Behind the Design: How We Created M&J’s Luxury Fairmont Banff Springs Wedding
No two couples are ever the same.
There is a spectrum of couples that come to us, and that's one of our favourite parts of what we do.
Some have spent months (sometimes years!) collecting Pinterest inspiration and imagining every little detail. Others have a feeling in mind but aren't quite sure what it looks like yet.
M&J landed somewhere beautifully in the middle. M knew she wanted their wedding to feel whimsical, complement the timeless beauty of the Fairmont Banff Springs, and she brought one unexpected piece of inspiration—an AI-generated image of a watercolour wedding cake. For us, it was the perfect place to begin.
Whether we're designing a luxury wedding in Banff, the Canadian Rockies, or right here in Calgary, we always begin with the people before we ever begin with the décor.
If you compare M's original inspiration to the final wedding, you might wonder how we got from a single AI-generated cake to a fully immersive destination wedding experience.
That's exactly why we love our design process. We weren't designing the cake. We were designing everything that cake represented.
Our design process has never been about recreating someone else's wedding. It's about understanding a couple so well that, by the end of the journey, their wedding couldn't possibly belong to anyone else.
“Our only real direction going in was “secret garden, whimsical, one-of-a-kind, lots of florals (I gave her my favorite flowers - wisteria, peonies, and dahlias), plus thoughtful entertainment.” By our second or third meeting, Charlotte presented a full PowerPoint vision for every aspect of the wedding— color palette, florals, place settings, stationary, guest “wow” moments — built entirely from those loose ideas. She listened, collaborated, and made it all feel effortless.” - M&J
It Starts with Listening
Every couple is different, but with destination weddings, the beginning of our process becomes even more important.
Every design client begins with a detailed questionnaire. Some of the questions are exactly what you'd expect, while others usually make people laugh. We ask about favourite places, memorable meals, how they love to host, and even questions that seem completely unrelated to weddings.
The questionnaire is followed by one of our favourite meetings—a virtual Design Deep Dive. This is where we use visual examples, ask a lot of questions, and begin translating feelings into a tangible vision. The reason is simple: words mean different things to different people.
Take the word romantic. If I asked ten people what a romantic proposal looked like, I'd probably get ten different answers. For one person, it might be getting engaged on the jumbotron at a baseball game. For someone else, that would be their worst nightmare—they'd much rather be on a quiet mountain trail with no one else around.
Neither answer is wrong. That's why we don't stop at the questionnaire.
Our first planning meeting is a true deep dive. Through conversation, visual examples, and a lot of curiosity, we uncover what those words actually mean to each couple. Only then do we begin designing.
By the end of that process, we present a complete custom wedding design concept alongside a comprehensive budget, allowing our couples to see the entire vision before we begin bringing it to life.
“We’re SO lucky to have found Lottie!! If you want a unique, memorable, flawless wedding, Lottie is a must. I was on the fence about hiring someone for partial vs full planning, and I'm glad we chose the full planning package. It was SO worth it in every way.” - M&J
M&J’s Wedding Vendor Team - Planner & Designer: @lottie.weddings, Venue: @fairmontbanff, Photo: @miltonphoto, Photobooth: @snapbeautyphotobooth, H&MUA: @topknotbrides, Florist: @calyxfloraldesign, Officiant: @marriedbycole, DJ: @classactdjservice, Violinist: @angelaviolinist, Live Artist: @designbystlight, Stationery: @paper.panache, Cake: @blackdog_bakery, Rentals: @modernrentals.ca, Rentals: @mountianscape.rentals, Transportation: @ampmlimousine, Suit: @menswearhouse, Dress Designer: @martinalianabridal, Activities @pursuitcollection, Bride: @michellietaz
Designing an Experience, Not Just a Wedding
As we worked through those conversations, one thing became very clear: M&J didn't want to spend their wedding feeling like hosts. They wanted to experience it alongside their guests.
Many of their loved ones were travelling from the United States, the UK and other parts of the world, with several visiting Banff for the very first time. They wanted the entire weekend to feel like an unforgettable experience, not simply another wedding. That is our north star - thinking about how guests would feel from the moment they arrived.
Walking into Mount Stephen Hall, guests were welcomed by a champagne wall filled with edible flowers while a live violinist played nearby. The opening into the ballroom offered a glimpse of what was waiting inside, while the scent of fresh florals and greenery softened the grandeur of the historic space.
