Our Mountaintop Wedding - Lonely

Alright ladies, this might make some of you uncomfortable... kinda how our cocktail hour made me feel. BUT, you know the rules around here... you only get the straight up real-deal kinda wedding stuff here!

So, a bit of background... like MANY brides, we chose to do a first look so that we could have more TIME for photos, have a later ceremony that would flow right in to cocktail hour and the reception (I mean come on, we were getting married up on a mountain, it's not like there was a lounge that our guests could go wet their tongues at in between the ceremony and reception while we got our pictures taken!), and so we could mingle at our our own cocktail hour...

WELL, my sister, the perfect big sis that she is, warned me that the cocktail hour might not go as I had envisioned... something like this:

sis: "why do you want to go to your cocktail hour?"
me: "well, you know, so I have more time to visit with our guests..."
sis: "uhhh, ya, that's what I thought, but it doesn't really happen like that!"
me: "whatcha talking about?"
sis: "well, at our cocktail hour no one even talked to me?!"
me: "but EVERYONE wants to talk to the bride?!"
sis: "all I'm sayin is be prepared to kinda feel like a 'pink elephant' that no one wants to talk to!"
me: "that's ridiculous!!"

So, after our ceremony, we went outside, took a big ol' group photo, some family photos, and then we re-assembled upstairs for cocktail hour.

SIDENOTE: We had planned on having cocktails out on the balcony, but due to the weather inconsistencies, my invisible wedding fairies some how made it happen back upstairs where the wedding had just happened?! Seriously, I don't even know how this happened, BUT, while I was outside getting a few family pictures taken, my amazing friends/families/wedding fairies dismantled the ceremony site, finished the reception set-up (ie. ceremony chairs doubled as reception chairs!!), and assembled the cocktail hour upstairs... yep, AMAZING peeps I had on my side!!

So upstairs I went... expecting to be greeted by a lineup of excited guests to talk to the bride.... although the room was abuzz with chatter, laughs, hugs, and stories, I felt like I could here a pin drop. My sister was right, it was like I wasn't even there? At one point a grabbed a great friend of mine, and side, "heh, what's the deal, how come you're not coming to get a hug from me?!", and he just had the dazed look on his face and said, "you just look too beautiful, I don't even know what to do". Um what? Ladies, I am not tooting my own horn here... this was literally his excuse for not talking to me... and this friend is a TALKER and loves to chat my ear off?! I told him to stop being ridiculous, but the point was made... I was the pink elephant in the middle of the room... only I was a bride... wearing white...

Looking at the photos, it was clear everyone was having fun...

My mom was making the rounds...

As were my girls...

Yep, and my husband was doing the mingle... But seriously... not a single picture of the bride during cocktail hour?! Not that I care about the pics, it's just the proof in the puddin. To be perfectly honest, at one point, one of my girls, JB, came up to me and said "heh, how are you doing?" to which I replied... "seriously, no one is even talking to me... I'm not feeling it!". Being the AWESOME maid that she is, she looked me dead in the eye and said "wanna get outta here?"... HELL YES! The two of us went and sat in one of the suites in the lodge and had a glass of wine... BLISS!! Quiet, no pressure to mingle, we got to chillax and forget about our posture, and we got to LAUGH!!

Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate mingling... sometimes I actually love it! BUT, it really wasn't the vibe I was going for. I didn't want to have to "work the crowd"... I wanted laid back COOL! But apparently, right after a wedding ceremony, a bride in white doesn't exactly elicit a 'laid back cool' kinda vibe. I was glad my sis had warned me though, so that when I was confronted with this feeling of loneliness it didn't shock the crap outta me. I just thought to myself... "ohhh, this is what CC was talking about!".

anyone else out there feel LONELY during their cocktail hour?! Come on... it feels good to admit it! OR, if you loved your cocktail hour, maybe you can help us out and let us know what we did wrong...

all photos by the amazing [6:8] Photography

Our Montaintop Wedding - Confident

The time was finally here... the day had been a blast so far. We had spent an amazing morning/afternoon with each other, and with our bridal party, but the moment had arrived. Our family had assembled, we could hear the music playing and the chatter of our guests. My girls and I gathered in a small room on the main floor of the lodge where we were met by our Jordy, our make-up and hair guru, for last minute hair curling, dress steaming, and make-up touch-ups! We shared a quick glass of champagne, and my great friend Cindy came in to let us know it was time.

