(And why you should plan your mountain wedding in Waterton)
When Rebekah of Bronte Bride said she was going to be doing a sunrise styled shoot just outside of Waterton, I knew I had to be apart of it! Even though it was SUPERRRR early in the morning, as well as being windy and cold as all get out, it was still so worth it!
The purpley blue mountains, with rosy golden light of the rising sun in the background mixed with the gorgeous array of plum, berry and red florals made for a beautiful dreamy aesthetic. The models were wonderful and the scenery was sublime.
For any couple considering a mountain elopement or wedding, I’d HIGHLY suggest Waterton as an alternative to places like Banff. Though Banff is stunning with the glacier water, snow-capped mountains & dense forests, there are several downsides to getting married or engaged in Banff.
1.) Banff is SUPER overcrowded. Seriously. If you want a picture with the epic landscape in the background without any people, you’d have to drag yourself out of bed at 4 in the morning in order to achieve that.
2.) Banff & Canmore have STUPID expensive photography permit fees. I mean SERIOUSLY STUPID expensive as well as extremely limited. I had a videographer friend tell me that it was not only $90 in order to get the permit to shoot in Canmore (thats right, the CITY of Canmore), but it also wasn’t automatically for the entire town. For instance, if you said you wanted to photograph or video on a certain street, and you wanted to just go around the block on a different street and the photography fee nazis asked for your permit, you could get fined because your permit was for a “particular area.” See what I mean? Not only is it expensive to just get into Banff itself, but the photography permits are PER time and PER area. Waterton, you don’t have that same issue (at least, that I’m aware of)
3) Banff is also crazy expensive to stay and even MORE expensive to have a wedding there. In Waterton, it’s about a 45 minute drive from Cardston that has plenty of cheap hotels and air bnbs if you’re wanting to cut down on some costs.
Moral of the story, consider Waterton for your future wedding plans! It’s quiet, not as touristy, you still get great views but for a 1/4 of the cost of Banff. And it’s really not that far from Calgary! I’ve also shot there a few times, so I know all the best scenic photo ops for portraits 😉
Shootout: Berry by True to Hue
Publication: Bronte Bride
Design & Styling: Rebekah Bronte Designs
Florals: Alexandra Victoria Rose
Model: Norah Anako
Jewelry: Joanna Bisley Designs
Dress: Alexandra Rose Metier
