jessica

My fiance and I will be eloping and honeymooning in Banff next year. After seaching the internet, we've found the hotel and photographer but need recommendations for:<BR><BR>1. hair & make-up<BR>2. commisionaire<BR>3. a second location for photos (first location is Lake Moraine)<BR><BR>If anyone has any recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Island Girl

Hi there, it sounds like a great wedding! I don't have any suggestions, just a caution about the crowds at Moraine Lake. Depending on the time of year, make sure you go for your pics at a less busy time of day so that you can actually get up to the lake. We have gone up there in the past only to be met by Parks staff who told us that there was no parking left.<BR><BR>Have fun!

Anne

I agree with the last response. We were just visiting Moraine Lake and parked about a half mile down the road to get into the place.

Jim

For photos: Lake Minnewanka and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. About 4 miles from downtown Banff.

jessica

Hey, thanks for the replies. I had no idea that it would be that busy. We had a tenative date of May 27, 2003. Would you know if that is a good date or should I change it? I just don't want to be freezing in cold weather just for smaller crowds. Any suggestions that you can offer would be most helpful. Thanks a bunch

x

it is always busy but may shouldn't be too bad. mid june to mid september are the worst during the summer. saw a couple this weekend having their pictures done at bow falls. they were taking from different angles - with the falls in the background, just the mountain & ski and a shot upwards with the banff springs hotel in the background. for your hair & makeup - you might want to consider the banff springs hotel. i'm sure they'd have very good people working there.

Janie

We just returned from Banff and were fortunate enough to witness from afar a wedding on the balcony of the Banff Springs Hotel....what a backdrop!!!! Check it out but it might be booked.

Lila

Jessica, Oh how wonderful! I am jealous, my husband and I too thought of eloping last year but I could not think of a place we would enjoy, wish I had thought of the Rockies (but we still had a very nice wedding)! Sorry, back to your question. My husband and I were in the Rockies from June 30-July 13 this year and we had not problems w/crowds. We were so lucky! We had no problems finding parking at Moraine Lake (one of our favorite spots), Chateau Lake Louise, etc. The end of May should not be crowded at all (hopefully the weather will be cooperating). It was rather chilly our 1st week in July! You may want to get one of those "fake" fur wraps! However, a question maybe another poster can answer, could Lake Moraine possibly still be frozen end of May? Maybe you should e-mail Lake Moraine Lodge, they can tell you what the weather is like in late May. We went to Lake O'Hara on July 2 and several of the lakes were still frozen. If you can push your plans back a couple weeks to mid-June, this may be better, you still won't have the crowds and the weather "may be" a bit warmer. Lake Louise is very close to Lake Moraine, I would suggest taking pictures there. If memory serves me correctly, the Valley of the Ten Peaks surrounds Lake Moraine. When we went to the Bow Falls in Banff, we were just driving around and found ourselves on the opposite side of the falls (all the people were on the other side!) and there was this bandstand. We got on it and my husband set the camera and we got some lovely pictures of us with the Banff Springs hotel in the "close" background. We had the place to ourselves for quite awhile before a tour bus showed up. I think we were driving along Tunnel Drive towards the town of Banff when we noticed the falls and this bandstand thing. Yes, if you can get on the balcony of the Banff Springs Hotel, you'll get some lovely shots there. How exciting and what incredible wedding pictures you will have no matter where in the Rockies they are taken. What hotel will you be staying at (maybe they can recommend a commissionaire).