Wedding & Elopement Getting Ready Guide
Banff & Canmore

Where to get ready for your wedding is probably about twenty-third in importance on the list of things you need to do when planning but ultimately can make a difference logistically as well as how your day is documented by your photographer. So let this be a simple guide to getting ready.

How to Choose a Getting Ready Location

1. Character. There is something marvellously personal about getting ready in your own home, surrounded by your collection of oddities and trinkets. Things you have collected from your life together. However, there is a good chance your wedding isn’t local to your home and that isn’t an option. In that case look for a room or home that speaks to your aesthetic, a place you could see yourself calling home. Hotel rooms, don’t tend to be this. If they have generic artwork on the wall and the floor space is occupied by 80% beds then you may want to consider somewhere else. Brainstorm different location types. A cabin, a yurt, a warehouse, a boat, a treehouse, a tent. AirBnBs are marvellous but pick one critically, a lot of AirBnBs in Canmore are quickly put together short-term rentals that aren’t cohesively decorated and are a hodge-podge of the cheapest furniture they could find – and it shows.

2. Light. I covered this over on my Top 10 Suggestions for Intimate Weddings and Elopements, but the lighting makes all the difference for your photos. Natural light is my preference, I’m not even that fussy about the quantity. Put me in a room with some moody directional light to play with and I’ll be happy as a clam. Natural light is simply the prettiest type of light and will also be representative of how you will look for your portraits outside. Things to look for are if space allows your hair and makeup to be done next to a window (the main culprit preventing this is a bed), high ceilings typically mean the light will be available at the back of the room, and extra bonus points if windows are on more than one side of the room (although, that isn’t common in the Bow Valley).

3. Location. This may seem obvious but chose a getting ready location that works well with your timeline. In the Bow Valley, that means taking into account backups heading into Banff on summer days, trains that bisect Canmore and can add delays of up to 20 minutes, and animal jams (protip: if you spot an animal pull off to the side of the road and remain in your vehicle to take a photo, don’t stop in your lane and assume everyone else behind you wants to do the same). Of course, if your first look or ceremony is far away that is just fine, but make sure to budget time accordingly.

4. Space. So this one I am going to ramble a touch. My absolute favourite push against wedding traditions are couples that chose to get ready together. You can make breakfast together, do last minute preparation, help each other straighten a bow tie or do up the dress. If you want the final look to be a surprise have one partner leave a touch earlier. May as well spend as much of your wedding day together! Have a wedding party? Well, a house may be your best option. It has multiple rooms that allow for people to change, different bathrooms for ties to be put on (again, and again, and again), and makeup to be touched up. Just the two of you? As much as I love more space to work, there is something so intimate and cozy about a one-room cabin, or a campsite (I mean how awesome would it be for your change room to be a grove of trees, your mirror to be leaned up against a birch, and a cooler to be your makeup table?). In short, consider how many people you will have with you for the pre-wedding festivities and consider the logistics of the space needed for those final preparations.

Tips for Getting Ready for Your Wedding

1. Declutter. The morning of a wedding can be a touch chaotic, timelines are set, you have a bazillion plus one items to remember. Try to set everything you want to take with you by the door the night before, prepare a list of any items you will be using that morning you need to collect (ie. lipstick, vows), prepare ahead and your future self will thank you. Move luggage under a table or bed. Make the bed. It is all about simplifying.

2. The Details. So, this is going to go against the typical trend but truth be told the details aren’t my top priority. When I arrive at a room I want to photograph the two of your interacting, how your mum keeps pausing at the door as she goes by to admire her child. Those are the images that make my heart beat a bit faster. I believe the dress looks best when it is on you and your grandmother’s jewellery hangs the best from your wrist. However, I will happily photograph the details if they are important to you. If that is the case have your dress hanging without the cardboard busty-thing (the word escapes me but hopefully you know what I speak of), your shoes, jewellery and whatever else set aside in one spot.

3. Light. Oh right, this topic again. Don’t be surprised if your photographer arrives and immediately goes straight to the switches. Mixed lighting is something I typically avoid however others may feel differently.  Have your hair and makeup done next to a window. Tables can be moved, solid light not as much. If you are doing your own hair and makeup consider bringing a standing mirror to be set up near a window.

4. The Final Prep. Hurrah! Hair and makeup are done, dress and suit are ready to go on, let’s get this day rolling. But wait. Brush your teeth, put on deodorant, go to the washroom. Oh, and you are totally wearing a button down or super loose fitting top that can be removed without messing up your hair and makeup right?

Best Wedding Getting Ready Locations in the Canadian Rockies

Below are just a handful of local spots I have fallen in love with or are keen to shoot at. It is hardly a definitive list so explore your options and go with what speaks to you.

1. Storm Mountain Lodge | Located between the Banff townsite and Lake Louise are historic cabins with all the rustic charm and amenities one wants when on vacation. The rooms a dark, but in a delightfully cozy type of way that I love working with.

2. Cathedral Mountain Lodge | Just across the border near the town of Field, British Columbia is a more luxurious version of cabins with the Kicking Horse River at your doorstep

3. Sundance Lodges | Thirty minutes from Canmore in Kananaskis Country is a campsite that also offers minimalist Trapper’s Tents and Tipis for affordable rates.

4. Yurt at Engadine Lodge | Also located in Kananaskis Country is Engadine Lodge, renowned for its delightful afternoon tea (the best after a hike) and now with a yurt option

5. AirBnB in Canmore | AirBnB, that never-ending selection of positively odd to absolutely delightful accommodations. Things to keep in mind is that absolutely no AirBnBs in Banff are legal and only certain locations in Canmore are permitted. Both towns are cracking down on illegal AirBnBs so make sure to inquire if they are properly zoned and licensed in order to not end up locationless close to your wedding date. Canmore Crossing is a top pick with its large windows, rooftop hot tubs, and underground parking (particularly in those summer months)

6. Parks Canada Tent | From the end of May to mid-September Parks Canada offers a tent similar to Sundance Lodges Trapper’s Tent at Two Jack Lakeside (one of the most picturesque campgrounds in Banff). A touch glamping and a touch charming.

7. Creekside Villa in Canmore | A quaint BnB in Canmore complete with delightful skylights that make my photographer heart happy.

8. A Campsite | Pack or rent your campsite gear. Book a spot, my particular favourites are Two Jack Lakeside, Castle Mountain and Johnston Canyon campsites in Banff. I’d be so down I’ll provide an extra hour of coverage because this is my jam.