Tazmin & Shahaan

About our Wedding

From the moment we first visited the lodge a year and a half before our wedding, we knew that no other venue compared and that the FRL was the perfect choice for us. Given that we chose to have our wedding in November, we wanted to create a very cozy, warm, and intimate feeling for our guests. From the breathtaking views, the stunning lodge, incredible food, to the warm wedding team, we truly couldn't have made a better choice. We were amazed by the wedding team from our first interaction - they were truly outstanding throughout the entire process. I had a million questions for Wendy and Sierra and they were always so helpful, accommodating and kind.

We arrived at the lodge the day before our wedding with our parents and siblings to settle in, relax, and do a brief ceremony walk through. We had a very small and casual dinner in the lounge which was so cozy with the fireplace and the lodge's winter decor. Our nieces and nephews loved making s'mores on the deck. After dinner, we relaxed with our friends and family who were staying in the Outpost, Homestead Chalet, and Bison Suites. Having a lot of our guests staying close by was definitely a highlight of our wedding - it felt like a little getaway without really being too far, and we were able to spend time with our family and best friends. As you are planning your wedding, you always hear about how the wedding day is over in the blink of an eye, and the bride and groom never get to relax and spend time with their guests. We can honestly say we did not feel this way as we made it a priority to relax and spend time with everyone - it is possible! Going up to the FRL the afternoon before our wedding was one of the best things we did to make sure we got to enjoy the experience.

We got very lucky with a clear (but very cold!) day on November 11, 2022. We opted to have our first look pictures done before the ceremony so that we could have more time for group photos and enjoy our cocktail hour. We had a beautiful wedding ceremony in the main hall, with the breathing mountains behind us. The aisle and hall were beautifully decorated with gorgeous lanterns, candles and florals. Erika, our wedding officiant, wrote an incredibly touching custom ceremony and it truly made our wedding even more special than I could have imagined. After our ceremony, we took pictures outside on the deck with family and friends while everyone enjoyed signature cocktails/mocktails in the lounge.

During cocktail hour, the FRL and Valley Decor teams worked their magic and transformed the main hall for our reception. I was truly blown away by how all the details came together to create the perfect ambience for our celebration. As we were in such good hands, we got to relax and enjoy the entire evening without worrying about any details. The evening was definitely one to remember and some of the highlights were: having our brothers MC, our parents and best friends giving the most heartwarming speeches, our friends and family surprising us with an incredible choreographed dance, and our first dance as bride and groom (so glad we took a few lessons!).

We truly feel so lucky about having this incredibly special wedding at the FRL, in fact, many of our guests told us that this was the most amazing wedding they had ever been to. If we could do it all over again, we would choose the FRL in a heartbeat.

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Tips

1. Sweetheart Table: One of the best choices we made was opting to have a sweetheart table in front of the fireplace during our reception. It allowed us to really enjoy the entire evening and soak it all in together as a couple.

2. Enjoy the Process: Everyone will tell you that your wedding will go by in the blink of an eye, and they're right. You will spend so much time planning and figuring out all the details, so remember to enjoy that part too. Have fun checking out potential venues, start a playlist of songs you'd like for your ceremony and reception, and ask trusted friends or family members to help with certain tasks to make your life easier. Be clear about your vision and stick to it.

3. Sparkler Photo: Sneak out with a close group of friends/family during cocktail hour to take some sparkler photos, rather than a sparkler exit which can be harder to coordinate at the end of the night. The pictures we got turned out beautifully and it was a special moment with our close friends/cousins!

4. Personal Touches: Your wedding is about you as a couple and celebrating your relationship. Get creative and lean on the natural talents of your closest friends and family. I asked my cousin to paint a portrait of Mt. Cheam for our menu cards, our niece to make our place cards, and another cousin to sing one of our favourite songs during the reception. These touches are what will make your wedding a special event that your guests cherish and remember.

5. Off-peak Dates: Don't be afraid to choose a date that may seem a bit unconventional. You don't have to have a spring or summer wedding if you don't want to. Every season is beautiful, go with what feels right to you. If you do end up choosing a less popular month, you may be happy to find that all your favourite vendors are available, and some may even offer off-peak pricing.

6. Cake & Jacuzzi: My husband surprised me by asking the FRL wedding team to put two pieces of our wedding cake in our room for us to enjoy after our reception. After our reception ended, we joined our friends in the hot tub at the Outpost. We then returned to our room to enjoy our cake and unwind in the jacuzzi after the perfect day.

Vendors

Florals: Wild Rabbit Flowers | @wildrabbitflowers

Photography/Videography: Beautiful Life Studios | @beautifullifestudios

Officiant: Young, Hip & Married | @marriedbyerika from @younghipandmarried

Decor: Valley Weddings | @valleyweddings

Bridal Hair & Makeup: Amnas Studio | @amnas_studio

Wedding Dress: Essense of Australia & Sinders Bridal | @essenseofaustralia from @sindersbridal

Wedding Cake: Sweet Tooth Baking | @sweet.tooth.baking

Donuts: Honeys Doughnuts | @honeysdoughtnuts

DJ: In the Mix | @getinthemix

Bride: Tazmin | @tmitha

Groom: Shahaan | @shahaan11