Kelsey & Ian

After such a sweet and romantic proposal on the spot where they plan to build their future home together, our bride Kelsey started the hunt for her dream wedding dress. She struggled to find a style that she loved that also suited her petite frame on the first day, so she came back with fresh eyes and the first dress she tried on was the one! We asked Kelsey to share her story: 

 "Ian and I grew up in rival towns that are 15 minutes apart from each other. We always knew "of each other" but had never really met. When I was in my second year at College I lived with a mutual friend and one night he came over. We spent most of that night laughing and engaged in witty banter. From that night on we have basically talked every day since. Neither of us were looking for anything "serious" but we each knew that this was the start of something that would forever change us. Our relationship consisted of many challenges, including me moving cities to continue with my education, him working away a lot of the time and with both of us being in our early 20's we were still trying to figure out who we were. The one thing that always remained was our love for each other and the drive to continue to change and grow together rather than apart. Four and a half years later, on the spot where we plan to build our future home, Ian proposed. He was shaking so bad and was so nervous that he forgot his entire speech he had written up - I finally had to say "Do you have something to ask me?" He put so much thought into everything- it was so sweet! He had rose petals everywhere and pictures of us hanging in the trees along with a bottle of wine that we had been saving from Australia. It was the best! 

My dress shopping experience was fun! All my bridesmaids, including my mom, came with me and we made a day out of it. I had zero idea of what I wanted and tried on many, many, many dresses. I liked the dresses I had tried on but I am very short and felt that many of them swallowed me. I had always pictured myself in a high neck dress but they were limited and not in the style that suited my petite frame. After a day of trying on dresses and not yet saying "YES" I decided to take a break from the search. A couple of weeks later, my mom and I decided last minute to head back up to Edmonton and go back to one of the dress stores that I really liked from before- Novelle. Novelle was the last place I went to originally and didn't really feel that I had enough time so I made sure that this was the first place we would go this time. As we were driving, I was looking at the dresses on the website and the Tara dress by Theia Couture caught my eye. High neck, low back - it was stunning. It was the first dress I tried on that day and the last. I instantly knew it was the one. The beading and design was even more beautiful in person. My consultant was so incredibly kind, real and helpful. Of all the places we went- and there were many- Novelle was beyond the best. From the dress selection, to the atmosphere, to the employees. It was all so great!

Our wedding day completely exceeded our expectations. It was a bit of a destination wedding being that it was in the mountains in Canmore, and we had just our closest friends and family there. The morning was spent listening to Beyonce with my favourite girls and getting all glammed up in our matching PJs of course. The girls surprised me the morning of and made me a scrapbook with letters from each of them. It was incredibly thoughtful and was probably the start of the waterworks. For the most part everything felt really relaxed up until the moments leading to the ceremony- I was feeling such a roller coaster of emotions...anxiousness and pure joy being two of the biggest ones. My mom and dad were balls of emotion and I will never forget the moments we shared when they first saw me with my dress on or the moments with my girls hugging me and all the giddy jitter we felt just as we were about to leave to the ceremony.

Finally, standing at the end of the aisle waiting to see Ian, I could not stop thinking about how blessed I was that I will finally get to call this man my husband, and that in only a matter of minutes we will become one before God and our closest friends and family. It was the most magical and surreal feeling. I will never forget the sound of my heart basically beating out of my chest and the moment we finally locked eyes. We had sat down about a month before the wedding and written our vows together. Each asking what the other one wanted from the other. Reading them before our friends and family and making the promise before God- made it all the more special. The speeches at the reception were another highlight for Ian and I. They were so incredibly sentimental, emotional and honoring. We have never felt so loved in all of our lives. We spent the rest of the evening dancing (apparently it was my mission to keep the dance floor bumping at all times) and visiting with our friends and family. It was a day we will never forget." 

Photographer: Kristyn Harder Photography

Videographer: Narra Studios

Flowers: Willow Flower co. 

Venue: Silvertip Resort, Canmore 

Hair: Lilies and Lace 

Makeup: Candice Willetts

Planner: Amy Nelson with Lynn Fletcher Weddings

Limo: Highland VIP