AvenueCalgary.com 37REBECCA AND REID CORNWALL
MARRIED ON JULY 19, 2015A
wedding, at its essence, is two people
sharing a commitment to one another.
In practice, however, there are con-
siderations that must be taken into
account for every other person who
attends. It was for this reason that Rebecca and
Reid Cornwall decided to elope.
“Early in the process we realized we were
planning a party for everyone else and it was tak-
ing away from the commitment we were making
to each other,” says Rebecca.
So, they decided to simplify everything about
the day. There would be no caterer, no reception,
no guest list. Instead, the plan was to have just
the officiant, the videographer and the wedding
photographers as witnesses.
Then, 24 hours before they were set to elope,
the couple decided that having their siblings,
parents and grandparents attend was a must,
so they sent out last-minute invitations. Rebeccaand Reid had pre-arranged to have hair and
make-up professionally done and had selected
three general locations for the ceremony around
Lake Louise (anywhere with the least amount of
people) but largely left the day up to whatever
they decided they wanted at the time. “The flex-
ibility of our wedding was also a huge blessing,”
says Rebecca, because when their officiant was
delayed for two hours due to a car accident,
instead of stressing out they just extended their
first-look ceremony and took photos until the
officiant arrived.
After a small ceremony where they read
personalized vows, Rebecca, Reid and their
family members joined together at a table in the
Lakeview Lounge at the Fairmont Chateau Lake
Louise. “The intimacy of our wedding kept the
focus on our marriage and commitment to each
other,” says Rebecca.“EARLY IN THE PROCESS
WE REALIZED WE WERE
PLANNING A PARTY FOR
EVERYONE ELSE AND IT
WAS TAKING AWAY FROM
THE COMMITMENT
WE WERE MAKING TO
EACH OTHER... THE
INTIMACY OF OUR WED-
DING KEPT THE FOCUS
ON OUR MARRIAGE
AND COMMITMENT
TO EACH OTHER.”—REBECCA CORNWALLPhotograph by The Toths Photo and Film