Without even realizing it, guests were experiencing the wedding through all five senses before cocktail hour had really begun.
Those first few moments set the tone for the rest of the evening. Before guests had found their seats or ordered a drink, they already knew what this celebration was going to feel like.
“On the day itself, everything came together more beautifully than we’d imagined. The vendors she connected us with were WONDERFUL and she really got them on board with our vision and excited about it. It was the most organized, detail-oriented event I’ve ever been part of. ” - M&J
M&J’s Wedding Vendor Team - Planner & Designer: @lottie.weddings, Venue: @fairmontbanff, Photo: @miltonphoto, Photobooth: @snapbeautyphotobooth, H&MUA: @topknotbrides, Florist: @calyxfloraldesign, Officiant: @marriedbycole, DJ: @classactdjservice, Violinist: @angelaviolinist, Live Artist: @designbystlight, Stationery: @paper.panache, Cake: @blackdog_bakery, Rentals: @modernrentals.ca, Rentals: @mountianscape.rentals, Transportation: @ampmlimousine, Suit: @menswearhouse, Dress Designer: @martinalianabridal, Activities @pursuitcollection, Bride: @michellietaz
Every Detail Had a Purpose
One of the things we loved most about this wedding was that every detail had a reason for being there.
Nothing was chosen simply because it looked beautiful.
Every decision connected back to M and J, creating an immersive wedding day that felt deeply personal from beginning to end.
The table numbers weren't numbers at all. Instead, each table represented a destination they had travelled to together, illustrated with custom watercolour artwork inspired by the very first image M shared with us.
Their signature cocktails reflected their personalities—a spicy margarita with a custom twist for M, who grew up in Mexico, and a Rum & Coke for J. Even the music became part of the story, with Latin influences woven throughout the evening to honour M's upbringing and encourage everyone onto the dance floor.
The "secret garden" inspiration wasn't something we wanted guests to notice all at once. Instead, it unfolded throughout the evening. It appeared in the Juliette balconies, the arches, the bar details, and most beautifully, the chandeliers.
M grows wisteria in her own garden, so incorporating cascading greenery and wisteria into the ballroom felt like bringing a little piece of home into one of Canada's most iconic venues.
One detail Charlotte was particularly passionate about was allowing the greenery and wisteria to cascade low enough that guests almost felt tempted to reach out and touch it. It softened the grandeur of the ballroom while bringing that secret garden feeling to life.
Those details weren't chosen because they were beautiful.
They were chosen because they belonged to M and J.
M&J’s Wedding Vendor Team - Planner & Designer: @lottie.weddings, Venue: @fairmontbanff, Photo: @miltonphoto, Photobooth: @snapbeautyphotobooth, H&MUA: @topknotbrides, Florist: @calyxfloraldesign, Officiant: @marriedbycole, DJ: @classactdjservice, Violinist: @angelaviolinist, Live Artist: @designbystlight, Stationery: @paper.panache, Cake: @blackdog_bakery, Rentals: @modernrentals.ca, Rentals: @mountianscape.rentals, Transportation: @ampmlimousine, Suit: @menswearhouse, Dress Designer: @martinalianabridal, Activities @pursuitcollection, Bride: @michellietaz
Trusting the Process
Looking back, what made M and J's wedding unforgettable wasn't one floral installation or statement piece. It was the trust they placed in our process.
They trusted us enough to let us ask questions they weren't expecting. They trusted us enough to move beyond Pinterest and create something that reflected them rather than what was trending.
That trust allowed us to design a destination wedding experience that felt deeply personal—not only for M and J, but for every guest who travelled to celebrate alongside them.
"We’re SO lucky to have found Lottie!! If you want a unique, memorable, flawless wedding, Lottie is a must. I was on the fence about hiring someone for partial vs full planning, and I'm glad we chose the full planning package. It was SO worth it in every way.” - M
Reading M’s review reminded us why we approach design the way we do. We don't begin with flowers. We don't begin with colour palettes. We begin by listening.
Everything else grows from there. Every wedding gives us the opportunity to tell a completely different story, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
If you're dreaming of a luxury destination wedding at the Fairmont Banff Springs, somewhere in the Canadian Rockies, or anywhere your story takes you, we'd love to hear it. Let's create something that feels unmistakably like you.
