Amber & Aaron 06.12.10. | Calgary Fairmont Palliser Wedding

Amber and Aaron found me on Calgarypuck forums where Aaron and I are avid Flames fans. I got to know Amber and Aaron well over the last little while leading up to their wedding and I absolutely love these two. They had their stunning wedding at downtown Calgary’s Fairmont Palliser Hotel. I met Aaron and his boys in the house he grew up in for his prep photos. It was a neighborhood in Calgary, that in my 30+ years living here, I had never seen. It was a very quiet, older neighborhood where all the lawns were manicured. His boys were a fun bunch so that really set us up for a super fun day. As soon as I got all the photos I needed, I had to go meet Amber at Hedkandi by the Hotel Arts where her hair was getting done. It was a cool looking and hip salon with lots of people there. After we headed to the Palliser to shoot some details including Amber’s stunning dress in their huge suite. When Amber came out with her dress on I was all smiles as she was so gorgeous and made my job so much easier.

The wedding ceremony took place at Sacred Heart Church on 14th street. The ceremony was very nice as we ran around and photographed as many different angles and moments as we could. Amber and Aaron were all smiles through the whole thing, as was expected.

It was shooting time after the ceremony, so we headed back to the Palliser to stay close to their reception. We got some really cool shots of A&A and their wedding party on the parkade by the Calgary Tower. After we shot there, we headed inside to look for some protection from the blistering sun. With a venue like the Palliser, we had to take advantage of the grand beauty of it, so we ran around all over the hotel making photos. It was very easy working with them as their connection was very obvious. They were very much in love with each other.

Amber & Aaron’s wedding theme was inspired by Cirque Du Soleil and man did they ever pull it off with the help of Mary Swaffield and her staff from Lavish – Wedding Planning & Design. There was so many details that I had to get my good friends Shelley and Jeff Weber to come help shoot detail shots for me so nothing was missed. As soon as we all walked into the ballroom our jaws dropped. We could not believe what Lavish had just pulled off. Without a doubt, the most spectacular reception room I have ever seen in my whole life. Nothing was missed when it came to designing this room. The lighting in the room was exquisite. The wedding favors were Mardi Gras masks imported directly from New Orleans for all their guests. They had an ice sculpture made with their initials on it where martins were chilled by pouring through the top of the ice sculpture, coming out at the bottom into a glass. And then, there was the entertainment. The MC was a professional MC and magician. They had a fire breather and contortionist as well. And if that wasn’t enough, they also flew in from Nashville, the famous country band Six West, who kept the entertainment going for their guests.

It was quite the party that night and it looked like every body there was having the time of their lives. Then came the “midnight snack”. Kobe beef sliders, poutine, ginger beef and sweet sour pork all packed in little chinese take out boxes so that people can take it home with them if they chose to.

We got to work with our friends, Luke & Ryan again from Imago Weddings.  Head over to Imago Weddings’ blog to see the teaser video for A&A’s wedding.

Congrats Amber and Aaron. Wow, what can I say? Your wedding was nothing like I have ever experienced. I am very thankful to have been a part of this. You guys pulled it off and I am sure your guest will never attend a wedding like that ever again. Let’s go to some Flames games next year! Now below is the most photos I have ever posted from a wedding on my blog. There’s just so much that it had to all be shown!

  1. Amber & Aaron   -  

    Wow! Johnny you are truly an amazing photographer. Aaron and I would like to thank you and your team for capturing our special moments during the day and all of the details that were presented to our guests through out the evening. You are a pleasure to work with and we are privledged to call you a friend.

    Your biggest fans,

    A & A

  2. Danna   -  

    OH WOW!!! seriously the coolest reception decorating I have EVER seen!! Fabulous images, you really documented this wedding so well, these make me want to see more.

  3. John Heil   -  

    WOW, stunning wedding – LOVE this theme! and amazing photos to capture it all. Nice work man.

  4. Scott Gage   -  

    Beautiful Images! What a cool wedding. Cool way to meet the couple too- always nice to work with fellow Flames fans.

  5. Mary   -  

    You’ve done it again! Amazing photos, Johnny! We always know our designs & our clients are in good hands when you’re the photographer. Amber & Aaron are an fabulous couple, so in love – and you’ve totally captured that! Bravo!

  6. Brandy   -  

    Wow Johnny, these are incredible! What a fantastic job you did on what looks like a spectacular wedding!

  7. Tracy Hesla   -  

    WOW!! Glad we were there to share it with you. It was an unforgettable experience. Thanks again! See you soon.

  8. Shelley Hesla   -  

    Hi Johnny. Thanks for the amazing photography work by you and your team during the entirely wonderful day that was Aaron and Amber’s wedding. I love the montages of the decorations/details at the reception! You truly have a gift for photography, and sincere thanks for capturing all of the special moments of the day. I can’t wait to see the final album once my son and new daughter make their choices from the photo gallery! Simply spectacular!

  9. Kurtis F.   -  

    Wow Johnny,

    I’ve been following your blog since Paul & Erin Bast’s wedding in Red Deer last year and your photos never fail to impress. Amber and Aaron couldn’t have picked a better photographer to capture their amazing day.

    Great work, I can only hope one day my photos are even half as amazing as yours!

    Kurt.

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  1. [...] it to believe it! We also had the pleasure of working by our friend Johnny of JT Images. Check out for some of the photos from the event! Wedding Planning & Design was done by Mary & Debbie over at Lavish Event [...]


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