The title of this post says “welcomes” but in actuality, the Postcard Weddings and Events team is a group of seasoned Rocky Mountain wedding professionals! Callandra Caufield and her crew were formerly known as Cherry Tree Occasions, and put together famously fantastic weddings and events. Now, they’ve rebranded as Postcard Weddings, speaking to the picturesque backdrops that are a part of the weddings, events and social occasions they put together. Their work is incredibly beautiful – check out some of the occasions Postcard Weddings has created in the past right here. We got a chance to ask Callandra all about her passions, new endeavours and just what mountain brides are loving this summer!
What is your favourite part about planning mountain weddings?
I love that you asked that question – it’s the exact reason we rebranded to Postcard Weddings & Events. The mountains are a special place that so many people connect with. As soon as you drive out of the city and are surrounded by the tall peaks, it’s like a switch goes off and you can just relax and enjoy. I really wanted to focus on that experience with the new name & brand. We have so many couples that bring guests from all over the world ( lots of the couples themselves are from other countries), so I love that we get to show off the area. In addition to planning weddings, a big part of our job is sharing the best local eateries, the must do hikes, and the mountain adventures that can’t be missed. We really want our couples to enjoy that whole planning process, relax, have fun with friends and family, and have the opportunity to be present in each moment of the planning & celebration.
What trends are mountain bound brides loving this summer?
We’re seeing a shift in budget priorities. In the past so much focus was put on the visual aesthetics of a wedding, and I think couples are starting to feel a bit fatigued and overwhelmed with this focus. A big trend we’re seeing is downsizing in decor to shift budget to experience or activities for their guests. Three day wedding experiences are becoming the norm. We had one couple last year treat their guests ( who were all from the US) to a tour of the area & gondola ride as part of their wedding day. For another client we created a river raft trip that included a stop on a private island and wine tasting. This September we’ve got a client hosting a Canadiana themed day after brunch in an old train station! We’re still designing really beautiful weddings, but the elements are more thought out and heartfelt.
We’re also seeing more and more couples who want to have a true elopement ( just the two of them), or really intimate weddings with 2-20 additional guests. In the past elopements were all about eliminating the need to plan a wedding, but that’s changed. Lots of our eloping couples still want really meaningful details, but they want to share it with less people (if any). We have brides this year who’ve invited 12 of their closest friends & family, and they’ll be treating them to a top notch 5 course dinner after a relaxed ceremony by a lake. We have an elopement in a few weeks where the bride and groom will take a helicopter and get married on top of a mountain. Afterwards they’ll be taking a vintage car back to their hotel & having an in room dining experience at a fully decorated table.
I think all of these trends point at couples wanting to really focus on celebrating marriage, and not just having a big party!
What’s are some new services brides can expect with Postcard Weddings?
Oooh, I’m super excited about our new services! In keeping with the trend of offering guests experiences, we’ve launched ‘Experiential Weddings’, and service that includes full wedding planning, plus the planning of satellite events like welcome parties, rehearsal dinners, farewell brunches, and unique group activities. In my past life ( before I was a wedding planner) I worked with large corporate groups planning incentive trips for their top employees. So this is a natural fit for Postcard – creating really unique and unexpected events that are part of a celebration of marriage.
We’ve also just launched our Elopement Collections. Like I mentioned earlier, there are so many eloping couples who don’t want a standard elopement ‘package’. The still want everything to be totally custom and personal, with a few less people! Our elopement collections allow couples to pull together the wedding team and elements that really suite them. So if you have a photographer you’ve had your eye on for years – we can absolutely work with that person to create a collection! We design our elopements just like we do our bigger weddings – with a focus on experience and marriage.
I’m also SO excited about our new Vow Renewal Collections. I’ve personally been married for 9 years ( this September!), so I appreciate the value of reinvesting time in planning a ceremony to celebrate the past and the future of your relationships. Our Vow Renewal Collections are very much like our Elopements, totally customizable. I can’t think of a single reason why you should only celebrate your marriage only once!
What’s been carried over from Cherry Tree Occasions?
Well, me for starters ! We were sure to let our current clients know that the new name didn’t mean a new owner, just a renewed focus. The 5 years of wedding planning experience, and another 8 years of event planning experience also come along with me! We’ve got many of the same awesome team members, and are growing the team to be able to accommodate more couples who are looking for really fun, unique, well planned mountain weddings.
About 3 years ago we established 6 core values, and those that haven’t changed at all. I could write a whole essay about them, but briefly they are…
1) Love All the events we plan have one thing in common, love!
2) Experience We want the whole planning experience to be a good one, not just your wedding day.
3) We’re local We live in the mountains, play in the mountains, and pride ourselves on being experts in the area.
4) Personalization We design experiences that are unique to each client
5) We’re nice Seems like a given, but it SO important – we treat clients and vendors with the utmost respect and kindness
6) We’re professionals We take event planning really seriously, and love to be part of organizations like the Calgary Bridal Association to ensure we’ve got top notch standards.
Overall, we’re still the same fun, relaxed, easy going ( yet professional) team – we just wanted a name, brand, and services that screamed ” We love love, we love the mountains, come celebrate here with us!”.