And the one emotion that was overriding all others was CONFIDENCE.

Of course their was a mixture of all the days emotions... anticipation, gratefulness, pride, familiar love, even a bit of feeling torn, but above all else, I was confident in the vows I was about to make, and those that I would receive. I was confident in the man I was marrying. I was confident in our foundation, our hopes and vision, and in our love for each other that would provide the framework for our future.

And so, I nodded to my mom, accepted my dad's arm, and started up the stairs...

I was surrounded by the people I loved the most, and who supported, guided, and protected me. I was confident, with my mom by my side, that this walk was a purposeful one. One that was well thought out. A walk that lead me to the man I was meant to spend the rest of my life with.

I was confident in walking towards my husband... and it was like there was no other place I was meant to be. Inspite of chaos, emotion, trials, tribulations, successes and failures, that inevitably form any bride's foundation, everything seemed to fall away, making space only for this walk as a woman about to become a wife...

And then we stood together. Bride and groom, friends, lovers, confidantes, cheerleaders and critics

And nearly... husband and wife.

I made sure to soak it all up... and especially tried to connect with our friends and families in the 'audience'.

And before we knew it, it was time to say our vows. We chose to include a somewhat typical "do you promise to...", complete with "I Do's", after which we exchanged our personal vows. As it turned out, we both finalized our vows that morning, and it was hilarious (proof in the pudding... check out my laugh) that we had both written our vows in coil notebooks which we proceeded to read them from :) Seriously... it took some of the nerves away, and was soooo US! Dorky, goofy, note takers!

So first up was the hubs... his vows were sweet, direct, and calming. They were him... he's not really a man of words, so they were short and too the point... but they were perfect!

And then it was my turn. I also think mine were "me"... long winded and thoughtful! Yep, sometimes I can ramble. What can I say... this was the reason I was here! I followed the "I love you because..." and "Because I love you..." that I first saw here. I don't know why, but as soon as I saw this style, I knew it was how I wanted to share my love and promises with my man.

Of course there were many details to the ceremony, but at the end, and most importantly, we sealed the deal with a kiss...

And we confidently entered the world of MARRIAGE!! We were FINALLY husband and wife!

all photos credited, as always, to [6:8] Photography

And PS... don't you just love that I FINALLY figured out how to post with larger images?!

Our Mountaintop Wedding - Anticipation

Wow... you are here... to the end of the formals! This has been a long journey of recaps, and more importantly, of emotion. As you have travelled with us chronologically the morning of the wedding, you have seen the amazing work of our photogs, [6:8] Photography, but I hope you have also felt the emotion of the day. The good, the bad, the ugly... and the amazing!! For those of you who have missed it and want to catch up, prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster...

• The day started off calm as hair and make up got under way.
• But with the reality that my wedding day had finally arrived, so too came some family issues that had been unresolved, and let's be honest, I was torn.
• After making the best decision I knew how to at the time, I started to get excited to see my husband, and my heart went crazy pitter-patter
• And seeing my husband for the first time brought everything to a stop... and it really was pure bliss
• A bit of frustration with rain and transportation resulted in some flask-ing
• and let's face it peeps, a bit of booze and umbrellas seems to calm things down... ahhhh-relaxed
• My man was the coolest groom ever, and I couldn't have been more proud
• And when we were reminded of a turning point in our relationship, we realized just how blessed we were to be marrying eachother
• As the morning turned in to afternoon, we were surrounded by the most comforting emotion yet... familiar love

And if you're still with me, the journey brought us to our little trek in the trees. And at this time, their was really only one emotion in the air... anticipation. We had only a couple shots left before we drove back to the lodge to say our "I Do's". Admittedly, I kinda didn't want to go. Not because I didn't want to exchange vows, but because I was so LOVING hanging out with my groom...

