WEDDING BLOG

Whitney and Brian’s Fairmont Banff Springs wedding was as elegant as it was artistic. With loads of space in their reception hall, the couple got creative with the decor and designed an architectural balloon installation that can only be described as a masterpiece! They also treated their guests to lots of DIY personalizations and made their Banff weekend feel like a true getaway rather than just a wedding. The planners of Lynn Fletcher Weddings went above and beyond in helping the couple tie together their outdoor ceremony and indoor reception, using a mix of grasses and neutral florals from Occasional Bloom. In the end, every inch of this wedding was sheer perfection, and Kris Turner Photography captured it all beautifully!

The Couple:

Whitney and Brian

The Wedding:

Tunnel Mountain Reservoir and Fairmont Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada

The two most memorable parts of the day were the processional during the ceremony and the bridal party entrance at the reception. The ceremony was outdoors and, though the forecast called for sun on our day, it poured the day before. The weather ended up being absolutely perfect and walking down the aisle with all of our loved ones together was one of the best moments of my life. Our “grand entrance” at the reception was equally meaningful. We had a vision for the space and we did as much as possible to coordinate all of the moving pieces but we really had no idea how everything would come together. When we finally entered the hall we were completely blown away. All of our vendors truly went above and beyond.

One of the main reasons why we chose to get married in Banff was that we wanted to be able to share not just a day but an experience with our closest friends and family. Banff is so breathtakingly beautiful and one of the best parts of the weekend was seeing everyone’s reactions as they reached the mountains. While there were certainly a lot of logistics that went into planning a destination wedding, it was really important to us that, once we arrived in Canada, it felt like an adventure with all of our favorite people (and a little bit of paperwork along the way).

Three pieces of advice for brides and grooms to be. First, try not to sweat the small stuff but, if you do, make sure you’re at least having fun along the way. We ended up doing a lot of DIY projects and, while it was a little overwhelming at times, enjoying the process was key to our happiness. Second, especially if you’re planning to have your wedding at a large hotel or other venue, hire an experienced planner or day-of coordinator. Our wedding day was incredibly smooth and that was in large part thanks to the team at Lynn Fletcher Weddings. Third, do not skimp on documentation. If it is at all feasible in the budget, hire both a photographer and videographer.

I am trained as an architect and while Brian is also artistically inclined. As a result, there was a lot of DIY in our wedding! With the help of our family and friends, we made custom laser cut wooden notebooks as favors, acrylic table settings, garlands, and more. The biggest project was the creation of a balloon installation in the reception hall. We knew that we wanted to do something different and somehow spatial in nature but many of our initial ideas quickly put us outside of our budget. Mt Stephen Hall has gorgeous soaring ceilings — too high to propose hanging anything from them. So, we got creative! I used my 3D modeling software to create a model of the space and define the heights of the balloons. Brian painstakingly measured and labeled all of the LED light strings. The folks at the Banff Dollar Store were total rockstars and delivered over 100 inflated balloons to the venue the morning of. We refined the design with our amazing planners in the months leading up to the wedding and, on the big day, they somehow managed to bring the vision to life. It was a full team effort and the result exceeded all expectations!

Congratulations to Whitney and Brian, and a special thanks to Kris Turner Photography for sharing this gorgeous Fairmont Banff Springs wedding with Junebug! Can’t get enough Banff weddings? Then you won’t want to miss this thrilling and romantic Banff helicopter elopement at Marvel Pass!