In March 2021, Marvin and I got engaged. We took a weekend trip to Banff from Edmonton, and spent a few days in the mountains exploring and relaxing at the Juniper Hotel. The hotel was only a 5-10 minute drive to Banff Avenue which was perfect for checking out the town while also being able to access the highway for other hikes near Banff. We arrived at our hotel in the afternoon and got ready for dinner at The Radiant. The restaurant has closed since we were there, but we had the best cocktails and sharing plates all evening long and all the decor was art deco inspired which you know I LOVE!

Marvin and I woke up early the next morning to see the sunrise. Our room had access to a small patio outside so we didn’t have to travel far to see the sky behind the mountains. Afterwards, we went back inside for breakfast before heading to the Fenland Trail for a winter walk. It was such a gorgeous day, and the creek was so peaceful as the ice and snow began to melt for Spring. From there, we drove up to Surprise Corner to lookout at the Banff Springs Hotel. I love this spot because it’s so easy to get to and has such a cool view. Next, we obviously had to get some Cows ice cream to eat back at the hotel while we got ready for our evening in Banff.

Before dinner, Marvin decided to stop at Vermilion Lakes as the sun was about to set. We found a quiet place to park and walked down to the dock over the half frozen lake. We walked to the end of the dock where Marvin got down on one knee and proposed! I was still in shock as we drove up to the Banff Springs for dinner, and it took about half of my meal to really have it sink in that we were engaged!

For our final morning in the mountains, we had our breakfast at the Juniper Bistro inside the hotel. Both our meals there were so good, and they made a great chai latte for me! We had a reservation for afternoon tea at the Chateau Lake Louise, so we packed up our things from the hotel and drove over to Lake Louise a bit early so we could walk the grounds there and take some pictures together before our seating. If you know me then you know that afternoon tea is my happy place, and blue china is the cherry on top, so of course this meal was absolutely perfect.

We left Lake Louise after tea, and drove back to Edmonton before the sky got too dark. We told our family and friends the good news throughout the week after, and then started talking about wedding plans. As we get closer to our wedding date this August, it’s so fun to look back at our story to see how it all began.