It felt like it was the first time we had been together in MONTHS (*which was kinda true considering the lock-down I had been in prior to the wedding finishing my thesis and defending it), and I was kinda lovin it!

I knew, though, that sharing our vows with our friends and family would be such a special experience, and so we savored the last few moments alone in the forest...

And before heading back, I prepared myself to step into the wide world of WIFE... but let me be straight up here guys, I was also kinda thinking about the fact that in a few short minutes my dad would be walking me down the aisle with my mom, despite my mixed emotions on the topic, and I was preparing myself to be in the moment (sorry to bust up the picturesque dreaming of wedding bliss with harsh reality, but that's the way it went down). The anticipation of having my dad there was trying to take over, but it DIDN'T... it was present, but more importantly, the confident love that was streaming between my groom and I gave me all the confidence in the world to face my dad...

Because with him by side, want couldn't we take on??

Ya, we were ready... let's get this party started!!

All photo credits to Kevan and Duane of [6:8] Photography

Our Mountaintop Wedding - Familiar Love

Hiya!! Thanks for believing me when I told you "I was back"!! And thanks, too, for following this emotional journey with me, as I recap our Fernie wedding! The last stage of the journey was a quiet reflection of our relationship, as our photogs had taken us to a location that was rooted in our history! We knew we were truly blessed to be together, to love each other, and to be getting married in one of our most favorite locations!!

When the cliff-side photo shoot ended, we went back down to meet up with our bridal party again... this time we were OUT OF THE RAIN (yah baby, the sun was SHINING!!) and went from barns and umbrellas to sun and rocks!
So let me explain the title of the post... there is so much about a wedding that is foreign to me... of course the obvious is the WHITE DRESS (ya, sooo not my familiar!!), but there were MANY elements of the day (or prepping for the day) that were completely unfamiliar. Here's a short list: being called 'bride' for MONTHS, opening shower presents in front of a LOT of women, shedding tears in front of a LOT of people, getting beautified for HOURS, being obsessed with the weather, having people take my pictures with the expectation that I look GOOD, being 'pretty' (that's a whole notha blog-worthy post!)... you get the idea! BUT, there were also many FAMILIAR parts of the wedding day too, and it was our bridal party (ok, who am I kidding, it was my girls!!) that really made me feel at home. These three girls have literally been my side since I was born... aren't they gorgeous!!

And Ian's boys were definitely a bright spot in his day too... BOYS! Enough wedding talk... flowers, seating arrangements, playlists, menu.... let's just have fun!

And there is something about that familiarity that made our love even sweeter:

Here's some solo shots of my girls (which I highly recommend getting done!). My sister and maid of honour:

And my two cousins... the first, P-ah, was born a couple months before me, and we have grown ULTRA close... and her smile is a showstopper:

And her sister, JB, the eldest, and leader of the pack, has always been my ally... if we were fighting with our sisters, we would align and conquer! She is a great friend, and quite a beauty:

The girls were there for me to make sure I was looking good... and this is about as familiar as it gets! My three girls have always been the "pretty" ones, and they have always worked to smooth me down, touch me up, dress me up, primp and poke, as I was more concerned about getting out the door to par-tay!! Well, here is a glimpse of those roles staying true to form:

And it looks like the shot came together!

And of course, familiarity rings in the FUN we had all afternoon... goofing off in front of the camera:

Until we were ready to strike a pose:

And sometimes we like to just kick back... I love this picture for a couple of reasons. First of all, the scenery and the lines melt my heart! But more importantly, I love how my sister is watching over me... and she has that look in her eyes of "don't you mess with my baby sister"!! I love her to bits, and this picture is a perfect reflection of us... I have always been off on my own a bit, but my sister doesn't need to be standing right beside me to hold a watchful eye! Now this is familiar love!

