At the Alumni Centre at Olds College, a wedding can begin among prairie lilies and quiet ponds in the college gardens and carry on into a spacious banquet hall on the same campus.
The college sits in the farming heartland of central Alberta, in the town of Olds, about 45 minutes north of the Calgary International Airport and roughly 90 minutes south of the Edmonton airport, only a few kilometres from Highway 2.
Ceremonies can be held outdoors in the Botanic Gardens and Constructed Wetlands. The wetlands spread across about 15 acres with a chain of 19 ponds, planted with hundreds of trees and shrubs, native plants, perennials and wetland species, while the central gardens hold collections of species lilies, Alberta bred lilies and martagons. Couples who also hold their reception on campus get first pick of ceremony dates.
The Alumni Centre is a 4,000 square foot banquet hall that seats up to 350 guests in a range of layouts. It comes ready with ceiling mounted projectors and screens for slideshows, surround sound, audio and visual equipment and WiFi.
Food is handled by the campus catering team, who build a custom menu for each celebration around fresh, seasonal ingredients, with vegetarian and vegan dishes always part of the spread.
Guests can stay right on campus. The full service hotel on the college grounds has 82 rooms and suites, a pool, hot tub and waterslide, and there are also simple residence rooms, four bedroom townhouses with full kitchens, and a summer camping lot from May to September.
As a lasting keepsake, couples can even mark their wedding day with a personalized paving stone set along the garden paths.
For couples who picture saying their vows beside garden ponds and then celebrating with a big crowd of family and friends, the Alumni Centre at Olds College offers a relaxed country wedding with room for everyone and a place for them all to stay.
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