Banff National Park Adventure
It’s probably no surprise to you that we got to explore Banff National Park this summer. Even better, we got to explore it with two of our wedding couples photographing their destination engagement sessions. Tia had been to Banff as a child and Cam had never been. So, it was super fun for us to experience it together for the first time. If you don’t know what Banff is all about (aka living in an Instagram black hole), it boasts rich, turquoise and blue waters caused by silt-like rock flour continually being carried into the lake by melt-water from the surrounding glaciers. The views are spectacular, the hikes range from easy and casual to steep and treacherous, and the wildlife is everywhere.
Lake Louise Experiences
One of our favorite experiences was the hike up to the tea house from Lake Louise. Lake Louise is by far the busiest spot in Banff, almost overrun by tourists snapping pictures by the lake. But just 100 feet away begins the trail up to a little tea house overlooking a glacial lake. The trail is steep (and we did it twice, once with each of our couples) but you get pit stops overlooking Lake Louise, at Mirror Lake – a beautiful greenish, clear lake, a waterfall, and at the top at the tea house. The tea house sells snacks and tea and the first day we went up the chilly breeze swept off the glacial waters and the warmth of the tea was much needed. Next time you’re in Banff, check it out!
Our Favorite Spots
The town of Banff is a cute tourist town filled with trendy dinner spots and all the adventure-wear shops you could ever need (Patagonia, Roots, and Helly Hansen, oh my)! We grabbed dinner there twice and worked from the Starbucks to get our Tuesday wedding blogs out. Throughout the trip, we saw a number of elk, but unfortunately, no bears. Another awesome experience was that Brett and Jon treated us to canoeing around Emerald Lake (which we’ve included photos of courtesy of Brett and Jon). The water was so clear and the views of the mountains, alpines, and cute little peninsula in the middle of the lake were breathtaking.
Destination Engagement Sessions make our Hearts Happy
Sami & Matt and Brett & Jon, thank you guys SOOOOO incredibly much for making this dream of ours happen. We loved getting to photograph you guys in one of the most incredible National Parks but even more so, we loved getting to hang out with you guys and enjoy the views! There are SO many pictures from this trip that we’ll be sharing in the next month or so, but to start, we just want to share our personal favorites. Some of our favorites are of these two couples with dramatic scenery and some are just cute, intimate moments. We’ve also included some pictures of us and some behind the scenes.
We can’t wait for 2019 to roll around because it’s full of destination engagement sessions and weddings. We absolutely LOVE traveling, photographing in new destinations, and getting to enjoy a beautiful place with our wonderful couples. Enjoy these Banff National Park destination engagement session favorites!!
