Name: Nicole Sarah Photography
Price range: $$$

Organic Minimalist Fairmont Banff Springs Wedding

As Calgary and destination wedding photographers, we absolutely love when couples from the United States choose the mountains to get married! From the moment we met I knew we would have an amazing time on their wedding day. Their Organic Minimalist wedding at the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was nothing short of perfection. We had an amazing time laughing the day away and I felt truly welcomed by their entire family and wedding party. Keep reading to see their love story and details about their fabulous day!

How They Met

John and I met in 2015 while both attending the University of Massachusetts. That fall we were taking classes just across the hall from one another. John noticed me for the first time as I walked by him on my way to anatomy class. He was playing for the hockey team at the time and I was playing for the soccer team. He had seen the number on my team issued backpack and was later able to find out my name while looking at the roster. He had always seen me from afar, but it wasn’t until late December that he finally gained the courage to talk to me at our local college bar. I’ll never forget that night. John quietly introduced himself as I was sitting at a table with friends. I remember being taken back by his thick Canadian accent and his long hockey hair. We danced the night away until I made the decision to leave without saying goodbye to him. It was in no way love at first sight, in fact it took months for John to
finally take me out on a date. But that night was without a doubt the start of our love story.

Engagement Story

It was a quiet Saturday morning in December. My sister Nicole and her boyfriend Nick had come to Boston to visit John and I. It was the day after Nicole’s birthday, so I was completely under the impression that we were celebrating Nicole. Once they arrived at our apartment, John and I walked them down to our favorite spot in the North End. It is a quiet spot just off the Harbor Walk, overlooking the water and all the boats. It had just snowed the day prior, so there was a thin layer of snow covering the ground and the docks. There were very few people out that morning, in fact I think the four of us were the only ones there at that moment. At
the time, I was completely under the idea that we were all just taking photos to send to our Nana, who loves to receive photos of her grandchildren so she can show them to all of her friends. However, before I knew it I watched John reach into his pocket and grab a shiny little silver Birks Bell. He knelt down on one knee, but was so nervous that for a second he was staring up at me saying absolutely nothing. He then was able to mutter the words “Will you marry me?” My answer was an immediate yes. I loved how intimate the moment was. But most importantly, I loved the location. To this day that is still our favorite spot and I frequently walk there and replay the moment in my head.

The Wedding Day

Our florist described the theme of our wedding as romantic, modern-minimalist, organic fine- art. I had always had my heart set on a wedding with simple white florals complemented by lush greenery. I appreciated how beautiful yet simple and classic this color combination was. It also felt light and airy, which I always imagined would look perfect in Mt. Stephen Hall. As I talked to our amazing florist Lyn from Flower Artistry, she had recommended adding black accents and I am forever grateful that we decided to. She added the most beautiful white anemones with their deep black centers to our wedding florals which went perfectly with the black accents our wedding planner Christy had chosen for us. I then decided to put my bridesmaids in simple black dresses to tie everything together. In my opinion, the black added even more of a lush romantic feel. I loved it. We had 90 guests. A little less than fifty percent traveled from the U.S and the rest traveled to us from all over Canada. Our favorite detail was without a doubt our floral arch. I had dreamed of a floral arch by Lyn from Flower Artistry since the day I came across her website. I couldn’t have been happier. Our wedding song was Perfect by Ed Sheeran. The Deluxe Album that Perfect is featured on came out the second year John and I were dating. Listening to that song will always remind me of falling in love with each other. I can vividly remember listening to it back in 2017 and thinking that it would be a beautiful wedding song one day. When choosing our wedding song, it simply just felt right.

The week before our wedding our neighbor gave us great advice. She told us to take a moment in the middle of the night to look around the room at all the people who love you and are there for you. We had chosen to sit at a sweetheart table during our reception which turned out to be so intimate. We had the best seats in the house. We could see all our guests at each table smiling and enjoying the night, it was such a beautiful sight. John then turned to me and said“I am so glad we did this.” This was without a doubt one of our top moments, in addition to the last thirty minutes on the dance floor. John and I have never had all of our closest friends in one room before due to the fact that a majority of John’s closest friends live in Canada and mine live in the U.S. However, during the last few songs of the wedding we had all of our closest friends still out on the dance floor with us. It was so special. Everyone genuinely seemed so happy at that moment. It in no way felt like two friend groups, but instead one big happy one. John and I the next morning couldn’t stop talking about how lucky we were to have that moment. Or really to have the whole wedding as a whole. We unfortunately will realistically never have everyone we love in one room again, so those memories are something we will cherish forever. We currently do not have a honeymoon set in stone. However our hope is to go to Italy next October and travel down the Amalfi coast!