.
• It really comes down to spending money on what matters – don’t get caught up in the tiny details.

Instead of a guest book we had a guest note box. We purchased it from Wedding Star online (http://www.weddingstar.com/product/wooden-memory-note-box). We purchased both types of stationary to go with it – the yearly notes and the blank cards – each guest filled out both. Now each anniversary we’ll have a surprise note from a new guest. Our plan is to have that guest over that year – helps stay in touch and keep the memory of the day alive! The blank cards allowed people to have some fun as well – we even found a special card someone had done up from our dogs. Very cute!

• Photographer:  Davin G Photography
• Venue: A Bear and Bison Inn
• Floral Design: Elements Floral Design
• Wedding Cake: Cake Creations
• Transportation: Highland Executive Chauffeur
• Hair: Bloom Hair
• Makeup: Trinity Weddings (Make-up)
• Ceremony Location: Ralph Connor United Church
• Lodging: Silvertip Resort
• Invitations: Plush Invitations
• DJ: Revolution Entertainment

Submitted via Two Bright Lights