Tomorrow will mark four years since the day I married my best friend.
Brady and I grew up in the same small town in Northern Alberta and so, we’ve known each other for most of our lives. We are junior high school sweethearts going all the way back to the 8th grade (1998), though technically we did take a break from each other through our first few years of University.
We’ve gone on SO many adventures and have been through SO much together, but nothing more life changing than welcoming our beautiful son Carson into our world! I’ll try not to get too sappy with things, but I can’t help but tell the world how much this amazing man means to me and how incredibly lucky I am to be walking this journey holding his hand.
Our wedding was quite simple and an even better day than we could have ever imagined. Together with 36 of our closest family and friends, we stood on a mountain top in Golden, BC and vowed to one another to spend the rest of our lives together. Simple isn’t exactly what you would expect from a DIY blogger, but the truth was, that view was all the decoration we really needed. There were no fancy centerpieces, no decorations, no crazy dance party & no giant cake. Instead we had a lovely (and absolutely decadent) dinner with our family and friends. We spent the evening talking and reminiscing with everybody we love most in the world. Though it was a simple wedding, it was totally ‘us’ and we wouldn’t have changed a single thing about our perfect day. Today, I am thrilled to share it with you all!
September 18, 2010
We rented a giant house at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, BC so that we could share in all sorts of adventures and shenanigans with our friends and family for the entire week leading up to the wedding! Brady and I had a blast paragliding through the mountains and instead of rehearsing the day before, all of the boys spent the day mountain biking at the ski resort.
We woke up to a gorgeous & sunny Fall day. Brady started the day by heading out for a round of golf with the guys.
Meanwhile all of us girls got all gussied up while sipping champagne.
Since our ceremony wasn’t until 5pm, we decided to do pictures before to capture the afternoon sun. We met for the first time that day on the mountain top where we would be married.
Despite having to switch my gorgeous heels for hiking shoes more than a few times, we did manage to snap a few pictures before I had to head back down the gondola before our guests started arriving for the wedding.
Our sunny skies disappeared & the first rain drops fell just as I was riding the last gondola up to the ceremony! Because we had taken most of our photos before the wedding, I wasn’t really too worried. Plus, we did have a back up plan to be married inside the mountain top restaurant right in front of a very beautiful & grand stone fireplace. When I arrived at the top however, our wedding planner informed me that Brady wasn’t really keen on moving the wedding inside. I wasn’t really keen on everyone getting drenched (no matter how romantic that might have been). Amazingly, the venue had a stack of umbrellas so that (almost) everyone could stay dry and we could still have our mountain top wedding! Talk about meant to be!
After taking a photo with everyone, we all headed inside for a champagne toast and an absolutely amazing meal.
Here are some photos of our venue.
For our guest book, we simply had everyone write us a message on the matting around one of our engagement photos. It now hangs proudly in our master bedroom and we love to stop and re-read the messages while we’re brushing our teeth in the morning 😉
We had just one dance that night – Brady and I celebrated our first dance as husband and wife to What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.
We spent the rest of evening eating delicious food, sipping on drinks and telling stories with our favorite people in the world!
It really was a dream and so perfectly us!
*ALL images courtesy of our amazing photographer Geoff from Geoff Wilkings Photography.
Shared here and Savvy Southern Style.
I can’t get over how gorgeous this is! I wish I could get married on top of a mountain! There aren’t a whole lot of those in Florida. You dress is beautiful and so are you. Your wedding week sounds like it was a blast.
Awwww, thank you Jenna! It really was an amazing day and we definitely enjoyed the adventures before and after the big day!!!
What a beautiful wedding. I especially appreciated that it was a celebration with a few people that were really close to you and that it wasn’t just a few hours, but a whole week of having fun and being close. So many times weddings are so big and lavish and over the top that the people don’t really connect. A lot goes on but there isn’t much connection…..your wedding had lots of meaningful ways to be closer to everyone. You had a unique and very personal way of expressing who both of you are and drew all these special people into the circle.
Thank you SO much for your incredibly kind words Joan! You’re right, it really was a special day that truly reflected what was most important to us! You’ve absolutely made my day! Thank you SO much!
What an absolutely incredible memory for you both to have! That mountain top is GORGEOUS and I love how simple everything else was. You’re right, the mountain does enough on it’s own! Happy Anniversary my friend!
Thank you SO much my friend!!!
Gorgeous couple, gorgeous pictures, and gorgeous landscapes… love being reminded of how lucky we are to live where we do. Congrats!
Thank you SO much Jen!!! Are you from BC as well?
Alberta, and I DON’T make it to the mountains nearly often enough! But — I love Canada being captured so beautifully. Congrats again.
Really?! Hubs and I are originally from a small town in northern AB! We just moved out to BC about 5 years ago, but we go back as much as we can to visit our families! SO neat to connect with you Jen!
Yep, we’re west of Edmonton, in Stony Plain! So great to “meet” you too Kristi! Take care!
I grew up VERY close to there! SUCH a small world!!!
Kristi, this is GORGEOUS! The mountains are a perfect back drop for a wedding! It almost doesn’t even look real! It’s like a dream! And the rainy ceremony with mountains in the background makefor STUNNING photos! Love every bit of it! Enjoy your anniversary 🙂
Thank you SO much Nicole! The rain really did make for some gorgeous pictures! I love seeing the umbrellas in all of our ceremony shots. Thanks again!
Happy anniversary Kristi!! You guys totally did it up right with a small guest list, intimate setting, and breathtaking views…not having to worry about the insignificant things that get in the way of a normal wedding day. Seriously, I can’t get over that amazing shot with you guys teeny tiny on top of that cliff. So gorgeous!
