Kirby & Ryan

Kirby and her bridesmaids have become somewhat regulars at Novelle with all of the recent weddings in the friend group, and we get so excited to see them every time! We adore Kirby's story, and the photographs from her beautiful, outdoor wedding were too stunning not to share. Here is her story: 

"Our story began with an email. I was forwarded a message from my boss asking if I wanted to attend a lighting design education trip on behalf of Ryan's company. As a keener and all over a free trip to Toronto, I accepted without hesitation that I would gladly attend. Shortly after, I received another email - the airline ticket was booked! There was one slightly problem; the ticket was for MR Kirby! I had to phone the culprit who booked my flight and let them know that I am in fact, a female. Lickily, Ryan has his secretary to "blame" the mishap on. The story goes on, but to keep things short and sweet we officially met a tht eairport a few weeks later and became fast friends. 

Ryan proposed to me two years later at a moonlit castle in Italy. After the engagement, we sat in a cozy, Italian restaurant drinking a fancy bottle of wine and not one other person around spoke English. It felt like we were the only two people on the planet that night. 

I had a dress in mind that i saw on the internet. I called Novelle to see if the dress was available to try on and it wasn't a sample, but they said they could order it, so I had to go try it on at a different store, but I really wasn't impressed with the service. My friends and I kind of frequent Novelle because of all of the recent weddings in my friends' lives. I've always had amazing experiences there, so I wanted to go try on dresses there even if i couldn't re-try the one I had fallen in love with. The girls at Novelle are always so friendly, positive and accommodating! Julianna was so patient and helpful. She pulled all sorts of similar dress styles to the one I had tried. She even layered multiple dresses so that I could visualize different styles. In the end she helped give me the confidence to know the dress was the right one after tryon on so many others! We measured and ordered the dress that afternoon without even trying it on again. The dress is called Esperance which (loosely) translates to dream or fantasty, and that's exactly how I feel when I put it on. 

Our day was a dream! We had always envisioned having an outdoor wedding, surrounded by nature's beauty. We held the ceremony at the alpine garden that was secluded and enclosed by huge spruce trees as a beautiful backdrop. We had a fairly small guest list, with just 70 of our closest friends and family. Ryan and his groomsmen entered the ceremony down a rocky pathway beside a stream. We had an amazing singer that sang an acoustic version of I'm gonna love you, forever while I walked my way down a long, grassy aisle toward Ryna. Before I made it to the altar, Ryan walked out towards me and we had a really initmate hug before the ceremony began. It was the most amazing moment where all of my nerves calmed to complete peace. We said our vows with huge smiles on our faces. Immediately after the ceremony ended, we snuck away for a few minutes while the photographers organized everyone for group photos. It was the perfect moment after all of the excitement of the morning to be alone together fore the night continued. We couldn't have had a more perfect day. "

Make Up: Pamela Neufeld with HP Makeup Artistry

Photographer: Kristy MacKenzie from Wild Love

Flowers: Two Buds Floral Artistry

Bridesmaids Hair:: Kim Phillips 

Dress and Bridesmaids: Novelle Bridal

Alterations: Debbie's Fashion Design

Videographers: Filmed by Stephen Wiley

Venue: UofA Botanical Gardens

Reception: Mosaic Centre

Rentals: All West Wedding Rentals