Here comes the b-r-r-ide: Couple braves frigid weather to tie the knot in Jasper

Madison Rose hoped her weekend wedding in Jasper would include some pond hockey.An extreme cold warning wasn't a part of the plan for theoutdoor ceremony last weekend.

But it didn't stopMadison, 26, and her fianc Mitchell Olanski, 39.

"I was just hoping for the sun to be shining and we were going to do it anyway," Madison said."It was disappointingto see it getting colder and colder but it wasn't going to stop us, that's for sure."

Madison and Mitchell gotengaged last September. They decided on an outdoor ceremony at luxurious Jasper Park Lodge.

Jasper was special to them because it had been the setting for their first holiday together.Originally from High Prairie, Alta., where they met, the couple now lives inKaleden, B.C.

February was brutally cold in Alberta, with extreme cold warnings in place for much of the month.As the wedding day approached, the days were a little warmer, givingthe bride some hope.

But on Saturday, the morning of the wedding, the temperature in Jasper was a frigid27C, feeling as cold as35 with the wind chill.By the time of their 3:30 p.m. ceremony, it was astill chilly, 14, with a wind chill of 23.

With frozen Lac Beauvertand the mountains providing a most picturesque backdrop, the pair exchanged their vows in a shortened ceremony.

More than 100 guests huddled under blankets as they watched the bride walk down the snow-covered aisle.

"We were supposed to have a sand ceremony with [Mitchell's two kids] and then the signing outside," said Madison, who now uses Olanski as her surname.

"We skipped both of those things and did them inside. So our ceremony was probably 15 minutes."

Breanne Dickhout, wedding manager at Jasper Park Lodge, told CBC News that about 90 per cent of the hotel's weddings are held outdoors.

Hot chocolate included

"This winter I have had six weddings and only one went inside. That was alsoSaturday," Dickhout said.

"We always include an indoor back-up location and make the weather call two hours prior to the ceremony. We also includehot chocolate with all of our winter wedding packages."

The couple picked their venue partly because Madison is a hockey player. They were hoping to get some time on the ice.

"We wanted to have a big outdoor game with everybody," Madison said. "So, that was kind of why we wanted not the middle of winter, but still able to have some ice to go for a skate.

"It ended up being too cold and the game didn't really happen, but we still went for a skate."

Bride wore cowboy boots

The wedding party was forced to get creative to cope with some of the challenges the weatherpresented. The bride, for example, was in cowboy boots.

"We were trying to figure out something nice enough to wear that wasn't winter boots," she said.

Shuttles ferried the bridal party around the lodge grounds.The bride and her bridesmaids and bride wore fur. The groom and groomsmen completed their outfits with long underwear. The bouquet was made of silk flowers.

Guests struggled to capture the moment for posterity. The cold killed many cell-phone batteries but it didn't seem to hurt the day.

"They said it's one they'll never forget," Madison said.

She and Mitchell were told over and over again that everyone had a wonderful time and it was a beautiful wedding.

"It was perfect. I don't think we have a complaint. We woke up very happy."