It honestly brings me so much joy to be able to write this post and to let you all know how Freddie proposed (it still makes me so excited 5 months later). It’s one of those days where it was a standout day in our holiday but it also made our holiday that much better as a whole! And as I think about the days prior to the proposal and after it truly was the icing on the cake of what was a magical holiday in Canada.
If you know me well then you will know that I spent 6 months abroad in 2017 with the majority of this time being spent in Canada on a working visa. I was based at Lake Louise, Alberta and was a guide for the trail rides around the lake…literally the best summer ever! So, for us to return to Lake Louise as a part of our holiday in 2019 was already going to be extra special for me, as it meant I could visit the horses that I worked with and reminisce on the summer spent there in 2017.
Our day at Lake Louise started very early with a 5am wake up, as we were hoping to catch the sunrise at the lake prior to our trail ride booking. Its roughly a 45-minute drive from Banff to Lake Louise, but I would allow an hour to give yourself time to find a park. The parking at Lake Louise is ALWAYS at a premium and even at 6am in the morning the carpark beside the lake was almost full! We found a relatively quiet spot on the lake front to watch the sunrise and following this we headed inside the Chateau to quickly grab a large coffee and some breakfast, which was enjoyed back out on the lake front.
Sunrise at Lake Louise
Then it was onto what I thought would be the most exciting part of the day…a trail ride around the lake! We were initially booked to take the 4-hour ride up to the Plain of Six Glaciers, however there was a slight muck up in the booking and we were instead put onto the 2-hour Lakehead Ride. Which did not bother me in the slightest as I have done all of the rides multiple times, but for me the P6 ride is probably by far my favourite. I think Freddie was glad to only do a 2-hour ride as he isn’t a horse rider like myself so I think 4-hours might have been a bit optimistic for him anyway!
Our horses for our ride were Blue (for Freddie) and Brad (for me), and I cannot express how much it meant to me to able to ride Brad! He was my guide horse while I worked there, and when you get to ride a horse for near enough every single day for 4 months you get pretty attached to them!! So, I was over the moon that I was able to have another ride on Brad! He’s very cheeky, loves his snacks and is known to throw the odd buck in for a laugh! But for this ride he was absolutely foot perfect….so I’m thinking maybe him and Freddie had a wee chat prior to our ride?!!
On the trail with Freddie & Blue ahead of Brad and me
We headed out on our ride and it was just lovely to be back walking through the trees surrounding the lake again and to be able to soak up the magical blue colour of Lake Louise! The ride curves alongside the edge of the lake and at the end you pop out at the very end of the lake for a picture-perfect photo opportunity! Now I’m busy just soaking up the views and little did I know that Freddie was trying to figure out if he should propose as we are sitting on the horses getting our photos taken! He decided against it in the end due to the fact that we were standing near some of the glacial water that runs into the lake and he didn’t want to accidentally drop the ring into the water from the horse!!
Our photo at the end of Lake Louise
After our photos, we headed back to the stables and said goodbye to our guide and fellow riders (there were 4 of us on the ride that morning). And I then had the opportunity to show Freddie around the stables and barn area so that he could finally see where it was that I had talked about so much! It was here that Freddie proposed to me, and where in my slight excitement I shoved my hand at the ring and was completely speechless (there may have been some tears too – happy ones of course!). In this state of excitement, I initially forgot to say the word “Yes” (there was a lot of speechless head nodding though!) but rest assured I said it multiple times while we were sitting by the lake front calling our friends and family.
My lovely ring made by Erika Watson Jewellery
After this whirlwind of a morning we attempted to make our way to Moraine Lake but were unable to get there as they now have a booking system where-by you must pay to visit and go there by bus from Lake Louise. We unfortunately didn’t quite realise this, so instead opted to head across the valley to the Lake Louise Gondola. I think that this gondola is one of the more underrated ones in the Banff National Park, and when we arrived in the mid-afternoon there was hardly anyone there (ideal really!). We enjoyed some time up the top soaking in the views…and may have missed a bear sighting due to looking at my ring on the way back down the mountain (whoopsie lol).
We finished this wonderful day back in Banff, with a celebratory dinner at the Elk & Oarsman before meeting up with some friends for a cheeky champagne – which was the perfect way to end our proposal day!
I hope you have all enjoyed reading about our engagement story! It was a hugely special day to both of us and I know it will be one that we cherish forever! Thanks so much for reading along and I can’t wait to catch up again in my next post 🙂
Talk soon,
L-J x