Higher Love: Rocky Mountain wedding at Stewart Creek

What we love most about weddings is the fact that they can happen anywhere. And this week, we’re swooning over a beautiful summer mountain wedding at Stewart Creek, Canmore, Alberta. With snowcapped mountains, breathtaking scenery and picture-perfect weather, Ksenjia and Vlad’s wedding is what fairytales are made of.

“We met at Local, where I was a server/bartender,” says Ksenjia. “Vlad apparently told his friend ’that’s wifey’ when he saw me, but I was in a relationship at the time.” Ksenjia ended up serving him again a couple of years after their first encounter. “He remembered my name, which really caught me off-guard because no one ever remembers my name since it’s so difficult!” But then he started sitting at the bar as a regular, recalls Ksenjia, and the rest is history.

“The proposal location was incredible and completely unexpected,” she says. “Vlad took me to the University of Alberta Botanic Gardens, and we had the cutest little picnic. I did notice he was acting a bit strange and kept texting someone. It turned out he was messaging the photographer to keep him in the loop about our location. It was a beautiful moment, and everyone around us started clapping!”

The inspiration for the couple’s mountain wedding really revolved around the beauty of Alberta. “We are both from neighbouring countries in Eastern Europe, so the fact that we met in Edmonton is really special to us. We were set on getting married in the mountains, and once we saw Stewart Creek, we knew right away that was the spot.”

Ksenjia’s advice regarding wedding planning would be to trust your gut. “It is really helpful to have a supportive group of family and friends who can share their opinions, but in the end, you will be happiest if you do your mountain wedding the way you want to. We have no regrets!”