Fairmont Hot Springs. Have you heard of it? It’s a small town on the outskirts of where the Rocky Mountains meet BC. Just outside of Cranbrook, it’s so tiny you could almost miss it. Well, if it weren’t for the famous hot springs associated with it anyway! I was honoured this past summer to attend a Fairmont Hot Springs wedding, photographing and partaking in the fun.
Last summer I made the 10 hour plus drive through the Kootenays along the windy Number 3 Crowsnest Highway to photograph the wedding of Kelsey and Mia. I had met these two the previous autumn, and they were some of my first wedding and engagement clients! When they asked me to photograph their Fairmont Hot Springs wedding, I was excited to get out of the city and see more of my beautiful province. I hadn’t ventured that far along the Crowsnest Highway before. The drive was long, and I was surprised at the distance and awed by the beauty of the Kootenays.
We had been having a very dry and warm summer, which was about to come to a complete halt with the first heavy rain forecast for their wedding weekend. The plan was to have the ceremony outside with the beautiful rockies as a backdrop. However, Mother Nature had other plans for us! We woke up on the day and it was absolutely pouring rain. It had been raining all night, which flooded out the ceremony location. Changes were made and the reception hall was quickly outfitted into a makeshift ceremony spot.
Kelsey and Mia were absolute troopers throughout this rainy ordeal. We started with a rainy first look and continued on to wet portraits in fields with giant puddles and tons of mosquitos! Luckily, I always keep a can of bug spray in my Subaru for outdoor adventures. I think everyone was grateful for it on this day! We ventured to the famous Fairmont Hot Springs hoodoo’s for some portraits after the rainy fields. If you haven’t seen a hoodoo before, they’re beautiful like a spiky sand castle. After that, we finished off the morning with a beautiful tea ceremony joining the two families together.
Their ceremony was lovely and intimate and the rain broke just long enough to sneak out for some less rainy wedding portraits. The reception was amazing with a 1990’s boy band dance performance by Mia and her friends and an open mic. We finished off the night with cupcakes that turned everyones tongues blue and a crystal clear starred filled sky.
Congratulations to these two on their Fairmont Hot Springs wedding and congratulations on your move and purchase of a new home! Many great things are coming your way.
xo K
Want to see more forest inspired wedding love? Check out this intimate elopement in Stanley Park here!
I am obsessed with this! I acutally have two elopements out there this summer!
Wow these are incredible!!
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful I love the shots of them laughing. Also, the papa looks like he’s so proud he could cry. That’s the kind of shot they’ll keep forever.
What a gorgeous spot for photos! Love the colours they incorporated into their wedding
These are so awesome! I absolutely love Fairmont Hot Springs; so underrated compared to Banff!
What a sweet elopement! I love that they had a dance party at the end too!
Breathtaking colors and incredible texture with the fog! I’ve never heard of Fairmont Springs but good golly its gorgeous for a wedding or elopement!
Such a gorgeous wedding! To be honest I didn’t really catch on the photos at first how miserable the weather must have been, they looked so happy! Absolute troopers!
Stunning colours and the rain adds a special kind of magic to what looks like the most beautiful wedding day!
I love this wedding!! Rainy wedding days are so much fun!
It looks perfect! I, like most people, always get bummed when there’s rain on a wedding day, but they truly look like they’re happy and it hasn’t phased them. Just having fun and in love and happy to be together. Beautiful photos.
These two are so darling! What fun to have a wedding in such a beautiful place.
So beautiful! I LOVE the colours in this wedding. What an amazing way to retell the story of such a special day!