Carissa + Chris
Banff Sundance Canyon Wedding
I so love arriving at a home where everyone is preparing for a wedding. There is this hum of activity, where despite being a near stranger I can blend in, moving from room to room, sorting out which is player and role each person has. It’s a sense of controlled chaos, each person working at their task at hand, the kids keeping themselves busy, whether by spinning in a chair or directing me to where the florals are, insisting I take a photo. At first, I thought to move the bouquet to a corner where the background was cleaner, but instead chose to embrace window light and oddities that surrounded it. Perhaps it is a side effect of doing this for years, but I am much kinder to seeming imperfections.
Overlooking the Bow Valley in Canmore, watching as the weather shifted from sun to threatening rain every quarter-hour, Carissa slipped into her geometric patterned wedding dress with the help of her mother. The flower girls looked on, perhaps bemused by the whole ordeal.
Shortly after we left Canmore to Banff’s Cave and Basin National Historic Site, the birthplace of what Banff is today. We set off down the Sundance Canyon trail which follows along the Bow River to a secluded canyon, that resembled much of a fairytale, with mossy slopes, towering rock walls and fast-flowing creek. Despite rainy weather, Carissa and Chris’ families were delighted with the hike, despite having to navigate around (and over) a tree or two down from the wind that had picked up earlier that day. Grandma was comfortably pushed in a wheelchair, and the littlest ones pushed in a stroller and wagon – an ingenious way to have a wedding off the beaten path, while being inclusive.
Upon our arrival at the canyon ceremony site, florals were arranged in baskets, the paperwork was signed, the kids had a snack, and anyone who was chilly was wrapped in a blanket. The girls were delighted in their role of handing out small florals to each guest. A makeshift aisle was created for Carissa and her dad to walk through, then closed in around them in a standing ceremony. What standing ceremonies give up in formality is made up in camaraderie. There were tears at their handwritten vows, and laughter as the ringbearer dutifully and hurriedly fulfilled handing the rings off. It was a ceremony that celebrated simplicity and connection. It was perfection.
You may also want to see Cassie and Warren’s small backyard ceremony in British Columbia, where they walked down the aisle with their dog and celebrated in a nearby forest.
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