Mike & Karimah's July Banff Springs Cascade Ballroom Wedding

Empty spaces and peaceful access to some of the most breathtaking spots in this castle almost felt like a gift from the wedding gods to this couple for all they went thru planning not one but two ballroom weddings this year.

Enjoy this special wedding blog pals.

xo. Sof.

From the Bride:

Our wedding was planned to be a large affair with 200+ family and friends on June 13th, 2020, in a traditional mosque setting followed by a dinner reception at the Westin Calgary. Then COVID happened. Everything closed, and we were forced to cancel our wedding.

We still wanted to get married. Not knowing when the world would re-open, we decided to plan an intimate wedding with only our immediate family in Mike's parent's backyard. Then, one day driving home from Banff, we realized that even though our original wedding plans didn't work out, that didn't mean we couldn't do something else incredible! Why not get married in the Rocky Mountains? This idea was not even on our radar before. We were originally going to get married in a mosque in Calgary and all of our plans centered around that. We seized the opportunity and re-planned everything in weeks.

We got married on the Terrace of the Banff Springs Hotel on a beautiful day in July, right after all the rainy days that came before it. It was a gorgeous sunny day overlooking the Bow Valley. I remember thinking how perfect and majestic those mountains were. Our immediate family was there, and shortly before the big day the Alberta laws allowed for a few more guests so we were able to have our original bridal party celebrate with us too. We felt blessed and grateful to get to marry each other.

Everything was lovely. It was not what we planned. It was better. There's something to be said for going with what the universe puts in front of you. Thank you universe!

From the Groom:

Few people are fortunate enough to stand at the altar, facing those glorious mountains overlooking the valley with a mix of nerves and excitement... and then eventually turn around and see their beautiful bride for the first time. So much runs through your head in that moment. Wondering what's happening behind you, making the turn, putting the rings on, and eventually saying our long awaited "I Do's". Those few seconds replay in my head in slow motion over and over again and I savor them every time.

Later that day, we had our photoshoot with Sofia & Dylan and our bridal party. You just can't ask for much more than that - hangin' with some of our closest friends and having Sof conduct us through our photos was an absolute riot and I didn't want it to end!

For our dinner reception, Karimah and I hadn't gotten a chance to rehearse our first dance, nor pick which song we were even dancing to, before the wedding weekend. However, something special happened instead. We found an empty Mt. Stephens Hall immediately before we walked into our dinner reception, so we decided to do a quick dance "rehearsal". Just the two of us, no music. Then Karimah's immediate family joined us in that same hall to perform a blessing over Zoom with the mosque. Those few minutes in Mt. Stephens Hall were some of the most emotional moments of the weekend that will stay with me forever. Our dinner reception was the icing on the cake, pardon the pun. Fantastic food and more amazing memories with the speeches (y'all almost made me cry), ceremonies, games, and of course our cake cutting & first dance. We truly had a dream wedding.

From the Couple:

There were so many moments throughout our wedding weekend that we will never forget. Planning the wedding was difficult at times. Our family and friends truly rallied around us. We couldn't have done it without them, and the challenges we faced together make the memories that much sweeter. At the end of the day we had a wedding experience we will never forget, and Sofia and Dylan were there to help document it forever. This brings us back to Sofia. We chose her back when we planned wedding version 1.0, because not only is she talented, she is the type of person you want around you on your special day. We wanted someone around us that would make us feel comfortable and make us laugh. Sofia brought the smiles from the day we met her, all the way up to today as we write this. We already know we're going to love her photos, but if you're reading this, rest assured that if you hire Sofia you'll be getting world class photos, great advice, and a friendship you'll remember forever too. We must also thank Dylan Foster who assisted Sofia and also took video of our wedding on short notice, even while planning his own wedding! It was a really, really, long day for you both, but our day would not have been complete without you. So thank you, we are forever grateful.

--Karimah and Mike