Wedding Day + Natural Disaster = Unforgettable stay at the Fairmont Palliser!
On June 20th, 2013 I checked into Calgary's stunning Fairmont Palliser hotel with my closest girlfriends to enjoy a night of luxury before my wedding.
Southern Alberta was being ravaged by floods - overflowing rivers, highways and bridges washed away, and the loss of homes and lives. It was a major tragedy and one our community is still recovering from.
After hearing sirens and grim news all night, we woke up on June 21st to a nearly empty downtown core. The power had gone out all over downtown - including in the Palliser. This photo of my wedding gown was snapped in our suite while we were getting ready for the wedding in the dark.
In the lobby, the lights were dim, but they were on. Staff and guests were milling about talking about the floods and news as it was developing. Bridges were being closed all around the downtown core, and riverside communities were being evacuated. Flood waters were only a few blocks away from the hotel, and while they would not rise further, they had taken out power to the downtown core. The lights remained off for more than a week.
We unfortunately had to leave the hotel early as most of downtown was being evacuated, and we had to find a new place to have our wedding with only a few hours to spare. Our ceremony venue was inaccessible due to highway washouts, and our reception venue was without power.
We received overwhelming kindness and support from our friends and family while trying to re-organize our wedding on the day of. We saw the people in our community pulling together to help each other while the flood waters tore apart entire communities. It was an incredible feeling to watch my fellow Albertans show their spirit and strength in this difficult time.
This is an experience and a day I and many others in my community will never forget. I'm proud to say I live in the best city in the world: Calgary.