There’s nothing I love more than a beautiful Banff winter wedding. While having a winter wedding can certainly come with a few unique challenges there are still many advantages to planning a Banff, Canmore or Lake Louise winter wedding. And as long as you’re prepared for the weather you’ll have no regrets about getting married in the winter in Banff!

bride and groom holding hands and running through the snow after Banff winter wedding at Lake Louise

Pick the right venue (& inquire early!)

Although the majority of people getting married in Banff choose to get married in the summer months, winter weddings in Banff are actually still quite popular and venues can still get booked up in advance. If you have a specific date that you are hoping to get married, you’ll want to make sure to reach out to your venue early to make sure they have availability. Something you might want to consider is that you might want to have a venue that can host both your ceremony and your reception at the same place to minimize travel for your guests, especially if they have never experienced winter driving through the mountains. If you’re hoping to have an outdoor ceremony, you’ll want to make sure that your venue has a solid back up location just in case the weather is a little too intense to have your guests sit in outside. Some of my favourite venues for Banff winter weddings are the Fairmont Banff Springs, Chateau Lake Louise, Emerald Lake Lodge, Storm Mountain Lodge, and the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge (right next to the Nordic Spa!). Having accommodation for your guests on site can be a bonus too in order to minimize travel time on snowy or icy roads!

bride and groom kissing in front of giant windows overlook mountains at chateau lake louise banff wedding

2. Time it right

Getting your timeline right is especially important in the winter because of the limited daylight. The sun can set as early as 4:30 pm depending on the time of year and because Banff is nestled in a valley, the sun often disappears behind the mountains a lot earlier than that. There are certain areas in Banff that don’t even really see direct sun for a few months of the year! Hiring an experienced Banff wedding photographer will help with this aspect of planning your day. For example, if you’re planning to do your portraits after the ceremony you will need to make sure your ceremony is early enough that you aren’t out of daylight. It can be helpful to do all of your portraits before the ceremony so that you have the most light available and you don’t have to worry about missing out on the magic light and getting some epic winter portraits.

epic winter light streaming through the trees as snow blows through during winter wedding in banff

3. dress for success

One of the reasons I love winter weddings is actually because of the weather. In the summer you never know what you’re going to get and it can be pretty overwhelming when you get pouring rain or a hot, humid day. Something that is pretty consistent about winter in Banff is that it’s probably going to be cold! Luckily if you dress right, you’ll be more than fine for chilly temperatures. Some important things to wear: tights or long underwear under your wedding clothes, warm winter boots for trucking through snow, cute winter gloves (the hands are the first thing to get cold), and a warm outer layer such as a stylish winter coat or a fur shawl. Winter wedding fashion is always my favourite when planned ahead!

bride tying up sorrel boots before winter wedding ceremony at lake louise

bride holding bouquet and wearing red lipstick and crown and vintage wedding dress during intimate banff winter elopement

4. make sure your guests are prepared

Not only do you need to be dressed for winter conditions, but your guests, family and bridal party need to be properly prepared too. There is nothing more difficult than trying to take family portraits outside when your guests are wearing stilettos and a flimsy sweater for warmth. You’ll want to make sure that everyone has a proper winter coat, layers, and good footwear. If you’re asking your guests to take off their coats for photos, make sure that they have their coats with them to put on between takes. It’s also important that everyone knows if they will be photographed or not so that they come prepared and so that everything can flow as seamlessly as possible. If you really want your guests to be cosy (and stylish) you might consider cute winter blankets or scarves as a wedding favour!

Family photos in front of chateau lake louise after banff winter wedding

5. Leave lots of travel time

The roads in Alberta winters can be notoriously bad so leaving yourself plenty of travel time is really important. If your guests are traveling from out of town, you’ll need to make sure that they are renting vehicles with winter tires and plan a lot of extra time to get to and from their destination. Winter storms can come out of nowhere and can stress out even the most experienced winter driver, especially through the mountain passes. As a vendor, I always leave far earlier than usual for winter weddings just in case of any mishaps on the highway. I also require overnight accommodation because driving at night in the winter can be extra stressful. If you need to travel to a ceremony location or for your portraits, scheduling extra time into your timeline is essential to ensure a stress-free winter wedding day.

bride peeking out window before winter wedding in Fernie

6. Book an experienced Banff winter wedding photographer

It’s important to ask your vendors if they have experience with winter weddings. As an experienced Banff wedding photographer, I know there are certain ways that I need to prepare my gear in order to successfully photograph a winter wedding in Alberta. From packing extra batteries, to dressing in layers and bringing hand warmers for wedding days that are extra cold, having a wedding photographer who is experienced with winter weddings in Banff can really make a difference in making sure you have the best wedding experience. Your wedding photographer will also know how to make sure you get the best winter wedding photos which I’ll cover a bit of below.

7. Schedule in some warm up time

Unless you get treated to a rare warm winter day, you’re most likely not going to want to spend hours outside doing photos. So it’s important to plan a cool secondary location for some indoor portraits. Or, at least have somewhere to go where you can defrost and maybe enjoy a warm beverage or two! Whether you want to invite your bridal party to tag along, or you just want to go back to your hotel room to cuddle up by the fire with your partner - making sure that you have an option for somewhere to escape the cold for a bit can be an awesome way to have a more enjoyable wedding day!

bride and groom cheering champagne after wedding day inside chateau lake louise after banff winter wedding

8. Get creative & have fun!

The best part about having a Banff winter wedding is that there is no shortage of ways to make your day unique and to really add a personal touch! From dressing up (or down) with creative accessories, to throwing on a pair of skates and playing hockey with your family or making time for another favourite winter activity, scheduling some time in your wedding day for some snowy, winter fun really makes the day even more magical.