A Summer Wedding at Sawridge Inn - Jasper Wedding Photographers

Jackie and Jordan hired me over e-mail since they lived out of town.  I was pretty excited that I was a consideration of theirs for shooting their wedding since it was being held in Jasper, and I’d never been before.  While they were visiting Calgary one weekend, we managed to meet up for coffee to chat about their wedding day and I knew right away that they’d be a wonderful couple to work with.  Fast forward to July, we made the long(ish) trek out to Jasper and needless to say, I was kicking myself for not visiting sooner.  Jasper was like the more quaint and home-y version of Banff and nestled completely in the mountains.  It’s always a bit nerve-wracking shooting in a new location, so needless to say, I was a bit nervous.  The day went off without a hitch.  Jackie and Jordan were so incredible to work with, and pair that up with some amazing scenery and it was just sheer perfection.

How did you get engaged?

It was Mothers Day weekend of 2015 and we had our bags packed to head out to stay with family for the weekend. Jordan started driving south outside of the city, instead of west where we should have been going. His excuse was that he wanted to stop at this specific store for his mom for mothers day.  Jordan kept going past the exit we should have taken and I was really confused. I told him, “That was your exit! There aren’t anymore exits, now we are heading out of the city.” He asked me if I knew the term “preconceived notion”, and when I shot him a confused look, he explained to me that everything I thought was happening that weekend was wrong. Jordan even spoke to my boss to make sure I could take the time off that I needed for heading out of town. I did not know what to expect from that point on, but I had butterflies thinking that he could be proposing that weekend.

We went down to Calgary, which doesn’t seem like an exotic destination from Edmonton, but it’s where Jordan lived when we first got together and it’s where we fell in love.  We went out for dinner at this cute little restaurant by the Saddledome and afterwards took a little walk.  Little did I know that Jordan had the destination already planned. We ended up at this cute little wooden bridge that crosses the Elbow River. I could tell he was a bit fidgety but I kept dismissing the idea that he could be about to propose so that I wouldn’t be disappointed if he didn’t. I ended up spotting a family of ducks when I looked down the one side of the bridge and shouted to Jordan to come look, the babies were so cute. He knew that was his moment and when I turned around to see if he was coming, he was behind me on one knee. He asked me to marry him and I said yes immediately. He laughed because he didn’t even have the box open yet.

What is the most memorable moment from your wedding?

The moment that stands out the most for both of us is getting to the ceremony location. We had been out to that beautiful outdoor mountain location several times and had seen what it looked like when it was empty. Nothing compares to seeing the site decorated and the seats filled with the people we love. Seeing Jordan at the alter with some of our best friends standing up there with us was such an incredible moment.

If you could give one piece of advice to couples planning their wedding, what would it be?

Planning a wedding can be extremely overwhelming and stressful but if I can give any advice… It’s to try and embrace it. Even if you think there will never be enough time and you’re stressed, it’s important to enjoy every moment because it’s a one time deal and you can really make it your own. For time management, I suggest doing one thing every day, even if it’s a small task.

What was your most favourite wedding detail, and why?

There are too many beautiful details to choose from! We really loved all aspects of our wedding, but the things that really stand out to us are all the florals, our ceremomy violinist, the  rustic woodland decor, the chandelier in the banquet room, the natural mountain setting we got married in, and… Oh! And we rented a convertible mustang for the week which was unreal to drive in the mountains.

Venue: Sawridge Inn Jasper / Ceremony: Athabasca Day Use Area / Bride’s Ring: Independent Jewellers / Bride’s Dress: Melanie by Maggie Sottero / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Bill Levkoff / Groom’s Suit: Derks Formals / Florals: Bloom & Bliss Flower and Coffee Shop / DJ: Jasper Alpine Music / Cake: The Art of Cake / Officiant: Beryl Cahill