It was a cold winter’s day… wait, no it wasn’t! April had hoped for a winter-themed wedding, but due to an unusually warm winter season, had a pretty pleasantly warm winter mountain wedding instead. That is, until later that night.
Rewind to earlier in the day as April was getting ready with her girls. She was doing her best to calm her nerves — I enjoyed the piece of advice she gave to her girls which was “don’t look me in the eyes” so that she wouldn’t start tearing up (haha, great idea though and it totally worked). I had asked April if Kurt was going to cry, and she shook her head, “oh, no. Kurt is not a crier” — and true enough. When April was walking down the aisle at Our Lady of the Rockies Church, he was beaming from ear to ear when he finally saw her in her beautiful gown.
While it was a warm wedding, the girls took great precautions to keep warm and dry, which was definitely needed as we trudged on thick sheets of ice to get to photo locations. April had these amazing bridal Uggs and the girls also had their own Uggs on, but the thing that really stuck out for me was their shawls. They looked incredibly warm, and I learned that they were actually made from an old mink coat!
My favorite part of the whole wedding was the fact that April and Kurt were extremely conscious of keeping their bridal party comfortable. The Creatives photo part was incredibly well spaced out and they took their entire bridal party to grab food and drinks in between photo taking to mitigate the hanger. Seriously a bomb-ass move on their part, much kudos.
So we did manage to avoid most of the bad weather that was looming, right up until the end of the night. I was looking for the newlyweds to say my goodbyes just before I left and saw they were outside — and the skies had just opened up to a flurry of heavy, wet snow. Naturally, we had to get a snow photo to end the night in front of their reception venue at Silvertip Resort. Of course, only in the mountains/Alberta would you experience two entirely different seasons in a single day.
April and Kurt, thank you so much for including me in your wedding experience!
Describe your planning process!
April: Both Kurt and I wanted a winter wedding in the mountains. Little did we know we would have the warmest winter ever with no snow in March. It turned out to be perfect as we had a freak snow storm during the reception and was able to get amazing pictures in the snow. We have a large family and Silvertip was the perfect choice. The room itself is stunning and we did not require many decorations to make it amazing. The room was wonderful and in the end it was exactly what we were looking for. There are always challenges when planning a wedding but in the end Kurt and I had everything we ever wanted for our big day.
What was your favorite part?
April: My favourite part was walking down the aisle. Although it is a stressful moment, everything you have planned for and waited for during the whole process is complete in that moment. I also really enjoyed spending the quality time with our wedding party at Habitat in Canmore. To enjoy a few cocktails and some appies! Its really nice to show your appreciation to your party for standing by you during the day.
Best advice to couples planning their wedding?
April: I would say to try to remember to stay calm during the planning. Everyone around you will have their opinions, but remember its your day and ultimately its up to you too make the decisions. Finding vendors can be hard but with the internet now and reviews on line take the time to read them and make the right choice for you.
Ceremony: Our Lady of the Rockies // Officiant: Deacon John Walsh // Reception: Silvertip Resort // Bridal attire: Durand Bridal // Groom attire: Moore’s // Transportation: Alpine Limo // DJ: Class Act DJ Service // Hair stylist: Jordanna of Lilies and Lace // Makeup Artist: Emilia Art Makeup // Florist: Flowers By Janie // Cake: Vicki at Pretty Sweet Co. // Stationary: Wedding Paper Divas // Rentals and decor: Chair Flair // Second photographer: Crystal of Sujata Photography
