Category Archives: products & promos.

• MAKE IT YOURS: BREAKING THE RULES

  11 May 2012 juliewilliams

  Alright, this is likely going to be my very favorite topic in this week’s blog series: Make It Yours. Truth be told, I was never much of a rule-breaker as a kid, but now that I’m in the wedding biz, I get a tad excited when my couples go out of their way to break every rule in the book. I’ve always appreciated the ‘who says you have to’ state of mind whether it applies to your wedding, or just everyday life in general. I’m terribly thankful that so many of my fantastic clients feel the same way.

  Avid outdoors-man-&-woman Elizabeth and Jason traveled from Atlanta to Alberta for a very small lakeside ceremony in Banff. Immediately following the nuptials and a family-style lunch, they headed off into the backcountry for a week-long backpacking trip…so clearly they wore their hiking gear! Who says the bride must be in white?

  

  Marisol and Orin decided to elope at Emerald Lake. A true elopement includes only the bride and groom…the thought of not having her mother present wasn’t an option to Marisol, so they invited her as their single guest. Mum even had the honor of walking her down the aisle…rain or shine.

  

  Here’s another unconventional escort…Erin’s pup!

  

  This was a fun wedding for me to be a part of! Diana and Charles rented out a beautiful chalet up at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort over the New Year’s weekend. They invited a bunch of friends and family members to join them for a casual NYE party…not a wedding. Surprise!

  

  Aussie brides, Fox and Katie came to the Bow Valley to marry. Before departing for Canada, they went down to their local salon to get a lesson in hair and makeup so that they could spend the morning of the wedding getting ready together. So cute!

  

  …and then they walked down the aisle hand in hand.

  

  Adam & I loved this idea, so we did it too! It was seriously such an awesome moment walking through a narrow path in the bush together to our wedding ceremony. When we came around the corner all of our guests who were tucked into a little clearing started cheering and clapping…it was hands-down my very favorite part of our day.

  

  Lauren’s best friends are all guys. For this reason, she chose to have “man-maids” instead of bridesmaids…why not? This group photographed so well!

  

  Tracy and Jimmy wanted a nice, casual dinner party for their wedding reception. To achieve this, they rented a beautiful, spacious luxury cabin up at Kicking Horse in Golden, threw a bunch of burgers on the BBQ and had friends take turns manning the bar. It was a lovely, light-hearted and cozy affair.

  

  

  So there you have it, a full week of some of my very favorite ideas and tips to keep your wedding authentic, thoughtful and close to your heart…I sure hope my insights have given you some food for thought! I must send a huge thank you to all my absolutely fantastic clients over the past few years…I absolutely appreciate the constant inspiration, all the great ideas certainly keep things interesting for me!

  Now it’s your turn. Here’s the plan:

  1. Send us your 5 days worth of scavenger hunt answers [Callandra's "tip of the day" and my "photo of the day"] by filling in this form right here. [HINT: if you joined us late or missed a day half-way through, chances are you may still be able to find some of the "hidden treasures" click here, here, here, here, and here you'll have to dig through the galleries to find the corresponding images to Callandra's tips....see the original contest announcement for details.]

  2. Next, fill us in on your wedding date and location, as well as a few fun details about what you’ve got planned for your big day. We also want to hear about the two of you…we’re both suckers for a heck of a happily ever after story. The entry form is very straightforward, but be sure to drop me a line if you’ve got any questions. Keep in mind, we’re on the hunt for a fun, creative mountain-loving couple to collaborate with in the coming year…knock our socks off! We’d just love to see an inspiration board of some sort, Pinterest is a great way to build one! The form is due on Sunday May the 13th of May by 11:59pm MST. Be sure to familiarize yourself with all complete contest details and terms & conditions.

  3. Callandra & I will sit down together with the entries [...and likely a bottle of nice red wine] in order to pick the winner of the giveaway which will be announced by May 15th.

  4. The 4 of us get started on planning your Best Day Ever.

  5. GOOD LUCK!

  

  //”THE BEST DAY EVER” PHOTO OF THE DAY CAN BE FOUND IN CLAIRE & MIKE’S WEDDING ALBUM. DON’T FORGET TO HEAD ON OVER TO CALLANDRA’S BLOG FOR HER PORTION OF THE CONTEST. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS WEEK…CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU ALL!//

• MAKE IT YOURS: THE FIRST LOOK

  10 May 2012 juliewilliams

  The first look is something that is becoming increasingly popular in the modern wedding world. Many of my couples in the past few years have opted out of the age-old tradition of not seeing each other before arriving at the altar…and I love it! Adam and I did this and it was perfect, We were both SO chatty after spending the previous night apart, it would have been torture to have to stand up at in front of our guests for the entire ceremony not being able to talk to one another after seeing each other for the first time! We got all our portraits wrapped up well before the ceremony, had time for a bevie and some mingling and then got to go straight into the party once the I do’s were done. PERFECT. [for us!]

