Whenever we see the name Eric Daigle Photography in our inboxes, we know we're in for a beyond beautiful treat in the form of wedding perfection. There's just something so romantic and oh-so-special about the way he captures the details. And lucky for him this adventurous couple headed for the hills for their big day and found gorgeous vistas and a super serene feel in what can only be described as the most beautiful mountain chic DIY inspired wedding we ever did see. And you can see even more right here.
Banff Wedding at Buffalo Mountain Lodge from Eric Daigle Photography
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From the Bride... We knew we wanted our wedding to be in the mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of tourists. The Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, Alberta Canada, was perfect — nestled in the evergreen trees, daily sightings of deer and other wild animals, not to mention world-class cuisine. Almost all of our guests stayed on-site at the lodge, so the wedding weekend had somewhat of a retreat feel. We started off the festivities with a group hike up Tunnel Mountain on Saturday morning and ended the weekend with a relaxed farewell brunch. Our wedding day was on a Sunday, and we were able to hold the ceremony outdoors in "nature's most beautiful church" — Tunnel Mountain reservoir. We held cocktails and the dinner reception in the Wapiti Longroom at Buffalo Mountain Lodge, a two-story log cabin complete with a wine cellar and large, open-air verandahs, surrounded by trees and flowers.
At home in Nevada, we are lucky to live next door to a highly-skilled carpenter who could not make it to the wedding but supported us instead by building and creating some of our most memorable details. He built us a large wooden chest to collect our cards, which we also used to hold our programs during the ceremony, and also cut the wooden hearts which we tied around jars filled with our favorite Canadian gummy candies. I bought a wood burner off eBay for $8 and burned all our guests' names onto the hearts.
It was important to us that everyone would feel special and connected at the wedding. At the ceremony site, guests were greeted with a hand-painted sign, made by my older brother and his girlfriend, and led down a worn path through the trees. We had bocce ball set up, as well as a pail of kites and bubbles for the younger (and young-at-heart) guests to play with. We also had a boutonniere station set up with pink flowers, baker's twine, raffia, and pins, so that guests could adorn themselves. At the reception, we had a kids' area filled with craft projects, and our music play list started in the 1940s and moved through the decades. We kept the decor fairly simple since the lodge and mountains are already so captivating. Using clothespins and twine, we hung pictures from childhood, our childhood homes, and our ancestors' weddings. Using a Polaroid 300, some tissues paper flowers as a backdrop, and some hand-made paper props, a photo booth was created, and guests were invited to take silly pictures of themselves to both paste into our guestbook and keep for themselves.
We chose our vendors very carefully — which is hard when planning a wedding from a different country — but we were beyond thrilled with the team we chose. Eric Daigle and his assistant rushed around all day to capture all the details, and even whisked us away between the ceremony and reception to an old train station and a private dock to capture more moments. We were so tired, but it was worth it. One of my favorite moments of the day was riding the tandem bicycle in my wedding dress with Alex. I was originally in the back, but after some cat-calling and heckling, I jumped into the driver's seat and we pedaled away into the evening … even though I could barely reach the pedals. Bicycles are a big part of our lives as we bike in almost every city we visit. It was the most memorable day we could have imagined, and all the planning was well worth it.
Wedding Photography: Eric Daigle Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, Alberta / Floral Design: Forget Me Not Flowers / Wedding Day Coordination: Sonia of Enriched Events / Officiant: Klaus Ohloff / Wedding Cinematography: Michael Klekamp of Mountain Wedding Videos / Wedding Cake: Panino Bakery / Guitar: Andrew Ibanez / DJ: Ryan of NRG Entertainment / Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone "Queen Anne's Lace" / Hair + Makeup: Stephanie Roy