Madison and Craig

PHOTOGRAPHER DAVID AND KATIE PHOTOGRAPHY davidandkatiephoto.com

Madison and Craig were both born and

raised in Sudbury, Ontario, “and were lucky enough to find friendship within each other in our late teens in the place we call home,” Madison tells us. “After growing up and becoming the independent people we are today, we slid easily and comfortably back into each other’s lives as adults drawn to our ability to seek adventure and fun as well as our mutual desire for friendship, loyalty and love. Since cementing ourselves as a couple, we have not stopped seeking fun and adventure wherever we can find it.” While the couple admit to loving Sudbury ‘to their core’ they also continue to feel the pull back to the mountains, landscape and people in western Canada. “I have travelled out west a few times on my own, having familythat live in southern Alberta, and I knew the moment I first laid eyes on Fernie, British Columbia that I was stumbling onto a very special place. Fernie was so special in my heart that when Craig and I took our first trip together out west, he knew that it was a place we had to visit based on all my rambling stories of its beauty,” Madison says.

It comes to no surprise then that Madison and Craig decided to elope and get married in Fernie to start their newest adventure, “doing it on our own terms all by ourselves. We deeply love our family and friends but having a ceremony to ourselves with our first meal and night as a married couple felt so magical.” Sounds perfect to us!

They wanted the day to feel like the rest of their story - fun, comfortable, easy and unique. Using that as their ‘theme’ they recognized that the scenery here does most of the work in makingthe day so spectacular.

Madison and Craig chose Fernie Alpine Resort’s Elk Top Ceremony site based on the many photos their photographer, David & Katie posted on social media. “Just stunning weddings with breathtaking views of these precious mountains.”

Having connected with the ‘friendly and helpful staff at Fernie Alpine Resort - shout out to Stacey Charest,’ and booked David & Katie, they feel as though everything else fell into place. ET Hair Salon for Madison’s hair, Stemhouse Floral Studio for a last-minute bouquet that was exactly what Madison had dreamed of. “And we loved sneakily getting ready together in our Lizard Creek Lodge suite while trying to avoid getting a sneak peek before heading to the altarto be united by the lovely Lynn Rogers who officiated the

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ceremony so perfectly.” They completed the experience with a hike to Matheson Falls, stop at FBC to fulfill their brewery tradition, and in the evening a private dinner at Cirque.

We have a feeling this story might inspire many couples to consider eloping! What a magical day, congratulations Madison and Craig.

Q&A

What is your favourite moment of your wedding day?

One of my favourite moments of the day was our first reveal photos. There was so much build up to finally, secretly getting married and not having shown anyone the details. I’ll never forget the feeling of walking up to Craig and getting a good nervous and excited laugh out of seeing each other as bride and groom for the first time - so many years in the making, no pressure!

What advice would you give other couples planning their own wedding?

To remember what the day is about, it’s a beginning - not an end point. The day is ultimately about you as a couple continuing your journey together and embracing your love in a next and exciting context - whatever that looks like for you. It is easy to get lost in the details and the pieces that you may not remember down the road. Stop and ask yourself, what do we really want this day to feel like? What do we want to remember in 10, 20, 30 plus years?

What were some of the unique elements of your day?

The most unique and fun element to our wedding was that we chose a traditional elopement: it was just the two of us. David & Katie pulled double duty by acting as our witnesses and our photographers. We got married on a Wednesday in August - we chose mid-week to allow for bigger weddings to book the weekend which added to a bit of the whimsy of the day. It was so awesome running around taking photos in multiple locations - even stopping to grab a beer in between at Fernie Brewing Company.