—
This Wedding at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was held during tough Covid restrictions.
Do the Newlyweds have any regrets? Not at all!
Click to watch the video of this Fairmont Banff Springs Wedding.
Jessi and Matt: A Covid wedding success story!
Covid lockdowns have added a whole new level of stress to the challenge that is wedding planning.
Couples who were looking to tie the knot in 2020, and now 2021, have had to contend with all manner of uncertainties from guest limits to venue closures making the scheduling and re-scheduling of their big day a headache. It’s been a journey riddled with false starts and disappointments as plans are put on hold until this pandemic “blows over”.
The problem is this pandemic isn’t going away. And couples are getting tired of waiting.
Jessi and Matt are one such couple. Foregoing the big ceremony and reception they originally planned, they opted to have an intimate ceremony of just 10 people in the beautiful Mt. Stephan’s Hall of the Fairmont Banff Springs. As it turned out, they weren’t disappointed. In fact, going ahead with their wedding at the Banff Springs Hotel despite all the Covid restrictions turned out to be a “blessing in disguise.”
The Benefits of Being Adaptable
What made their wedding at the Banff Springs Hotel so special?
There were lots of reasons—some big, some little, and some totally unexpected.
Here’s what newlyweds Jessi and Matt had to say.
Jessi: “Admittedly, It was a bummer when the 50 person limit changed to 10. But looking back now, I think the day was better because it was smaller. There were huge perks to be had in going ahead with our wedding that totally make up for the “ little bit of suffering” the restrictions caused. For example, we had the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel all to ourselves. That was great. The pictures we were able to make were amazing and will last our lifetime. Longer than our actual memory of who was there and what happened!”
“I’ve talked with married couples who said, you really don’t remember the 100 + people who were at your wedding. Some of them admit they don’t even keep in touch with. So it meant a lot to us to have the few people who were there, really want to be there, and being so invested.
Everyone thought the experience was fantastic because it was so personal and meaningful.”
We all agreed that our wedding was “a light in the midst of the Covid darkness.” Something to celebrate. Life felt normal for a brief time.
Another perk was that we got a great deal on the price we got at the Banff Springs Hotel, and because we were the only couple there we were treated like VIPs.
Also, we got our pick of the very best wedding vendors since everyone was available.
Matt: “We are really happy we did it. It was a great day. Because of the restrictions, we didn’t feel obligated to invite so many people. This actually worked out better than expected. With fewer people to try to please, we were able to make the wedding more ‘ours’.”
Jessi: Yes! This made a big difference. Because there were fewer people, I could focus on Matt and not feel so self-conscious. Like when I walked down the aisle and saw Matt for the first time, I wasn’t distracted by having 100 people looking at me and that was nice!
Words of Advice for Couples Waiting to Get Married
I asked Jessi and Matt if they had any words of advice for couples who are on the fence about having their wedding now or waiting.
Their response: “If having a big wedding is important to you then by all means wait. But if not, there are many advantages that make up for the inconveniences. When all is said and done, we’re really happy with our wedding at the Fairmont Banff Springs. It was even better than we could have planned.”
As for the wedding photographers, Troy and I had a blast with Jessi, Matt and their family. We agree that the intimacy of working with such a small group of people made it super intimate and special. It was an unprecedented opportunity to have the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel all to ourselves. It is usually crowded and working around people coming and going through the staircases and hallways make it difficult to create the beautiful work we know can be had there. It is truly a lavish and exceptional venue and never before have we had such freedom to create without interruption. That is one huge benefit that can’t be overlooked. Every wedding we have photographed throughout the pandemic has resulted in better and better wedding portrait pictures. Something all our couples value.
So, what do you think? Wait. Don’t wait. Please leave a comment below with your 2 cents. We’d love to hear your opinion and it may help other couples in your shoes decide for themselves.
Hopefully, the rollout of the Covid vaccine will make this an irrelevant question. I know we would all welcome more carefree times.
Highlights from Jessi and Matts Fairmont Banff Springs Wedding
Here are some of my favorite pictures from Jessi and Matt’s wedding ceremony and portrait photoshoot at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
Credits:
It takes a talented team to put together a seamless, successful wedding. Thank you to everyone that made Jessi and Matt’s wedding at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel possible:
Venue: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, https://www.fairmont.com/banff-springs/
Wedding co-ordinator at FBS, Ellen Barrow, ellen.barrow@fairmont.com
Wedding Commissioner, Robin White, https://www.banfflakelouiseweddings.com/
Hair and Makeup, Joanne Bokitch, owner of Mountain Beauties mobile salon service, Canmore, AB.
Pianist, Christian Laurian, https://www.weddingwire.ca/wedding-music/christian-laurian-wedding-pianist–e54727
What to see more Weddings at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel?
Check out these blogs: