Once in awhile, weddings land in my lap that totally take my breath away. The look, the style, and the all around feel of the party make me wish nothing but fabulous things for the newly married duo. This is one of those weddings. And although things didn’t go perfectly as planned, with the help of Atmosphere Wedding Planning & Design and amazing guests the day went perfectly unplanned. With all the details somehow falling into place even though a little rain decided to show up, and thanks to Sharon Litchfield Photography we can soak up every last inch right here.

 

From Atmosphere Wedding Planning & Design… Kristi loves to “craft” and create things with her own hands and she always knew that she would be putting a huge part of her heart into their wedding. From the invitations, wedding website, favors, hanging hearts made from old music sheets, to the rosemary that she grew in her backyard all summer that was placed on each napkin – Kristi had a hand in everything because she wanted their wedding to feel personal. Because it was. Moments that made their day memorable: Watching the rain pour down on the outdoor ceremony location & realizing that it didn’t matter at all. Each of them just wanted to get married and didn’t care where in this world it happened. The fact that everyone – every single person invited to their wedding – not only came to the ceremony, but waited an hour and thirty minutes as Atmosphere Wedding Planning and Design, as well as some eager to help family members, changed to their rain backup to watch them get married.  Getting married under the birch arch that Kristi’s dad made specifically for her wedding. Having their beloved dog, Guinness, walk down the aisle and be with them at their ceremony (he was also front and centre on their custom invitations). Watching Marek’s friends & squad mates surprise Marek with a Top Gun serenade to “You lost that loving feeling”.

Kristi and Marek realized that even though they had put so much effort into planning all of the details and décor, none of that mattered as much when it came to defining their wedding. What Kristi didn’t anticipate was how magical and surreal her ceremony would be. What the two of them will remember the most from that day for the rest of their lives will be the moment Kristi walked towards her husband to-be; Watching as Marek’s eyes welled up with tears and he mouthed the word “Wow”.

Working with this couple over the course of the year that I did, I learned so much about them and got to really see how in love they were with eachother; Spending countless hours together, just so they could be near one another and for no other reason. They truly have the “love” gene, and it was an absolute pleasure to be a part of this day with them.

Wedding Photography: Sharon Litchfield Photography / Ceremony Venue: Mercer Warehouse in Edmonton, Canada / Reception Venue: Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton, Canada / Wedding Planning + Design: Atmosphere Wedding Planning & Design / Floral Design: Wild Orchid / Dessert Station + Wedding Cake: Cake Couture – Edible Art + Duchess Bake Shop / Decor Rentals: Special Event Rentals / DJ: Urban Metropolis

I may be one of the few people in the world that actually hopes for rain on my wedding day, but it’s true.  I totally do.  There’s just something about the drizzly, inclement weather that adds the perfect dash of all caps ROMANCE… and the cute photo ops with umbrellas and boots?  Priceless.  Needless to say, this gorgeous Ontario wedding from Nataschia Wielink is right up my alley with an uber-fabulous overcast sky, a light downpour and a pair of high school sweethearts that make every image a downright beauty.  See them all right here.

 

From the Bride… Aaron and I are high school sweethearts so our wedding day was something I have been looking forward to for quite some time! We got to know each other on a school camping trip and he proposed to me at Killarney Provincial Park, so our love of camping and the outdoors was something that we wanted to have reflected in on our wedding day. With the help of my bridal party, we searched all sorts of antique and ETSY shops for vintage enamelware or equipment that we could use for arrangements and decor. We used mason jars for our centerpiece arrangements because Aaron and I have a little tradition of making pickles with his Grampa every year. Aaron and his groomsmen did an awesome job of making the wooden cake stand and slabs that we used for chalkboards throughout the room. The Ancaster Mill could not have been a more perfect venue. The large windows truly made you feel like you were sitting right outside, though luckily we weren’t as you can see from our ceremony – it was a little rainy that day! We were just able to get the rings on when we had to run for cover under the Mill’s covered bridge and sign our license on the back of Kyle, our groomsman. He likes to say that he “carried the wedding on his back” and he’s right! Even with the rain, it was a perfect day!

Wedding Photography: Nataschia Wielink Photo + Cinema / Wedding Venue: The Ancaster Mill in Ancaster, Ontario / Bouquets + Boutonnieres: Flowers by Dianne / Floral Design + Decor: DIY by the Bride + Friends / Wedding Cake: Golden Girlz Cakes / Cake Topper: Adora Wools / Flasks: Mountain Equipment Co-op / Wedding Dress +  Veil + Headpiece: Designed by the Bride, Custom Made by Lisa Van Hattem / Bride’s Shoes + Bracelet: J.Crew / Bride’s Earrings + Necklace + Purse: Family Heirlooms / Garter: The Chica Boutique / Maid of Honor’s Attire: BCBG / Bridesmaids’ Attire: Alfred Sung via Heirlooms Bridal / Bridesmaids’ Jewelry: Silpada / Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar + Victoria’s Secret / Groom + Groomsmen’s Attire: Calvin Klein via Stars Men’s Shop / Hair + Makeup: Allure Hair and Makeup 

Allure Hair and Makeup and Plum Pretty Sugar are members of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

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Plum Pretty Sugar

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It’s hard to believe there could ever be a more breathtaking backdrop than the Alberta Rockies.  These uber-gorgeous (+ seriously majestic) mountains are awe-inspiring in every which way – and they add an insane amount of pretty to every wedding they come in contact with.  So, when I saw them peeking out from this beautiful Canmore affair, there was an instant smile on my face.  One that could only be brought on by nature’s beauty, an adorable duo and fabulous images captured by Karmen Meyer Photography.  See them all here.

 

From the Bride… Picking the right venue was one of our top priorities as we started to plan our wedding day. We fell in love with Canmore in our years of dating and the trips we would make there each year. With the gorgeous mountain views all around us we couldn’t have been happier with the setting! We were also grateful that Mother Nature was looking upon our day as we had such warm and sunny weather… a rarity in the Alberta Rockies for the time of year. With the sun beaming down and as we both said our “I Do’s” it was such a magical day!

The theme for our wedding was natural and elegant, incorporating branches and rocks for several of the decorations and centerpieces. We chose charcoal grey and accents of yellow and white to dress our lovely wedding party, flowers, as well as the linens inside the venue. The Canmore Golf and Curling Club provided us with a great backdrop of the mountaintops with floor to ceiling windows around the room. It was important that we kept traditions for the wedding but also added in our own unique touches. Thanks to numerous wedding blogs and internet hunting we managed to pull off quite a few DIY projects. We made a wishing tree for our guest book, letting our guests add a leaf or two about marriage and fun memories they had from the day. Also to let our guests get a glimpse of our lives before the engagement we had a slideshow playing on the TV’s around the room. 

The day was so fun and flew by before we knew it! We all danced our feet off and made so many memories that will never be forgotten. Looking forward to the years of love and marriage yet to come!

Wedding Photography: Karmen Meyer Photography / Wedding Venue: Canmore Golf and Curling Club in Canmore, Canada / Floral Design: Elements Floral Design / Wedding Cake + Cupcakes: Cake Creations / Transportation: Alpine Limousine & Tours / Wedding Dress: Ella Rosa via ABC Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Endless by Amazon / Bridesmaids’ Attire: Alfred Angelo via ABC Bridal / Rings: Spence Diamond / Groom’s + Groomsmen Attire: Derks Formals / Ties + Pocket Squares: Dessy / Hair + Makeup: The Loft Hair Studio