Romantic Crystal Ridge Wedding
I am so excited when I get to photograph weddings outside of Calgary at the stunning Crystal Ridge Golf Course! Being Calgary wedding photographers it’s wonderful to shoot at so many diverse venues. It is such a beautiful wedding venue and there are so many hidden spots for beautiful wedding photos. Karli and Sam have a truly amazing story (as you’ll see below!) and I am so honored that they chose me to be their wedding photographer! Read below and scroll through (grab the Kleenex!)
How did you meet?:
Our story is the real life ‘girl next door.’ When we were sixteen years old Sam’s family moved in directly next door to Karli’s family. Karli played a sport called ringette and one night while she was practicing shooting rings she shot one over the fence into the new neighbour’s yard. When she went next door Samuel was the one who opened the door. From then on we spent our time talking over the fence and making excuses to be in our backyards at the same time. It didn’t take long until our friendship turned into a relationship and we’ve been happily together ever since.
Engagement story:
Engagement for us was a blur of excitement. We got engaged on Good Friday morning, March 25, 2016. It was truly a ‘good’ day for us, as cheesy as that is to say. I had planned an Easter egg hunt for Karli that morning. Although both Karli and I had planned to get chocolate for each other, she didn’t realize the significance of what awaited her at the end. After a few nights of getting my stuff together and mostly my nerves, I was finally ready to do what I really wanted to do, ask her to marry me. The plan was to leave messages in little bottles all around her place and apartment building, each message would contain clues to where the next bottle and chocolate could be found! I started the day by sneaking into her apartment and prepping for the treasure hunt. In no time at all, I was ready and Karli was off hunting. The hunt lead through all her rooms and apartment complex, but finally ended on the balcony outside her apartment building, where her wedding ring box was nestled in a bouquet of pink flowers. When she saw the box between the flowers she thought it contained a bracelet or other type of jewelry, but when I took the box and got on one knee she quickly understood what was happening. After a few words and few tears, I got my yes!
The Wedding Day:
For our wedding we really wanted a laid back outdoor feel. We kept the colours simple with blush pink & white and wanted to really embrace the outdoor space with a lot of flowers and a lot of greenery. One of Karli’s absolute favorite details was the flowers, She actually cried when she saw her bouquet. The day was perfect and the guests made it a ton of fun from playing lawn games to dancing the night away. There were so many little details in the wedding that made it truly ours. One very special moment was that we were able to take a photo over the fence of our two houses without Sam being able to see Karli. Another great detail was that our wedding cake was actually made by Samuel’s very talented sixteen year old cousin. Our last favorite moment of the night was the send off we did before jumping into a car that took us directly to the airport where we flew off to the Caribbean for our 10 day honeymoon that included a cruise and some time in Universal Studios! It was very surreal having everyone clapping and cheering for us as we left our wedding.