Why should you hire local vendors for your wedding in Jasper? Well, there are about a million reasons but I’m going to share a story that highlights one.

Heli-Wedding | Heli-Elopement | Helicopter Wedding | Jasper National Park

Last April I received a text from my friend and local photographer Ashley Van Tighem of Kinfolk Photography. She asked if we could jump on a call to discuss an urgent favour to cover a wedding that weekend, it was Thursday, the wedding was Saturday.

When we got on the phone, her first question was, “How do you feel about a heli-wedding?” I tried to keep cool & calm while also bursting with excitement at the opportunity of shooting a heli-wedding.

Jordan & Emily hired Ash to shoot their dream wedding pre-pandemic, COVID had other plans in mind and after multiple changes to their date and plans, they decided to scrap their big wedding and elope on top of a mountain, not a bad alternative.

A few days before their wedding, Ash started feeling sick. With mandates in place, she was required to test and isolate until she received her results - this put yet another change in Jordan & Emily’s plans!

I was overwhelmed with ALL the emotions. I felt giddy to be jumping in a helicopter to document Jordan & Emily’s day, but guilty that Ash was at home feeling sick and waiting on test results missing such a fun wedding.

With only 45 minutes left before take off, we took a break down by the river for a quick beer and to celebrate the anticipation of Jordan & Emily’s wedding.

Then it was time to head to the hanger to meet our Pilot Jason from Yellowhead Helicopters LTD . If you’re ever considering a heli-elopement, I highly recommend you reach out to them. They were laid back and flexible with our plans, it made the whole experience so enjoyable and relaxing for the bride & groom. In a matter of seconds we were off the ground and making our way up to the top Mt Drinnan.

After a few moments of celebration, we set up for a beautiful mountaintop ceremony officiated by Jordan’s sister and accompanied by Emily’s brother.

At this point in the evening, the champagne kept us warm and we carried on with some portraits during the most beautiful golden hour. It’s rare to experience this time of day on a mountain top as typically you’re heading down before it gets too dark. The night was getting cold, REALLY cold, but this adventurous couple knew that some of the best portraits could be taken at sunset. Despite going numb in our fingers and toes, we spent a few minutes in the golden glow. At one point I literally couldn’t tell if my finger was hitting the shutter or not because I couldn’t feel it! I’d say it was well worth the few minutes of freezing to capture these intimate moments.

Jason, our pilot, ended our evening with a sunset fly through the Rockies. I couldn’t imagine a more prefect ending to a beautiful day.

The community of wedding photographers in Jasper is so special and I’m truly grateful to be a part of such a progressive and welcoming group of creatives. Running a small business in a tourist town is met with many challenges, but that’s a topic for another post. By hiring local, Emily & Jordan were able to ensure that their wedding was documented despite the many setbacks they encountered.

We missed you up there, Ash - but THANK YOU for trusting me to tell Jordan & Emily’s story.

Community over competition - always.