Romantic Calgary Zoo Wedding
Frances + David are so down-to-earth and amazing. Their wedding day at the Calgary Zoo was incredibly romantic and beautiful. As Calgary wedding photographers, we love to photograph beautiful weddings in downtown Calgary. Surrounded by their closest family and friends, their wedding was intimate and so much fun! Read more from Frances and David below!
David and I met while working at Calaway Park, he worked in the warehouse and I was in the restaurants and concessions. We briefly dated the second summer we worked together, however broke it off due to distance (I was going into my second year at Queen’s University in Ontario).
When I returned to Calgary for the third summer, we both knew it was meant to be. It wasn’t long into the summer that we were dating again. We made long distance work for two years, with the help of David’s Dad’s Air Canada flight benefits and Skype. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it! When I graduated from Queen’s, I returned home to Calgary and we moved in together. After that, the rest they say, is history!
Engagement story:
David and I were going on our first “big” trip together – a month in Europe! We were going for a family reunion in Rutland, England, before heading off the continent to visit Paris, Geneva, Venice and Rome! Before the reunion, we spent a few days in London, a city that David had visited multiple times and I had always wanted to (my grandfather was born in London). On our third day in London, we went on a tour of Kensington Palace, followed by a walk in Kensington Garden. While sitting quietly under a tree, David asked me the question!
Favorite Wedding Memories:
- Frances: Getting to dance with my grandfather! He has dementia and is not very mobile – to have him at the wedding, see him have fun, and to dance with him was great! Also seeing relatives I hadn’t seen in a long time. I met a cousin for the first time leading up to the wedding, and saw other cousins I hadn’t seen in many years!
- David: The Scottish invasion, it was fantastic to have as many relatives from Scotland as I did and to see them all close down the party was amazing! I also enjoyed having a brief visit to the penguins. It was fantastic during pictures, as I am an avid fan of penguins!
Favorite Wedding Details:
The dress! It was so beautiful and amazing and fun! It was comfortable, flowy, and made me feel like a princess. Our cake was gluten free and absolutely delicious! Lastly, our vendors. All of our chosen vendors were amazing and we wouldn’t have changed a thing from DJ to Cake to Venue to Photographer. They really made the day easy, fun, and memorable.
Honeymoon:
We are taking a staycation to spend time with friends and family that travelled to visit us with our remainder time off post wedding. We plan to go somewhere warm in the middle of winter or when it gets too cold.
Advice for other couples:
- Don’t sweat the small stuff; very often the small details do not matter in the long run, it is the big picture that is important!
- Learn to compromise together – the happiness of your partner is more worthwhile than being right.
- Don’t try to rush through your wedding day, take time to enjoy the moment, enjoy the food, and enjoy the company of your guests because before you know it the day it’ll be over and a resounding success!
Second Shooter + Assistant: Richelle, Red Dahlia Photography