  Maddy and Ryan decided to meet up for the first time in the campground where their families holiday each summer.

  

  Michelle and Jeff’s Kicking Horse gondola reveal, I’ve photographed a similar first look a couple times now and it’s probably my very favorite!

  

  

  Mel and Matt’s first look on a snowy day in April. What bride wouldn’t love a photo of her groom with a seriously anxious look like this?!

  

  Ariane and Scott’s reveal took place at the viewpoint at Emerald Lake Lodge.

  

  Melissa and Brian met while working at the Banff Springs Hotel so this couple chose to rendez vous in the iconic Mount Stephen Hall. I LOVE Bryan’s expression.

  

  Kirsty and Matt first saw each other on the snowy terrace at the Chateau Lake Louise.

  

  If the anticipation of seeing each other for the first time at the end of the aisle is something that you hold near and dear, I absolutely recommend sticking to tradition! Don’t give up a moment like that it it is something you’ve always looked forward to. The first look certainly isn’t for everyone, but it’s something I always like to suggest to my couples for consideration.

  

  //”THE BEST DAY EVER” PHOTO OF THE DAY CAN BE FOUND IN THE NEWLYWED GALLERY. DON’T FORGET TO HEAD ON OVER TO CALLANDRA’S BLOG FOR HER PORTION OF THE CONTEST//

• MAKE IT YOURS: PHOTO SHOOT IDEAS

  9 May 2012 juliewilliams

  So, if you’re just tuning in, Callandra from Cherry Tree Occasions and I have teamed up for what we’ve coined “The Best Day Ever!” giveaway…we’re each offering up $2000 of services [that's $4000!] to one mega-rad couple planning to wed out here in the Rockies. You can see the full contest details right here. To go along with the weeklong giveaway, I’m also doing a daily blog series: Make It Yours…a recap featuring a whole bunch of really neat, personal and thoughtful ideas I’ve seen my couples incorporate into their wedding over the past couple of years.

  Like most photographers out there, I get so excited when some of my couples suggest a fun activity, thoughtful prop or personal location for the photo shoot portion of our time together on the wedding day. Today’s installment of Make It Yours will feature just a few of the neat ideas introduced to me by some of my unique brides and grooms.

  Tracy was the first potential bride to get in touch with me after Adam & I decided to make the big move from Vancouver Island back out to the Rockies. As we were chatting on the phone about her Kicking Horse wedding, she mentioned that she was pretty determined to go snowboarding before her I do’s! Ever since then, I’ve been so lucky to be paired up with some pretty fun and creative couples.

  

  I was so pleased when Rebecca and Paul were keen to head out for a float at their Lake Louise wedding.

  

  Amber and Andy both love to skate…so we headed down to the local pond to make the most of their wedding day photo shoot. One year later, they returned to the Canmore pond for an anniversary lap!

  

  Jen and Jon were married in the yard where she grew up. What a great, personal backdrop for their newlywed photos.

  

  I’m not sure what it is with Kicking Horse Mountain couples, but Chantelle and Christien were just as excited to ski as Tracy was! It takes a bit of effort to get into your ski boots, but I’d say the photos are SO worth it!

  

  Canmore locals Erin and Dave wanted to incorporate a stop at his workplace, the town fire hall into their photo session.

  

  Calgary bride and groom, Holly & Mark wanted to slip into a classic Inglewood diner for a milkshake stop with the wedding party before heading back for cocktail hour.

  

  And lastly, one of my personal favorites…Lauren and Neal’s tandem bike ride!

  

  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t be shy to suggest any great ideas you’ve got up your sleeve for our photo shoot.

  

  //”THE BEST DAY EVER” PHOTO OF THE DAY CAN BE FOUND IN THE HAPPY COUPLES GALLERY. [IT MAY BE BURIED QUITE DEEP TODAY, KEEP DIGGING...I PROMISE YOU'LL FIND IT!] DON’T FORGET TO HEAD ON OVER TO CALLANDRA’S BLOG FOR HER PORTION OF THE CONTEST//