Posted by Sharon Auld

The iconic Lake Louise, one of the most photographed lakes in the world, was the location for this boho chic, winter wedding inspiration from a talented team of local wedding professionals including; Darren Roberts Photography, Willow Flower Co., Naturally Chic, Mountain Beauties, Canmore + Banff Makeup Artistry and Whippt Desserts + Catering Inc.

Lake Louise is surrounded by several mountain peaks, with stunning views of the majestic Victoria Glacier. It’s an incredibly beautiful location in both summer and in winter. With the unseasonably warm temperatures this winter, the team decided on a boho-chic winter inspiration set up directly on the frozen lake.

Lake Louise is the community with the highest elevation in Canada and the largest hotel in the area is the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a large mountain resort just off the eastern shores of the lake, and the gracious host for the day.

The Claire Pettibone dress (from her Bohemian Rhapsody Collection) was the perfect find from Frocks Calgary. The groom wore a Ralph Lauren suit jacket and slacks from Banff’s  Boulder Menswear.

The team incorporated ‘Marsala’, the Pantone color of the year, into the designs. It was the perfect contrast to the snowy landscape!

Here’s a few additional shots from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise balcony.

From the Photographer Darren Roberts:

My overall goal for the photography was to keep a clean, airy look to reflect the beauty of the natural environment.

From the Designer Naturally Chic:

I had long envisioned an outdoor inspirational shoot set up directly on the frozen lake and I shared this idea with my colleagues. This winter was an exceptional year and the normally snow-laden area was experiencing a warmer than average year; we all agreed it would be amazing to set up directly on the lake! We decided to focus on a Canadian winter, boho-chic theme.

Although I wanted bohemian influences in the design, I still wanted to keep the overall look a casual chic, with elegant touches. To me this meant, having a cohesive look and not going too eclectic with patterns and colors. I knew Kailee (the florist) would be incorporating some rich and varied tones in the flowers, so the color palette for the table was kept decidedly neutral with various shades of browns and turquoise for small pops of color.

I incorporated rich textures such as wood, leather, fur, and natural shed antlers, as well as more refined elements such as the glassware, silverware and candlesticks. I included some faux furs as a nod to the history of the area (once a trading place for furs), but also because it’s appropriate for winter! I included an assortment of leathers and juxtaposed it with engraved acrylic stationery (menu and place cards) for a more modern look.

I made everything from the napkins, napkin holders, chair covers, and log place card holders, to the menu and place cards. We even specially made table and the benches just for the shoot as we wanting something that was easily transported out to the lake!

From the Florist Willow Flower Company:

I was thrilled to create florals in the marsala/pantone color palette. My interpretation of the photo shoot became somewhat of a “Boho Canadiana” theme. To translate this look into the flowers, I added in elements like antlers and feathers. I also bound the bridal bouquet with fur and a leather cord. To take it up another level, I brought along my friend’s beautiful Alaskan Malamute, complete with a greenery garland for her neck.

From the Hair Stylist – Mountain Beauties:

I wanted to show a more soft, feminine look for Courtney (model). I wanted her hair have a more organic feel that accented with the thistle and small marsala colored flower buds. I wanted it to look as if she used the greenery to hold her hair together. I used a combination of texture and curl to set the foundation of Courtney’s style. The hair was held with pins, mini elastics and florals to give the style a casual elegance.

From Make-up Artist – Canmore + Banff Makeup Artistry:

As the MUA, the starting point for me designing the makeup direction for this shoot was first scouting the right model, through Sophia Models in Calgary (they supply beautiful talent + I work with them frequently). Having the right face for the vision is really important to me as an MUA and can either inspire me or not. From there familiarizing myself with her features + the teams ideas, to come up with something that we all love.

The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette with a tailored false lash was my base for her look, to create a higher pigment smokey eye. It has enough colour variation to stagger many colours together + great staying power. I balanced her eye with a nude lip from Lancome cosmetics in Visionary + her cheeks with Custom Colour Pink Blush from Stila. The model has great skin and overshadowing with a heavy foundation wasn’t necessary, Liquid Halo from Smashbox has a liquid light technology that keeps it sheer + photo ready.

Because this was a Canadian Rocky Mountain shoot, it’s important that the beauty style flows with the natural setting, soft but still pops. My signature style is a lot of eye detail + wanted to make sure that wasn’t lost to those beautiful Lake Louise mountain ranges.

From the Cake Designer – Whippt Desserts + Catering Inc.:

The cake was created to suit the natural, organic, bohemian, winter theme. Decorative elements included sugar succulents and filler flowers lending a perfect framework to showcase the larger, fantasy, sugar flowers. All sugar flowers were hand crafted and the pop of coral colour was used to contrast the wintery white canvas. Other edible, decorative elements included rustic, ombre fondant ruffles, braided leather trim and edible, gold brush strokes.

You can read more about this amazing shoot that was also featured on Wedding Chicks.

Credits for the Lake Louise Shoot:

Venue: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise; Photography: Darren Roberts Photography; Design Concept, Styling + Decor: Naturally Chic; Flowers + Styling: Willow Flower Co.; Hair and Venue Liaison: Mountain Beauties; Makeup: Canmore + Banff Makeup Artistry; Cake: Whippt Desserts + Catering Inc.; Wedding Dress: Frocks Calgary; Men’s Attire: Boulder Menswear; Stationery (leather and acrylic details): Naturally Chic;  Table + Bench: Don | Naturally Chic; Chivari Chairs: Special Event Rentals Banff; Antique Forks and Cake Server: Willow Flower Co.; Models: Bride – Courtney Mark | Sophia Models International; Groom – Nick Karol; Canine Model – Kayla (special thank you to Lauren Laming).