By: admin on September 15, 2009
Powered by Twitter Tools.
By: admin on September 11, 2009
Powered by Twitter Tools.
By: admin on September 11, 2009
I would like to say congratulations to Leo from Canmore`s prestigious Willow Haven Flower Shop. Not only is Leo a talented floral designer but he is also a man with a big heart (and BIG shoes!)
Walk A Mile in Her Shoes combines big hearts with big feet, and brings the whole community together for a great cause. The event premise is simple; men walk one loop round Banff Central Park in women’s shoes, raising eyebrows and funds in support of YWCA Banff’s activities to stop domestic violence and provide safe, affordable housing to women in our community.
Great work Leo & great shoes! 
By: admin on September 8, 2009
View this article here: http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1625872
By Shawn Slaght
With the wedding season just around the corner, there are many ways to make a wedding in the Bow Valley more eco-friendly according to local executive wedding planner Angela Schrempf.
Schrempf, who has been in the event planning industry since 2002 and currently operates Sweet Occasions Bridal Consulting based out of Canmore, said there are some simple and inexpensive ways to make a wedding more environmentally friendly.
“We like to focus on really being green about everything,” said Schrempf. “Because I respect the area so much.”
Schrempf said one of the things to consider when planning a wedding is to reduce fuel emissions used by guests and the cost of the venue rentals by holding the ceremony and reception in one place.
“There are many venues in both Banff and Canmore and all over the Rockies for that matter that offer both hotel services and services for both outdoor and indoor ceremony locations and receptions,” she said.
If that is not possible, consider getting a shuttle bus for the guests from the ceremony to the reception or carpool in hybrid vehicles.
There are also facilities that promote environmental preservation that can be rented out for special events. One of the local facilities that Schrempf recommended was the Chateau Lake Louise.
“They are really, really big about that with their expansion,” she said. “They actually reduced the amount of water they use and other utilities when they expanded and doubled their property size.”
She said there are also facilities like Buffalo Mountain Lodge and Emerald Lake Lodge that produce their own game and meat for the meals.
When it comes to brides, they can consider wearing gowns made of natural fabrics or wear a used gown.
With photography, she recommended going with a photographer who keeps photos digital and only prints out the photos that are wanted.
“They won’t actually send you a proof book. You can go online,” said Schrempf.
Schrempf also recommended planning an eco-travel honeymoon. She said eco-travel agents can be found online and can meet anyone’s needs such as hiking, lounging on a beach, or strolling through a museum.
“We don’t have to go on a cruise or do something that is going to harm the environment producing carbon emissions,” said Schrempf.
She also suggested, along with holding the ceremony in the Rocky Mountains, staying in the Bow Valley for the honeymoon.
“Ditch everyone and stay in the Rockies,” she said. “Go exploring, go on a lake and do some canoeing. Enjoy yourself, it is gorgeous here.”
Another idea Schrempf suggested was holding the ceremony near water and, instead of leaving in a limo, leaving the ceremony in a canoe.
With décor, a few of the suggestions Schrempf had included using soy candles, which burn cleaner and longer and spills are much easier to clean up. She also recommended using natural elements such as branches and river rocks.
For invitations, the paper can be made of high-recycled content or from alternative fiber such as hemp or bamboo.
“They are really unique in how you can get tons of textures, colours and designs,” said Schrempf. “You can really customize it and also the same price than going with your normal invitations, so why not.”
Flower arrangement can also be done with wildflowers. Also those planning a wedding can ask their florist about donating the flowers to facilities such as hospitals.
One of the simpler ways to make a wedding more eco-friendly in the mountains is to simply go outside.
“Why use lighting indoors and air conditioning when you can have your wedding outside,” said Schrempf. “Go to a lake or a meadow. There are plenty of locations around here.”
However, permits are required for holding an outdoor ceremony in the National Park. Or information is available regarding the permit by contacting the Banff National Park Information Centre at 762-1550.
Hiring local vendors and entertainment cuts down on travel and carbon emissions. Also acoustic musicians can cut down on electricity.
“Local vendors are not more expensive than in Calgary,” said Schrempf. “Calgary vendors are actually more expensive than our vendors.”
More information about eco-friendly weddings can be found at www.sweetoccasionsbanff.com or by contacting Angela Schrempf at 403-678-6366 or by email at angela@sweetoccasionsbanff.com.
By: admin on September 8, 2009
Creating an Eco Chic Wedding
By Executive Wedding Planner Angela Schrempf
Sweet Occasions Bridal Consulting
Banff National Park located in Alberta Canada is no doubt one of the most beautiful protected areas in all of North America. A perfect setting for a luxurious wedding or an intimate elopement, the Banff National Park offers world class accommodations, dining & scenery that is completely unmatched. The preservation of this gorgeous landscape is paramount and brides enjoying the Rockies can do a few small things to help preserve this beautiful place for their children.
Here are some fantastic tips to save the environment and some money:
Venues
- Host your wedding in National Park or natural reserve. This is a great environmentally friendly choice; not to mention makes an amazing backdrop for your wedding!
- Host your ceremony and reception in one place, reducing the amount of fuel emissions used by the guests and the cost of venue rentals. Buffalo Mountain Lodge & Emerald Lake Lodge are fantastic venues that offer beautiful natural ceremony & reception locations & lodging. For the Princess Brides the Castle in the Mountains Fairmont Banff Springs also offers posh ceremony & reception venues and world class accommodations!
Lindsay & Daniel enjoy a natural ceremony in the heart of the Rockies. Created by Sweet Occasions Bridal Consulting. Photography by Peak Photography.
