An intimate wedding in Lake Louise

 Lia & Richard Newitt

Beautiful Lake Louise set the scene for this very intimate wedding. Here is what the bride had to say about saying “I do” in such a beautiful place.

What were your original plans for your wedding day? We were originally going to get married in September at a golf course in Calgary with 200 people. When the pandemic first started, we never thought that things wouldn’t be back to normal by then! As we got to May, we realized that the chances of having 200 people were very slim, and that it was best to start looking at other options. We knew we could always try postponing, but we had already got so excited to get married that we didn’t want to wait! We decided to still get married, but to limit the attendees to our immediate family only. That way, in case things changed, we would be able to get married no matter what, and our family would be safe and healthy. We rescheduled to August 28, 2020 at the Fairmont Château Lake Louise.

When you had to change your plans, how did you feel before and after? The process was first very hard, as it isn’t easy to come to terms with how you envisioned your wedding going changing so drastically. However, we realized quickly that the most important thing to us was to be married to one another, and to have our parents, siblings and grandparents see that happen. Once we made the decision, all of our vendors were amazing. They were all so accommodating in changing our date and location for us, and we felt so much more at ease!

What was your favourite part of the day? My favourite moment was when my dad and I walked around the corner to walk down the aisle, I heard the most beautiful music (he had hired a string quartet to surprise us), and I saw all of our family smiling at us, and my husband waiting for me at the end of the aisle! It was so special and filled my heart to have everyone I love so much to be together.

Will you be having a larger celebration next year? We aren’t sure! We would love to hold a big celebration at some point, but we aren’t booking anything quite yet until the world settles down a little bit more. If not next year, one of our future anniversaries for sure!

What advice can you give to couples planning a wedding? I would tell all couples planning a wedding to enjoy the process! It was one of the most fun and exciting things we went through. It is such a happy time – savour every moment! I think since we went through a downsizing process, I would also say to couples to think about having a smaller wedding if it would make them happy to do so! We always envisioned a huge wedding, but then when plans changed, we were pleasantly surprised to realize there was something so special and intimate about having a smaller wedding. We also realized how quickly the day went, and how grateful we were to be able to spend time with our family on such a special day!