A bride and groom stand in the snow, dressed in wedding attire, embracing and smiling at each other with snowy mountains and trees in the background.

Shannon & Kelly’s Winter Elopement at Lake Louise

There are winter days in the mountains that feel like they were made for photographs — and then there are winter days that make you question every life decision that led you to stand outside with a camera.

Shannon and Kelly’s winter elopement at Lake Louise was definitely the latter. It was freezing. And by freezing, I mean deeply, painfully Canadian winter cold. So, with their Australian blood doing its absolute best to cope, we made a last-minute decision to move their ceremony indoors to one of the smaller private function rooms at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

And honestly? It turned out to be such a blessing.

A slow intimate ceremony

Instead of rushing through their ceremony so everyone could get back somewhere warm, moving indoors gave Shannon and Kelly the opportunity to actually slow down and enjoy the moment. Their ceremony felt intimate, relaxed, and incredibly personal. There was no worrying about frozen fingers or trying to beat the cold. They could take their time, soak everything in, and really be present with each other.

Sometimes the unexpected changes to your plans end up creating some of the most meaningful parts of your wedding day. And once the ceremony was over, we decided to take advantage of being inside one of the most beautiful hotels in the Rockies.

Exploring the Fairmont Lake Louise

Rather than simply heading back to the warmth of their room, we wandered through the Fairmont Lake Louise and found all kinds of fun little spaces for portraits. The hotel gave us the perfect opportunity to get creative. We explored hallways, staircases, architectural details, cozy corners, and some of the more unexpected spaces throughout the property. The result was a collection of portraits that felt completely different from the typical outdoor mountain wedding photographs.

It was playful, editorial, romantic, and a little bit unexpected — and most importantly, it gave Shannon and Kelly a chance to have fun together. Because your elopement doesn’t have to mean spending the entire day outside in the elements just because you’re getting married in the mountains.

And Then… The Sunset

Eventually, we decided it was time to brave the outdoors. And I am so proud of these two because their Australian blood was not built for what Lake Louise had in store for us. But they did it. And the reward was incredible.

As soon as we stepped outside, Lake Louise was putting on a show. The mountains were dramatic, the lake and surrounding landscape were glowing, and we were treated to one of those spectacular winter sunsets that makes you forget — at least temporarily — that you can’t feel your fingers. The contrast between the cozy indoor portraits and the dramatic outdoor mountain photographs ended up being one of my favourite parts of their gallery.

We got the best of both worlds: intimate, relaxed portraits inside the Fairmont and those iconic, breathtaking Rocky Mountain views outside.

Embracing the Unexpected

One of my favourite things about photographing elopements is that the day doesn’t have to follow a rigid plan. Sometimes the weather changes things. Sometimes a location doesn’t work out. Sometimes you make a last-minute decision that completely changes the timeline. And sometimes, those changes create something even better.

Shannon and Kelly’s Lake Louise elopement was a perfect example of that. What started as a very cold winter day turned into an intimate ceremony, a fun little adventure through the hotel, and a dramatic sunset surrounded by the mountains. They embraced every part of it — even the cold — and I couldn’t have been more proud of them.

Most importantly, they never lost sight of what the day was actually about: getting married and enjoying it together.

And that’s exactly what an elopement should be.