Vendors
- Hire local vendors. The less transportation, the lower the vendor cost!
- As a wedding planner specializing in the Canadian Rockies I know that each vendor in my community can provide the same service & specializing in the Rockies. Vendors from out of town will charge you more for their gas & travel time and will not have as much experience in the Rockies as local vendors. Support the local economy and save yourself some money with our local vendors.
Design & Decor
Look for soy candles, they’re made from a renewable resource, are cleaner and longer burning than regular candles. Avoid those nasty table cloth cleaning charges at your venue because spills are easy to clean – just use soap and hot water!
- For the invitations & stationary use paper that has a high-recycled content or print your invites on a gift of seed paper. Guest can plant your stationary and enjoy beautiful flowers!
- For placement cards pluck leaves from trees and handwrite the guest’s names on each leaf, add an shiny silk ribbon at the stem and tie the leaf around the napkin for the perfect natural touch!
- Give life to your guests with little seedling trees as favors. As your love grows so will the trees and your guests will always remember how spectacular your wedding was every time they see their tree!
Fashion
- Consider purchasing a gown made of natural eco-fabrics like silk and hemp. You could also please your budget by purchasing a used gown or wearing a family member’s gown.
- For your rings choose silver instead of gold. Silver mining has a much lower impact on our environment and there are plenty of gemstones besides diamonds to choose from which are equally beautiful and are one of the latest trends!
Transportation
- If your wedding is near the water instead of leaving in a limo leave your ceremony in a canoe! Couples can also departed on depart in a horse drawn carriage, sleigh, or even on bicycles.
- Book a shuttle bus for guests. Guests flying in will be happy that they don’t have to rent a vehicle and you will be helping the environment. If vehicles are necessary consider carpooling in hybrid vehicles.
Photo by Peak Photography.
By: admin on September 8, 2009
Powered by Twitter Tools.
By: admin on September 7, 2009
Powered by Twitter Tools.
By: admin on September 4, 2009
Powered by Twitter Tools.
By: admin on September 3, 2009
See Angela on the Right hand side
I made the front page of our local news paper, the Canmore Leader today! The article is about the participation in the local theater group (yes I LOVE to act!) The Pine Tree Players. I auditioned for the play “Toronto, Mississippi” for the character of Jhana. Jhana is an 18 year old girl who comes from a broken home. She is the character that links everyone together and is a loving yet confused girl.
I would like to thank my mom for the ability to try out for this character, if it weren’t for her stunning young complexion which she passed on to me, I may look my real age! Haha
Read my article below:
Auditions have begun for the Pine Tree Players’ fall production. And the group is still receiving feedback from the last Pine Tree production.
“Almost, Maine” bordered on surrealism and took a look at a number of forms of personal relationships tied together as lives in a town that never really made it to get official recognition.
While, the coincidentally geographically titled, “Toronto, Mississippi” looks at the dynamics in a family of sorts, in a period when non-traditional families were becoming more prevalent, this offering looks at the lives surrounding a teenager struggling towards self-sufficiency.
Shirley Tooke, the director, called the play, well-written, humourous and character driven.
“It has its serious side and it has its comic side,” she said. “It’s a drama, which life is.”
A long-term Banff resident, Tooke directed Ayn Rand’s “The Night of January 16th,” two years ago for the Pine Tree Players. She has a master of fine arts in directing from the University of Alberta, was a teacher of drama at several universities in Canada and taught at the Banff Centre for 10 years. She said she’s looking forward to filling the four roles that “Toronto, Mississippi” offers.
Playwright Joan MacLeod has in the past been a writer at the Banff Centre and, Tooke said, quite likely the seed for “Toronto, Mississippi” was germinated there.
MacLeod’s play, though, centres around a teenager, or young adult, with developmental issues. The play was written in 1987 and Tooke has decided to keep the play in that period and so the character of Jhana will be referred to as “moderately mentally handicapped.”
“She looks normal,” Tooke explained, “But then she does unusual things.”
The three other roles are supportive — and support plays a role in the play. Jhana’s father returns to the home in the play. King, an Elvis impersonator, left when Jhana was eight years old and believes he is helping when he continues to come back into their lives for a couple of weeks at a time, Tooke said. A graduate student, a poet named Bill, who boards in the home, also tries to help Jhanna but may or may not be helpful. And Jhanna’s mother, Maddie, a high school teacher, hopes her daughter will become self-sufficient.
Tooke said she’d like to have the play cast by Sunday. And is eager to start working with the actors on the play. She’s looking forward to working with a small cast. Aside from the first three scenes, Tooke said, the four characters spend most of their time together.
“I’ve been wanting to do it since I saw it,” Tooke said. “I saw it with my husband in the ‘80s. I saw it not knowing anything about it. We just wanted to go to a play. We were in Vancouver. We walked in and had no idea what it was about and I was totally absorbed in it, right from the beginning — and so was he. It makes you feel good, this play, when you walk out of it.”
“Pine Tree knows this play as well,” Bob Snape, the executive producer of the play, said “This script is something that we looked at many years ago and we didn’t think the community was ready for this script at that time. But now we think we have an intelligent audience — enough that Pine Tree is very ready to do this play.
“It’s all part of our step forward — into our not always presenting the light-hearted, Neil Simon-ish, comedies all the time — stepping out of the box, challenging ourselves, challenging the audiences. And this certainly does it.”
“Toronto, Mississippi” opens Remembrance Day (Nov. 11) at the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall. And while it runs auditioning for Pine Tree’s upcoming musical, “Lucky Stiff,” directed by Rob Murray, will take place, Snape said.
Thanks for reading!
Angela Schrempf