Thank you! It really was low key and low stress and made for such an enjoyable day for everyone!
happy anniversary. this look like a wonderful day despite the little rain. things like that always make things a little more interesting. again congratulations.
It definitely made things more interesting and made for some fab pictures! Thanks Lori!
Gorgeous, gorgeous wedding Kristi!!! Happy Anniversary you two! 🙂 Your wedding was so beautiful… Loved the setting! I can relate to the rain… we had a sept wedding and it rained immediately after. Loved this special recap of your day!
Thank you SO much Kendra! They say it’s good luck when it rains on your wedding day 😉
Your wedding and the setting was gorgeous! Love that you didn’t let the rain ruin your ceremony, that just makes for better memories and stories about your wedding day! Happy Anniversary my friend! Enjoy!
Thank you Tara! I must give Brady all of the rainy day ceremony credit – it certainly did make it that much more special!
OH. MY. GOSH. Kristi, your wedding was GORGEOUS!! I love how simply beautiful everything was. That picture of you guys on the mountain top far away is my favorite. It seriously doesn’t even look real, the background is just so pretty! You looked beautiful as well! Thanks for sharing, I love looking at other wedding photos. 🙂 Happy Anniversary friend!
Thank you!!! That’s one of our fave wedding pictures too! The view was absolutely breathtaking!
WOW, what a stunning day. Although it looks to have been a bit drippy, the scenery (and the people) remained breath taking!
Well thank you Virginia!!!
Oh my goodness, SO GORGEOUS! YOU, THE LOCATION, THE PHOTOS. Ohemgee. What a beautiful yet simple fairytale wedding. Happy anniversary you two!!! 🙂
Thank you SO much Erica! It really was a perfect day for us!
Loved looking through your pictures and reliving such a wonderful day……Happy Anniversary!!
Thank you Mom!!!
Happy anniversary, Kristi!! What a gorgeous wedding! Love all the pictures!!
Thank you SO much Amy!
Lovely pictures! I’m in love with everything! You two look great together.
Thank you SO much Javeriya!!!
I loved reading about your story and I love even more that you and your husband are childhood sweethearts. What a beautiful wedding and pictures. Wishing you many more wonderful years of happiness.
Awww, thank you Katie! It’s definitely a neat history!!!
So incredibly beautiful! It’s awesome you only had your close family and friends. Makes for more quality time with everyone. Happy Anniversary!!
It really did! Thank you SO much Tarynn!!!
These are the most beautiful, precious pictures. You are so lucky to have captured the beauty of that day! Thanks so much for sharing at the Weekend Wind-Down party!
Nicole =)
Thank you SO much Nicole!!!
Gorgeous pictures! Beautiful bride! Looks like an amazing wedding! Happy Anniversary!
Thank you SO much Emily!!!
These pictures are amazing! Thanks for linking up to the Pretty Preppy Party! Heather @ Southern State of Mind http://www.southernstateofmindblog.com/
Thank you SO much Heather!!!
Wow this was a very neat post to read. I love happy moments. Thank you for looking back. Have a great day.
Thank you SO much Deedra!!!
What an amazing and unique wedding! Such a fabulous location…and great idea to keep it so intimate – it will be all the more special for the years to come having spent your wedding day this way. Thanks for sharing it, it was fun to get a little glimpse into your ‘real’ world!
Thank you SO much Krista!!! We really do live in the most beautiful province, don’t we?! The whole day was an absolute dream!
Great pictures! What a great wedding, you look gorgeous. Thanks for linking up at the Blogger Brags Pinterest Party.
Thank you SO much Monique! Have a fabulous weekend!!!
What an absolutely gorgeous wedding day – thanks so much for sharing it with us!
Thank YOU Tshanina!!!
A rainy mountain top wedding… how romantic! Your dress is so beautiful and y’all look so happy. What a gorgeous wedding + photography!
Awww, thank you Caitlin! It really was a dream!
My first visit here and I can see your love for mountains so well. The wedding and the blog name are clear evidences 🙂 Beautiful pictures! Your husband was right not to move the wedding inside. The umbrellas add to the beauty of the pictures. Happy Anniversary to both of you. Wish you many more years of fun and adventure together.
Thanks for sharing this at Wake-Up Wednesday, the party I am co-hosting.
-Tanya
http://tanyaanurag.blogspot.com/
Thank you so very much for your sweet words! I totally agree that the wedding was SO much more beautiful and special in the rain, though at the time I wasn’t so sure about it 😉 Thanks again Tanya!!!
Love reading your story! Pinned. Hugs! Lou Lou Girls
Thank you Kimberly!!!!!!
What a gorgeous wedding! Those pictures! Thanks for link up at Creative Spark Link Party! Hope you stop by to link up again today! http://bit.ly/1pFy5yI
Thank you SO much Michelle! All linked up again this week 🙂
I can’t believe some of the similarities in our wedding. We got married in Canmore with a beautiful view of the wedding, did our pictures before because our ceremony was later in the day, and only had one dance. Your pictures are stunning and it looks like you had a wonderful day!
You’re kidding! How cool! Canmore is SUCH a beautiful place to get married! It sounds lovely! Thank you SO, SO much!
As I looked around more (I’m a fairly new follower) I also realized we’re both teachers and we both live in Alberta, although I’m in the southeast. How neat.
What a small world! Very cool!!! Enjoy the last few days of Christmas break and all the best in this year to come!