A group shot... sorry, I tend to focus on the girls, but yes, we had a blast with our ENTIRE wedding party!!

And what about the 'bride and groom'?! Well, in spite of wedding dresses and suits, we had that comfy, familiar ease too... and we took another moment to steal off for a kiss or two...

For me, these moments of familiarity in a day that can otherwise seem COMPLETELY foreign are what make all worthwhile. My day would not have been the same without the familiar COMFORT and PROTECTION of my ladies, the laid back quiet support of the hubs' boys, and of course, the simple, unmistakable love between 'bride and groom'!

As always, photo credit is given to Kev and Duane of [6:8] Photography... thanks for capturing the familiar love in a way that makes our wedding day fit seamlessly into the record of our lives!

Our Montaintop Wedding - Blessed

The recaps continue... I miss my wedding?! That sounds lame I know, but I really do miss the day, the preparation, the people, the laughter, the anticipation, the stress (I know... weird!), and most of all, I miss the images. Fernie was such a spectacular location for our wedding, and thankfully I have the pictures to look back on, but I really do miss being out on our wedding weekend soaking in the beautiful views of the peaks and valleys. Can you tell I haven't been out skiing yet this winter?!?! The house buying and long distance relationship have proved to put a damper on our extra curricular... i.e. getting out the mountains where we said our "I do"s.

So yes, this post has perfect timing, because it is a treat for me to share with you some of the most amazing pictures that Kev and Duane of [6:8] Photography shot for us... and the emotion of this moment really was blessed. We were so lucky that the weather cooperated with us, and that we were in one of the most beautiful spots in the world to spend time together on our wedding day. We were so blessed to be in Fernie!!

Caution... picture-heavy post!! Proceed at your own pace :)

I just love the color of the cliff face on this one... red dirt!!

Our photogs reassured us that the lighting would be perfect for the photos... and, well, we couldn't agree more!

The next picture is similar to the one that won us a canvas from [6:8] (thanks again for voting!!), but I just LOVE the white water in the river below. Funny story about this location... we didn't realize we would be going here, but this location is literally a stone's throw from where Ian and I dropped our rafts into the water when we went white water rafting VERY early in our relationship. I'm talking EARLY! OK, obviously there is a story behind this one. Well, to be perfectly honest, the first weekend we spent together in Fernie was a "let's get away from the day-to-day so we can actually talk about us, and whether or not we should make a go of our relationship". Yep, that early! We had started off pretty casually, and our first weekend in Fernie was a turning point... and obviously the road we turned on to lead to great things! So, it was really a full-circle-moment when we went back to this very location. Again, we realized how blessed we were that we had chosen to work on our relationship, chosen to be together, and chosen to love each other. As you can tell from the title of my blog, I believe our path is a purposeful one, and the hubs and my relationship is no different... conscious decisions and choices lead to us being together! So, there you have it... Fernie has seen many pivotal points in our relationship!

Sorry, got a bit off track there... here we go, the white water:

Caught in a moment of reflection...

And the two of us looking out onto the river that brought us together... how crazy was it that our photogs chose this location?! It still sends shivers down my back remembering walking onto that ledge and realizing when we had been there last!

Yep... blessed is the word! Thank-you Fernie... your landscapes, your weather, your skies, your clouds, and most of all, your place in our hearts!

And just for good measure... the boys trying to get me to be all fierce-like!! Tyra... help!

Who wouldn't want to get married here?!

So, with this post, I want to encourage all of you brides out there (yep, and you too guys!) to stick to your guns when you know where you want to get married. We were faced with some resistance to having our wedding in the mountains ("you're having a destination wedding?!" was the comment I hated the most during our planning!), but at the end of the day, we knew Fernie was where we were meant to get married. We absolutely love it there, and like the pictures show, it really is beautiful. We were blessed to be able to bring our family and closest friends to this place we love so dearly!!

As always, photo credit goes to the amazing talent behind [6:8] Photography. Thanks for giving us the gift of these images that I can go back to when I miss the peaks of Fernie!!