Mikayla + Joshua
Jasper Park Lodge Wedding at Whistler Plateau
I have been a bit selfish and have been keeping Mikayla and Joshua’s wedding tucked away for the past year. Their wedding was my last before the world turned upside down, and there is something so bittersweet about pouring over images from a time, that objectively is not that long ago, but feels a lifetime away. This was the last time I stood in a room with hundreds of other people, not a mask in sight, and when seeing hugs didn’t cause my heart to race a bit. A weekend that so beautifully and meaningfully celebrated connection, before it was going to slip away from us just a couple weeks later. Until larger weddings are a thing once more, I am so grateful to have this day to look back on.
Before I elaborate a bit more on their day, I also want to share the most heartfelt thank you to Mikayla, Joshua, their family and friends, and all of their colleagues who work in health care. Many of the people in these photos mere weeks from this day on the frontlines fighting a pandemic, and have continued to do so for nearly a year. Thank you. You are the best of us.
Now about this frigid winter day, of two people with impeccable style, the inclusion of their dog Kaja (who if you can’t get enough of, is also heavily featured in their engagement session in Kananaskis Country), and a day designed to bring their friends and family from afar together in one delightful celebration.
Getting ready in the Estate Cabins overlooking Beauvert Lake created a slow and relaxed morning. Friends assisted with bow tie assembly and dress details, parents with making sure the wine was chilled (outdoors, because, Canada). These two opted to see each other before their ceremony, a way to thoroughly enjoy the cocktail hour with their guests following the ceremony. We explored the nearby lakes for portraits, a mixture of forest and wide-open landscapes that shows off the stark and wild landscape so renowned in Jasper National Park. Returning with ample time for Mikayla and Joshua to warm up prior to their ceremony.
Held at Whistler Plateau, their outdoor winter wedding ceremony with 165 people was visual perfection. The guests were welcomed with blankets from Jasper Park Lodge, and warm drinks to keep their hands cozy. There is nothing quite like the stillness of a winter day in the mountains. The accompanying sounds of the Whistler Plateau ceremony was that of the ancient trees by their sides swaying, the wind making its way across Beauvert Lake, before tossing Mikayla’s veil. The settling of the ice as it shifted behind them. The laughter and honoured stillness of their guests as they witnessed the couple marry. Then it was done. We retreated once more to warmer quarters and a handful of family portraits.
Jenna of Cocktails and Details arranged the historic Beauvert Ballroom into a space that celebrated both the grandiosity of the room, but also the intimacy of the event. Dark table runners, accented with greenery and accentuated with candlesticks filled the room with a warm glow. There they celebrated a relationship that had been years in the making. A relationship that has been kindled across worldwide distances. A marriage that started just before the interruption of the world as we know it. A place marker in time for not only the two of them, but all of us. I couldn’t be any more honoured to have been a small part of it.
You may also be interested in Grace and Shane’s winter wedding at Chateau Lake Louise in Banff National Park
Leave a Reply