Michael & Stephanie’s Eagle Ranch Resort Wedding | Calgary Wedding Photographer

How did you guys meet? 

We met on a house boating trip that Mike had planned with his friends. We had a mutual friend that

invited me (Steph) last minute and I guess you could say the rest is history!

Please share the proposal story with us? 

Mike had always said he wanted me to be surprised when he (finally) proposed! So he had to come

up with something that fit into our daily life seamlessly so I didn’t figure it out. It was Christmas Eve

and I had to work all day which was perfect for mike! He cleaned the house, got a hair cut and put his plan

into motion. Once I got home we had plans to do our own little Christmas before heading to see each

of our families. We started opening presents and I didn’t expect a thing! Mike had made me believe the my

Apple Watch which wasn’t supposed to arrive until the new year had actually come early. So I excitedly

ripped open the paper and my jaw dropped when I saw that little blue box! He then got down on one knee and

asked me to marry him! I was completely surprised and loved that it was at home, in front of the Christmas

tree with our pups sitting near!

Most memorable moment from your wedding day?

Bride 

My most memorable moment is actually the same as Mike’s but from a different viewpoint! Coming

around that hill and seeing Mike and everyone we love was incredible!

Groom

When I first saw Steph walk around that hill coming down the aisle was probably the most

memorable. Also having all of our friends and family there was awesome.

Can you share the story behind the details that you put into your day to make it special to you two?

One thing that was very important to both of us was to have our 2 dogs be a big part of our wedding. If you

ask anyone who knows us, Mia and Lily are a huge part of our lives and our day just wouldn’t be the same without

them. We were so very lucky to have Eagle Ranch as our venue. They were so accommodating and allowed

our dogs to be involved in our ceremony.

Tell me about the special aspects of your day that made it unique to you two? 

We had a couple small memory details that were extremely special that most people probably didn’t even

notice. The first one was I had a dog tag attached to my bouquet. It was the tag from my dog Abby who had passed away a couple

years ago. This way I had all 3 of my fur babies with me walking down the aisle. And the other one was a locket

that was sewn into my dress. This locket is extremely special and actually my Grandma had given it to

my sister Jenny for her wedding 4 years ago. It has a picture of our Grandpa in it.

We miss him dearly but know he is always with us.

And finally the location! Mike and I have traveled to Invermere the past few summers and

absolutely love it! When trying to decide on a venue Mike thought of our favorite golf course (Eagle Ranch) and

that was it! We looked no further!

Advice to couples planning their wedding day?  

A couple pieces of advice! Firstly this is the best day of your lives! Enjoy it! Wedding planning can

get stressful! But try not to sweat the small stuff, nobody is going to remember the silly programs or the

centerpieces! Next would be keep it small. It is absolutely incredible to have almost everyone you love in one

room! But it’s a bit overwhelming to try and make sure you have the time to see everyone! No matter how well

you manage your time, you won’t get as much time with each guest as you would like.

We snuck away from the reception for some photos at dusk and it was sooooo pretty!