FAQ

It might depend on where you're coming from, but assuming you're flying, there are a few options:

1. Fly to Calgary and drive approximately 3-4 hrs to Fernie (depending on city traffic)

2. Fly to Cranbrook and drive approximately 1 hr to Fernie

3. Fly to Kalispell, Montana and drive approximately 2 hrs to Fernie

We will gladly help to connect people who are flying in and wanting to share a rental vehicle with someone! There are also bus and taxi shuttle options if you're travelling as a group. See the Tourism Fernie site for more info. Note that Cranbrook may have limited rental car availability compared to Calgary.

If opting to drive from Vancouver, it's approximately 10.5 hours.

Once you get to the lodge, you shouldn't need a vehicle unless you want to go into town. Fernie has limited taxi services.

Island Lake Lodge is about a 25 minute drive from Fernie. It's actually not very far, but it is down a dirt road with a fairly low speed limit. If you are coming and going from the lodge, please note that the property gate will be closed and you may have to give your information to the staff member to request entry. 

Yes! Quality of cell reception will definitely vary depending on where you are on the property, but we were able to send and receive messages when we visited the lodge. There is also wifi on site. 

We will be providing the wedding dinner and late night snacks on Saturday night. Your room booking includes all other meals (welcome dinner on Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and farewell brunch on Sunday). The venue can accommodate dietary restrictions, but we will be requesting that you please include these details when you RSVP! 

Yes! Please note that Island Lake Lodge operates primarily as a restaurant, so their liquor license requires all alcohol to be consumed within the restaurant buildings/patios; no alcohol can be openly consumed on the lawn or elsewhere on the property. Personal alcohol can be consumed inside your rooms but can't be taken outside. 

We would love for your little ones to join us. Please make a note when you RSVP. The venue has some cribs and cots available, so please let us know in advance if you will need either, and/or a larger room. We will have some child-friendly outdoor activities as well! 

On Friday night, we'll probably wear cocktail party attire, but you are welcome to dress how you like. For the wedding on Saturday, we are requesting semi-formal wear (think dresses, dress pants, button-up shirts, jacket and tie optional). If you would like to wear heels, we strongly suggest wedges or block heels because you will have to walk on grass to get to the ceremony site. 

We will have professional photographers capturing the ceremony and will be requesting that everyone put their phones away and be present with us during the ceremony. We will happily share photos after the event. 

Once everyone has RSVP'd, we will allocate rooms according to the confirmed guest list, and then you will confirm and pay with the concierge at the lodge approximately one month before the wedding. We will provide more info on this in 2025. 

We will have the entire Island Lake Lodge property reserved for the weekend. There are a few different room options at Island Lake Lodge, with slight differences in things like number of beds, views, and pricing. This will be outlined in the invitations. Feel free to check out the different lodges on the Island Lake Lodge site for more info. We will be working with the venue once people have RSVP'd to assign rooms according to the number of people in each party and the preferences you outline in your response. We'll do our best to accommodate everyone's preferences and will be in touch if we need to run anything by you before we finalize the plans. 

We are not requesting gifts. We deeply appreciate everyone who makes the effort to travel and attend. If you feel very strongly that you want to give a physical gift, we are gladly accepting sentimental letters, cards, photos, poetry, life advice, family recipes, and artwork.

You can do that, but we are imagining this as a destination wedding within Canada and have reserved exclusive access to the lodge property for the whole weekend, including Friday night and Sunday morning (although we are expecting that some people will stay with family in the area, which is totally fine). If you do plan to stay elsewhere or come only for the wedding ceremony, please do let us know when you RSVP so we can plan for meals and room assignments. 

Fernie is a cute little town in a beautiful part of Canada. A few things you can do if you stick around a bit longer:

• Go golfing in Fernie or Cranbrook

• Go for a hike — there are plenty in the area at all skill levels!

• Walk along the Elk River

• Explore downtown and visit the local shops or grab lunch

• Check out a local brewery

• Go white water rafting

• Fly fishing in the river

• Mountain biking   

Check out the Tourism Fernie website for more info!