Paige and Justin’s
Mountain Wedding
Venue–Cornerstone Theatre , Photography–Blush and Branch Photography, Dress–Hayley Paige; The Bridal Boutique Calgary, Florist– Willow Flower Co.
1. Have the wedding that speaks to you.
Canmore Alberta is our favorite cozy mountain town, and getting engaged on the top of a mountain there made it the perfect place for us to get married. With Canmore being an 8 hour drive from home, it likely wasn’t a popular choice at first for many of our family and friends. Once we spotted the venue of our dreams, there was no going back, and we decided we would absolutely NOT settle on a different venue. Having a wedding in our hometown would have been the easy option, but we knew we would look back and regret not having the wedding of our dreams, in our favorite place.
2. Do not compromise on things that are important to you.
My dress, was one that I first eyed up a few years ago when Hayley Paige first released it. There was no doubt in my mind that I would one day get married in that dress. While many people say not to spend so much on a dress you will only wear once, looking back at my photos I am 100% sure every cent was worth it. I felt like a princess that day, in large part due to my stunning and unique Remmington gown. When you feel good, you look good. Life is short, buy the damn dress of your dreams.
3. The headache isn’t worth it.
If you can, find a venue that handles everything for you. Our venue handled the outdoor ceremony, food, drinks, DJ services, setup, take down, and provided us with a wedding planner for the entire planning process, who also doubled as our day of coordinator. Knowing the venue had everything under control took so much stress off of us. We were able to relax in the days leading up to the wedding knowing we wouldn’t have to complete any setup.
4. Saturday weddings? So cliché.
When we started planning our wedding and decided on a venue, we were presented with two date options for the following summer. Both were Monday’s [a few scattered Wednesdays were also available]. That is how in demand our chosen venue was! At first, I worried about having a Monday wedding, and what people would think about it. Would people be willing to take time off work to celebrate our day with us? We decided to proceed, as our other options were to find another venue [which was never truly an option] or to move the wedding 2 years out [also not truly an option]. We knew since everyone had to travel to be with us anyways, that most people would make a summer trip out of it. All of our worries were laid to rest, when we didn’t have any guests decline due to the day of the week it landed on [only a few confused looking faces when we mentioned it was a Monday lol].
5. Bring your personality into the wedding.
Small touches make a big difference. My husband had his suit designed and created for him. The lining of his suit, and the back of his vest were made with Avengers fabric, and we had numerous comments throughout the day on how awesome this was! Our dogs are our children, so adding little gold dogs as part of our cake topper was also a hit.
6. Food is important- but make sure it also suits you as a couple!
Our dinner was delicious, but the popcorn bar, s’mores station, mini cheesecake’s, unique flavored wedding cake, and late lunch of poutine bar and mini flatbread pizza’s was what really got people’s attention! Incorporate your favorite foods [mine just so happen to be poutine and marshmallows :)]
7. Include small surprises for your groom throughout the night.
If your groom is anything like mine was, most wedding conversations ended something like “whatever you want babe.” Having a wedding geared completely towards myself [let’s face it, it mostly was] would have been easy, with him not caring about the small details. I wanted him to still feel special, so added tiny details for him, that he didn’t know about prior to the reception, including a Deadpool garter and a tiny Deadpool sneaking out the bottom of the back of our wedding cake.
8. Don’t stress about the weather.
It will be what it will be, there is literally nothing you can do about it. There were hundreds of forest fires in the area in the weeks leading up to our big day. And as we planned this day for over a year, with visions of mountain backdrops at our ceremony and in all of our photos, the smoky skies stressed me out. I took my frustrations out on people I love. The day before the wedding, the mountains literally were NOT visible, even though we were surrounded by them. I woke up the morning of the wedding, excited and nervous, and looked out the window to see rain. I was crushed. Within a couple of hours, the rain was gone, the smoke was cleared, and the mountains were visible. We even got a few hours of sunshine poking through. [I also credit my Dad in Heaven for bring the mountains out for me that day ❤]
9. Enjoy the process- it will be over in the blink of an eye.
Take time to breathe and let it all soak in, the engagement, the wedding planning process, and most importantly the wedding day. Remember that you have a room full of people that are there because they love you. Acknowledge all of the amazing people you have in your life. At the end of the day, you will be married to the love of your life, remember that, and remember the love you felt that day.
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Sara, a seasoned expert in wedding planning and date ideas, brings a wealth of experience to our couples blog. With a background in the television industry and hands-on involvement in a dozen weddings, including working as a wedding assistant on "My Fair Wedding with David Tutera," Sara has an innate understanding of the magic that makes weddings truly special. Growing up with four sisters has given her unique insights into the dating world, making her a go-to source for practical and heartfelt dating advice. Her knowledge and enthusiasm make her the perfect guide for couples seeking to infuse their relationships with creativity and love.