Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise and Mountains Destination Wedding Photographer » Chic and indie weddings, elopements and lifestyle portraits for adventurous couples

Ashley and Donny – Cinderella Wedding at the Fairmont Banff Spring

A little bit more about this beautiful couple:

 

How did you meet?

We’ve known each other for about ten years before we started dating. Donny is good friends with the brother of one of my best friends so we were often in the same social circle and at events together, but rarely single at the same time. We actually did not have much interest in one another until one evening due the wonders of alcohol, we ended up locking lips and a date followed. However, Donny did express very clearly on our first date that he never thought that he would be on a date with me. This was not because he didn’t think that he had a shot, but because he was never really interested…such a romantic this one. Clearly after one date, he was hooked and didn’t want to date anyone else.

Engagement story: 

Our engagement story follows a similar “romantic” note as our beginning. I had known that Donny had the ring, and that he had it for quite some time. (We had actually happened upon the perfect ring within the first year of being together). He however, knew that I knew and therefore wanted to make me suffer by having me wait as long as possible. So finally, we went on a trip to Eastern Europe and after dinner one night at our place in Cavtat, Croatia we were drinking wine in our lounge chairs and I was joking with him about how long it has been and that we should be engaged. So he casually asks from his lounge chair if I want to get married. He doesn’t get on his knee and doesn’t present the ring, but simply asks in the same casual manner as asking what I would like for dinner. So I told him that while he may consider us engaged, I would not until he proposed properly, down on one knee, with the ring and some nice meaningful words that accompany such a question.

So upon our return home, the official engagement occurred. It was a couple of weekends after we returned and I entered the house on Sunday morning after meeting a friend for brunch. I came  into the house to hear David Gray playing, our dog Gavi dressed up with a bow and Donny in a suit. He had put the ring in a bag that had hydrangeas on it (which is my favorite flower) and when it came time to open the box, he did it the right way, down on one knee and with the sentiment required.

How do you like to spend time together:

That depends on which one of us you ask. Donny likes for us to just relax and go for a nice dinner or watch a movie. I like it when we are active, I like our runs with Gavi and going for walks and hikes.

Wedding theme/motif:   

The wedding became dubbed the “Cinderella wedding” based on a few guests comments. While it was an amazing day and truly like a fairy tale event, the original intent was not to have a big Cinderella wedding. I wanted something that was beautiful with a mix of modern and antique touches, incorporated the outdoors, had great food, was fun and most of all was personal. Donny wanted something grand. So when we combined our wishes, we ended up in Donny’s favorite ballroom at the Springs, my outdoor ceremony on the Terrace and a year focused on all the minute details to pull off my “vision”.

This vision included a mix of the modern and the antique from the invitations and save the dates through to the décor, flowers and accessories. Décor included antique couches from Kijiji which were stripped and refinished (DIY) and then reupholstered to match my décor, My designer, Stacy from OneWest Weddings was able to incorporate the beautiful sofas in the overall design, which also incorporated fantastic modern ghost chairs and stunning rosette linen.  An abundance of candles and fresh hydrangeas and blush garden roses as arranged by Paisley floral added warmth and beautiful tones to our palette.  Modern candle lamp centre pieces, coordinated favors, additional flowers and personalized pillows also added to the décor and were DIY projects. With the team at OneWest Weddings doing an awesome job creating & executing the design, and  Lynn Fletcher handling the logistics as our Day of Coordinator,  everything turned out better than even I had planned.

Your best moment: 

The vows

We were both really glad that we chose to add our own vows to the ceremony, it added another personal touch and we were amazed at how all our guests ended up in tears. It’s amusing that we wrote our vows separately and when we shared them on our wedding day we realized how similar parts of them were.

Wedding song, explain choice for song: 

We had three specific songs for our Ceremony which I think were more important than our first dance song. These songs were mostly light, with elements of fun and sentiment that helped set the tone for our wedding day. Laura’s voice (the singer of the band, Her and Us) is breathtakingly beautiful and really created the perfect ambiance for a sunny outdoor ceremony.

Laura sang acoustic renditions of the following songs for our Ceremony:

Marry You  (Bruno Mars) – Processional of wedding party

Only You (Joshua Radin) – Bridal March

You and I (Ingrid Michaelson) – Signing and exit

Our first dance song was a classic, Unchained Melody, but done by a new artist Lykke Li. Her strong vocals and modern twist on an old classic is why we chose this song. If only we knew just how slow it would seem when we were in front of all of our guests!

Favourite wedding detail (favours, cake, food, band, etc.): 

There are so many details that I loved that I don’t think I can pick one favorite, so I will list a few of the highlights:

The vintage couches – some people may have thought that I was crazy but I think that they are worth every penny and will have a special place in our new home

The head table décor – I loved the large square mirrored table top and the huge hydrangea centre piece

The band for the Ceremony “Her and Us” lead by singer Laura Glowicki, they were awesome and created a great ambience to start our wedding.

The dessert table – Instead of a traditional wedding cake we had a combination of cake pops, macaroons, mini square cakes and a small 8” cake for cutting. It was delicious and beautiful to look at as well.

The ring bearer and flower girl – I think that my niece Lauren and nephew Owen were so cute that they may have stolen the show. I found the perfect flower girl dress on Etsy that matched the colors and theme.

All the little details – from personalized menus for each guest, to fan programs and color coordinated flip flops to keep the ladies dancing.

Honeymoon or dream place to go:

We were lucky to be able to leave a couple of days after the wedding to just get away, enjoy each other and our new marriage. We spent 3 weeks in Italy and had the opportunity to stay in the most amazing places in Bellagio (Lake Como), Cinque Terre, Florence and various location in the hills of Tuscany.

PINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPINPIN

Wedding Vendors and more details:

Photographer :  Cineart Photography

Day of Coordination – Lynn Fletcher, LFW, website: www.lynnfletcherweddings.com email: info@lynnfletcherweddings.com, phone: 403 870 8805

Design and Decor: Combination of Onewest and bride  Onewest – Stacey Drew phone: 403.277.9378. website: www.onewestevents.com
Ceremony location :  Banff Springs Hotel – Terrace
Reception location :   Banff Springs Hotel – Cascade Ballroom
Bridal gown:  Lazaro – S2 Bridal
Bridal party attire : Jasmine Bridal, accessories – Same Sky, Etsy
Groom’s tux : Indochino
Hair Stylist: Stacy Marchewka– MissStaceyLee@me.com, 587-891-7305
Make-up Artist : Cinnamon Girl – Jody Stoski – phone: (403) 875-1954 email: jody@cinnamongirl.ca website: www.cinnamongirlclinic.ca
Shoes : Badgley Mischka
Invitations: Bride
Flowers: Paisley Floral and myself (Paisley Floral Kayla Smith-McCowan – phone: 403-512-1163  email:kayla@paisleyfloral.com   website:www.paisleyfloral.com 
Officiant :  Karen Faryna – Banff Lake Louise Weddings 403.762.8098, email info@banfflakelouiseweddings.com, website: http://banfflakelouiseweddings.com
DJ: Band – Her and Us – Laura Glowicki, DJ: 1st in Entertainment, Sean Goebel, e-mailinfo@calgarydj..ca, website:  http://www.calgarydj.ca
Cake :  Whippt Desserts – Alison LaFrance, website: www.whippt.ca, email: info@whippt.ca
Caterer :  Banff Springs Hotel

 

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

*

*