What a way to start 2020 with this beautiful winter wedding in Canmore! Congrats to the beautiful newlyweds Joeleana & Ben!
I have to tell you guys a story from this wedding though. In Canmore, it was a little windy, nothing unusual though for the mountains. We started by doing family photos at Quarry Lake Park, then we were on our way to Whitemans Pond. For those that don’t know, Whitemans Pond is just a little way up the mountain in Canmore.
Rob and I showed up first, and the wind was blowing a bit more than down in the valley. We stood outside of the car contemplating if this location would work or not, then the wind started to calm down. We thought hey, this might work – but in reality, it was calm before the storm.
As the wedding party and the couple drove up to the location, the wind picked up again. I went over to talk to Joeleana to see if they would be comfortable at the location, or if they would rather go down to a treed area. As soon as I went over to their vehicle the wind picked up like I’ve never seen before.
The wind was so crazy with ice pellets flying, full-on whiteout – it felt like you were getting punched in the face. Ice hit inside my ears so hard that I thought I went deaf for a second. Rob and I even struggled to get back to the car. Once we did get back to the car we were drenched and ice-covered. So thankful that Joe and Ben, and the wedding party weren’t outside for this – except for one of the groomsmen haha sorry bud.
Obviously, we turned around and went back down into the valley. But wow – we are outside a lot between weddings and snowboarding and have never experienced anything like that before. I can’t even imagine what tornado or hurricane winds would feel like.
Sometimes you just never know what to expect with mountain weather with a winter wedding in Canmore. We’re so lucky to have such a wonderful couple and wedding party that were flexible with our changing plans.
Wedding Vendors in Canmore
Venue: Cornerstone Weddings
Ceremony Venue: Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church
Hair & Make-up: Julia Joy Makeup Artistry
Wedding dress: Novelle Bridal Shop
Below is just a sample of their day, to view the entire gallery click here.
From the Couple
Wedding theme and colours (explain the reason behind your decision):
Both Ben and I grew up spending most of our time at the cabin, playing in the lake and hiking through paths surrounding the lake. When we walked into Cornerstone Theatre we felt a sense of comfort with the big stone fireplace and rustic feel. We agreed that we wanted to spend our special day surrounded by people we love in a place that felt like home. So, we chose rustic, with pine runners and warm tones of red. We kept it simple with the floating candles. We felt the space were beautiful and would not need much more than a little light to warm up them up. Our groomsmen were wearing navy tweed pants with burgundy suspenders, white shirts, and floral ties. The bridal party chose shades of red, in different lengths and fabrics to suit their body types and styles. Our theme was we wanted to all look good, and feel good, without making our people invest too much. I think our most expensive purchase was the Connor McDavid socks, and let’s be honest he’s not the best face to be wearing on your leg the day you get married. This was obviously Ben’s decision. #loyalfan
Approximate number of wedding guests:
We had approximately 95 guests at our wedding. This was the perfect amount because our church’s maximum capacity was 90. Anymore and we would’ve been getting married outside!
Your top 3 best moments and why:
We could be cute and cleashay to say our best moments were seeing eachother for the first time in the church, or our first kiss as a married couple. But truthfully, we were both so wrapped up in our “holy shit this is happening” attitudes, that all we wanted was someone to mess up so we could laugh. So, that being said our top three moments are REAL moments…
1. Our ring bearer and nephew Finn was told several times in rehearsal to properly hold the ring box. Seems like a pretty standard job… when that ring box rolled out into the middle of the church as our pastor was reading Ben and I couldn’t help but laugh. Thanks Finn for making our moment feel real 🙂
2. Ben and I agreed that if we were going to throw a party, we would also be the last ones left to shut it down. So we left Cornerstone at 1:30 a.m. and headed back to our hotel. Our hotel was not only our hotel, but it was also most of our guests hotel as well. So, we were surrounded with friends and family for 2 days! It was amazing. Anyways, I realized once we were back that my overnight bag was left in my dad and step moms room so Ben and I made the trip up the stairs to their room. There we found all of our parents and siblings sharing laughter and conversation over a glass of scotch. Ben and I were exhausted, but our hearts were so full in that moment to see our two sides coming together.
3. Waking up the next morning as husband and wife. The whole wedding day goes so fast, that you have a hard time to stop and realize all the wonderful moments. The whole day was truly perfect!
Wedding song, explain choice for song:
We chose “I will Love You” by David Myles. Ben has always been a big fan of David’s music, so he introduced a few of his songs to me when we first started dating. The first song I listened to with Ben was, “I will Love You”. It was right after I had met his entire family for his Grandma’s 95th birthday. It was also after we had said, “I Love You” to one another. Later Ben brought me to a small gathering where David Myles was playing in Calgary. Of all the music I’ve heard live, I had never heard a voice quite like his. We recommend everyone see him and his band play!
Your top 3 favorite wedding details (cake, flowers, dress, band, etc.) and why:
Dress – I tried on so many bridal gowns, but I had this picture in my head of how I wanted to look and feel. I wanted to look timeless and feel comfortable. When I found my dress I cried so much because I didn’t just feel like a bride, I felt like the best version of me!
Kahoot Game – we were so happy to play a fun multiple choice game with our guests to determine who ate first. Ben and I love teaching, so to incorporate it on our wedding day was fabulous!
Flowers – on rehearsal day I was told my flowers would not be delivered by the wedding day. So that was a nice surprise. My mom stepped up and became Momzilla. We drove to every flower shop we could find to collect flowers. This ended up working fine, because we had extra that were used on the arch and around the church.
Any advice to those that are planning their wedding?
Once your wedding day starts just sit and enjoy the ride. No matter what speed bumps come along the way don’t forget the big picture… the person sitting next to you.
Honeymoon:
We are off to Hawaii for 2 weeks to explore Hanalulu and Kona! We leave on Valentine’s day! Woooooooohoooooooo!
Winter Wedding in Canmore
If you enjoyed this winter wedding in Canmore, we think you’ll love this Cornerstone Theatre wedding.
