Rainbow Wedding Near Calgary (The Gathered)
Lindsay + Jeff (August 22nd 2021, The Gathered in Kathryn, Alberta)
After putting up with the rain, we got this beauty. Very Lisa Frank, right?!
A storm and a double rainbow, a stuffed animal fight, aggressive champagne pops with a full-on battle cry, and the cutest Alberta venue ever with an UNREAL garden of flowers. Something magic was in the air at this wedding! Which sounds cheesy as shit, I know. But really, actual magic! Not card tricks and pulling-rabbits-out-of-a-hat trickery, but actual tangible MAGIC. Criss Angel is shaking in his boots. The love between Lindsay + Jeff was electric. When Jeff first saw Lindsay walking towards him down the aisle, I’ve truly never seen such a gorgeous reaction. Being stone-faced and stoic when you see your beautiful bride is lame, so it warmed my dang heart when I saw the emotion that so visibly flooded over Jeff.
(P.S. Jeff, if you’re reading this, I’m a little bit sorry that I’m about to share photos of you crying but it’s too cute not to. Also P.S. you had the best suit I’ve ever seen.)
When Jeff saw the gorgeous Lindsay coming down the aisle.
Alright! So before we dive into the rainbow-y magic of the day, let’s start at the beginning. Lindsay got ready at the cabin onsite at The Gathered (Kathryn, near Calgary Alberta) with Douglas Cressman doing her hair/makeup.
With wide open sunny blue skies on one side and looming storm clouds moving in from the West threatening rain, the ceremony started. A few nervous glances here and there from guests as the apocalyptic rain clouds scooted their way towards us. But, like, scooting in a threatening way.
Click through the carousel below to see the first-look and ceremony.
Tip: Right after the ceremony is the best time to do family/group photos. Everyone is all together in one place and paying attention so the photos are much more organized and stress-free as we work through the shot list. The comparison that I always use when it comes to organizing large groups of people is that its like “herding cats.” Just let that mental image soak in, because it’s 100% accurate. Inevitably, at least a few guests slip away and you have to scuttle around to corral them all together but at least one always seems to be missing.
I like to slip in one weird family photo. Here, I asked the guests to SHOUT AT THE MEAN RAIN CLOUDS TO GO AWAY. This fam listened incredibly well to me directing them, which made my job super easy as we raced against the clock to beat the rain.
After making Jeff + Lindsay’s family scream at the sky, we jumped into the bride +
groom session. It started with light rain but quickly gave way to sunny skies and rainbows. We visited the sprawling flower garden at the grounds, which made for great photos!
All. Up. In. Your. Face.
Inexplicably one of my favourite photos. We stopped in to chicken dance.
If you’re looking for an out of the city venue with wide open greenspace and great big open skies… The Gathered is incredible!
The theme of the day was silliness but of course we planned out some dramatic shots as well.
Cute lil’ grilled cheese sandwiches. Food tastes better in mini form. It’s scientifically proven. (Don’t fact check me.)
Go big or go home with champagne pops! Tip- Keep your finger partially over the opening and SHAKE THAT BAD BOY.
Alright, we gotta give some context for the next photos from the reception. I believe in personalizing the photography coverage of the day to reflect who the couple really is, glorious quirks n’ hobbies and all. Your photos shouldn’t be cookie-cutter! Jeff + Lindsay have a small herd of stuffed animals (particularly cows, which are the bride’s favourite animal) that they wanted to include in the photos. As much as they love their stuffed animals... They also had a fight snowball style with them at the end of the night. Don’t worry, the stuffed animals seemed unscathed physically… Although I imagine that they have some trust issues now.
Squatting in a bush and telling people to make out while taking photos is usually pretty weird… Unless you’re a photographer, then you get a pass. Weirdly enough, people actually pay me for it?!
This gorgeous walkway surrounded by sunflowers made for a great photo op!
A kiss done right will fully smoosh your partners face. Tip for photogs- use the element of surprise to get good kiss shots. I like to suddenly yell out for them to grab their partner’s face and kiss it.
The reception was held in the clear tent outdoors. With accent lighting, chandeliers, string lights, and candles, it was a gorgeous and romantic setting at night. Also, props to The Gathered for serving me hands-down the best meal I’ve ever had.
Lindsay + Jeff’s Testimonial
“We couldn't have asked for a better wedding photographer! Kalla is just the right amount of fun and quirky and has a great eye for the perfect shot. She was responsive throughout our planning and put us so much at ease on the day itself. Our wedding day shoot felt just like laughing and goofing around with a friend but at the end we were (very quickly!) presented with the most amazing photo gallery. Highly recommend!”
-Lindsay A.