My last Wedding of 2016 and it was one to remember! I drove to Canmore the day before to join Jocelyn & Blair during their rehearsal, and it was so great to meet all their loved ones before the ‘I dos’. Blair and Jocelyn were surrounded by their family and three beautiful children, all enjoying each others company while eating and toasting into the night. I drove back to Banff and spent the night with family, then woke up early the next morning to head out! I warmed up my car and started to drive down Banff Ave and out of town… when I looked at my temperature screen reading -31… ouch! I did some weather research and it was going to be this cold all day long… so I immediately started to think of a game plan. It wasn’t about whether or not we were going to get these photos, because we were going to get them… but it was now a matter of how we were going to get these safely haha because it was dangerously cold! Praising the 16 hand warmers I had!

I knocked on Jocelyn’s hotel room door and was greeted with smiles, muffins and mimosa’s! Hair and makeup commenced with family members popping in and out to give the bride some hugs, and it was such a fun morning! Blair had the responsibility of getting the boys dressed, which turned into a mini party in their boxers/pajama’s all morning complete with some video games and tickle fights haha! Don’t worry, everyone made it down to Cornerstone Theatre on time for the ceremony, and they looked SO handsome!

The beautiful space at Cornerstone theatre was transformed into a cozy and romantic setting for Blair and Jocelyn’s ceremony. There were rustic wooden pillars with black lanterns lining the aisle, with beautiful back lighting… and this was hands down, one of the most emotional ceremonies I’ve ever photographed. The ceremony brought not only Jocelyn and Blair together, but their growing blended family. They both presented their boys with a necklace symbolizing the union they’ve created, and let me tell you…. all the feels. All of them!

We wrapped up family photos just outside the theatre in front of the fire place, then we all prepared ourselves for formals outside. I am so thankful for amazing clients who trust me and stay true to what they want, regardless of the challenges we’re faced with…. like the freezing cold! When it comes to weather, you can make anything happen…. it’s simply all about being prepared, which our beautiful bride and groom were! We went to a couple of great spots around Canmore, doing 10-20 minutes outside, then warming up then doing another 10-20 minutes outside. I am SO happy we did it and there was seriously not one complaint from anybody. We knew we were all cold and just powered through, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to surround myself with and photograph!

We gathered with their loved ones in the theatre anxiously waiting for the entrance when Blair and Jocelyn walked in and to their surprise, all their guests were wearing props and doing the mannequin challenge! Their parents were wearing football helmets, people were flying kites – it was a riot. They were completely surprised and fell into the mannequin challenge themselves before we all clapped and danced to our seats. A beautiful slideshow was playing and I love slideshows at Weddings because it really lets you dive into their lives and you get to know the couple better. Blair is a CFL official and has officiated two Grey Cups! I watched the 104th Grey Cup with my family and cheered whenever I saw official #44! It was really cool to see some images of him on the field doing what he loves while we all enjoyed dinner. Shortly after, the dancing started! And of course the first dances always get one over on me. It’s just the sweetest thing to witness and my camera racks up the shutter counts big time! The party started and never ended with GREAT music selections and even better little dancers joining in!

Blair and Jocelyn, thank you both so much for being the most wonderful couple to end my season with. I sincerely felt like family. You took the time to reach out to me and give me all the information I needed in order to photograph your big day, and I felt so taken care of by you. I also can’t thank you both enough for braving the cold with me! It’s been great getting to know you and watching you and your family embark on this crazy adventure.

Cheers Mr & Mrs Brown!

Venue: Cornerstone Theatre

Wedding Coordinator: April Morlidge

Wedding Dress: Jessica & Belle Rykiss

Designer: Impression Destiny

Bridesmaids Dresses: Le Chateau

HMUA: Mountain Beauties

Groom’s Suit: Moores

Florals: F2 Floral Fashion

Commisioner: Pam Davidson

Limousine Service: AMPM

Cake: Crave Cupcakes

DJ: Gaston Maqueda

First Song: Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flats

Second Shooter: Katalily Photography