Meadow Muse Pavilion Wedding

As Calgary wedding photographers, we find there are so many beautiful wedding venues here. Meadow Muse is no exception!

I absolutely loved photographing Kathie + Skylar’s wedding at Meadow Muse Pavilion! The rain during the day was absolutely romantic (the mosquitos, not so much!) but the colours were so vibrant and beautiful. They are such a sweet couple and even took their shoes off and rolled up their pants to walk through the river for their bridal party photography! Read on to hear more about their love story and their spectacular day.

How did you meet?

KATHIE: Our mutual friend, Charelle, introduced us to each other one night at a bar in Lethbridge. Shortly after we met, Skylar left to Europe for two weeks. We kept in contact throughout the duration of his trip. We had our first date the day after he came back from his trip. The plan for our first date was to go for a walk. He picked me up at 1:00 in the afternoon and we ended up walking around for hours on end and getting to know each other. We eventually ended up talking and joking all day and night, until 2:00 in the morning. Neither of us wanted to leave!

Engagement story:

SKYLAR: This is a long story, so bear with me. I had just finished a long hitch at work in Saskatchewan and had planned a long weekend in Montana to propose to Kathie, but I still needed to get the engagement ring. The thing is, we were leaving the next day and not only did I need the ring, but I also needed my passport.

I worked all night until 7 am and drove the four-hour drive back to Calgary. Once I reached Calgary, I headed straight to the jewelry store and bought the ring that I knew she would love… but my day wasn’t over- I still had to get my passport (it was expired). By the time I was done, I had been awake for nearly 24 hours.

Everything fell into place perfectly… until we made the drive to the waterfall in Montana where I wanted to propose to Kathie. We had our dog, Finn, with us and it happened to be a state park in which you cannot bring live animals. So we get to the waterfall, and I have butterflies in my stomach, as I’m getting ready to ask the big question. Unfortunately, the park ranger had different plans for us. He ran over just as I was about to ask Kathie to marry me and pull out the ring. The ranger than took our information and promptly kicked us out of the park for having our dog with us! So I then decided to wait until the next day.

Eventually, we got to the cabin on the Swan River, which had a beautiful dock off the back deck. It felt that this was the perfect place and time to ask her. Everything went as planned and she said yes, making me the happiest man on Earth.

The Wedding Day:

Before we got married, we had a lot of people tell us that the day comes and goes in the blink of an eye. I can’t even begin to say how true that is!

KATHIE: One of my favorite moments on our wedding day was the walk down the aisle. Neither of us was tremendously nervous in the minutes leading up to the ceremony, but after my bridesmaids walked out and I took my first step down the aisle with my dad, I was overwhelmed with emotion (good emotions!) When I got to the front and Skylar looked me in the eyes, I felt like nothing else in the world mattered. By the time our officiant at Meadow Muse invited us to hold each other’s hands, both of our hands were shaking. He gave my hands a squeeze and I instantly felt a sense of calm and peace.

SKYLAR: One of my favorite moments was the cutting of the cake, and when Kathie psyched me out and squished the cake on my nose. It further emphasized my appreciation for the fact that that we truly are best friends and that we can feel comfortable to be ourselves and embrace our silliness no matter the occasion.

Wedding song:

Our first dance song was Who I Am with You by Chris Young. Skylar actually chose this song. This song really resonates with both of us. Not only do we love each other unconditionally, we also love that we bring out the best in each other. We’re similar in many ways, but we’re different in others. This helped to open each other’s eyes to new experiences and perspectives to enable one another to grow.

Favorite Wedding Details:

KATHIE: I loved the attire. Prior to our wedding, I had never seen Skylar in a suit jacket. The last time he wore a suit jacket was at his high school graduation, ha!

SKYLAR: One of my favorite details was her dress. She looked absolutely stunning and when she first came through the doors for the ceremony, I could feel my lips trembling. I knew that she would be beautiful, but it really struck me when she was walking down the aisle.

We both really loved our guestbook, too. Instead of having a traditional guestbook, we had an instant polaroid camera at the doors so guests could take a photo with their party and leave in a box for us. We went through the photos the next day and seeing their smiles allowed us to relive the feeling of seeing our friends and family on our special day.

 

Honeymoon:

We’re going to spend a week in Tofino, BC. We’re staying at an oceanfront cabin and we’re going to spend our time out there fishing, kayaking, exploring, and relaxing.

Advice for other couples:

KATHIE: Don’t stress over the little things! You’ll put a lot of work into your big day, but there are some things that will be out of your control (like the weather). Sit back and enjoy the time you have with your family and friends- it’s not often that you’ll get them all in one place!

SKYLAR: Take a breath and appreciate the moment. Cherish every second of it, as your wedding is one of the best days of your life!