What do you do when it snows 60cm near Calgary right before your Camp Chief Hector wedding? You roll with the punches like these two and dance your way through a fall AND winter wonderland.
Winter Vibes at this Camp Chief Hector Wedding
A couple days before this Camp Chief Hector wedding, Calgary was hit with over 60cm of snow in the first week of October. Highways were shut down, roads impassable, and the Canadian rocky mountains were covered in a fresh layer of snow. By the time the wedding day came, though, paths were stomped down on most trails and the roads were clear. The sun was shining bright and the bride and groom were in for a beautiful autumn day, with just a hint of winter too!
Camping Wedding Ideas and Inspiration
This day was full of camping wedding ideas and inspiration in the mountains. From bundles of blankets to stay cozy by the fire to a canoe filled with beer, this Camp Chief Hector wedding is sure inspire any bride looking to incorporate a rustic outdoorsy vibe to their day! We especially loved their calligraphy sign above the fireplace that read ‘I love you to the mountains and back’, an mountain wedding idea also seen in our Canmore winter elopement styled shoot.
Fall in love with this farm wedding at The Gathered
Celebrating Love in the Canadian Rockies
The bride and groom both got ready at Camp Chief Hector’s forest house (appropriately named for the evergreen forests surrounding it). They chose to do a first look in a forest grove nearby, so Liam and I made sure to shovel and stomp a little path for them into the woods for privacy.
The bridal party met us later in Kananaskis Country. The best time of year to visit Kananaskis Country is fall, because the lakes aren’t frozen yet and the larches are golden yellow. We all headed back for the ceremony at their Camp Chief Hector wedding. The venue itself is only a short drive from Calgary, making it a perfect alternative Canmore wedding venue in the mountains.
After tearjerking vows and a beautiful ceremony officiated by Julie Ann Derer, the party started and guests enjoyed the camping wedding decor inspiration and danced the night away under the Canadian rocky mountains.
VENDORS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS CAMP CHIEF HECTOR WEDDING GORGEOUS
Hair + Makeup: Yazbek Artistry | Wedding Dress: David's Bridal | Groom's Suit: The Tuxedo House Edmonton | Wedding Cake: Cutthroat Bakery | Bride's Wedding Ring: Spence Diamonds | Groom's Wedding Ring: Peoples
Film and Forest Photography are two Calgary wedding photographers based out of the Canadian Rockies documenting adventurous love stories. We travel British Columbia and Alberta in our DIY-converted compervan to photograph elopements and adventure weddings in the rocky mountains of Banff, the grasslands of Kamloops, and the granite walls of Squamish. If a dream wedding to you sounds like skiing down runs, climbing a multi-pitch rock climb, taking an epic helicopter to the top of a mountain, or just camping with family in a mossy forest, count us in.
Learn more about Film and Forest Photography and our adventure wedding photography.
Well done Afton! You documented their love story so beautifully. I just love this location, and venue. It’s all just gorgeous!
We loved Camp Chief Hector! Such cool camping wedding ideas throughout the venue 🙂
Those ceremony moments were my favorite holy cow. You caught the joyous, moody vibe of this wedding so well! That shot of the bride walking down the aisle from behind was STUNNING!!
Thanks Kelsey! We work as a team, so moments like walking down the aisle are perfect for capturing from both perspectives and for us one of the best reasons to hire a second photographer for your wedding!
Holy cow these photos in front of calgary’s mountains are stellar!!
Thank you! Calgary is so lucky to have mountains only a short drive away. Kananaskis Country is the best, but maybe we’re biased aha!
AHHH! SO goood. I love how talented you are with direct and “harsh” light. I love your ceremony shots a ton!
Harsh light is always hard to work with; these photos were shot at noon! The snow creates a nice natural reflector on couples to limit harsh shadows when backlighting them 🙂
Ok, this totally makes me want to talk my husband into another wedding. Beautiful work! The landscape of that area is out of this world and you’ve done an amazing job capturing the beauty of the couple and the area. Great job!
Haha vow renewals are a real thing! 😉
Camp Chief is a gorgeous venue, you captured the details of the day as well as all the emotions perfectly!
Thanks Sydney! We can’t wait to shoot there again one day 🙂