You know you have a great job when you’d choose the place you work as your wedding venue.
That’s what Whitewater Ski Resort employees Laureta and Ben Greenland did. The couple said their vows with their skis on at the base of the Summit Chair on Saturday, March 8.
“Whitewater is my favourite place in the world!” Laureta said. “It’s also a really big part of our life and we thought it would be an awesome place to get married.”
Laureta, 25, is originally from Edmonton and moved to Nelson five-years ago to work the ski season at Whitewater. Ben, 24, from Idaho, got his first job on the mountain the same winter.
By the time the snow melted that year, both had decided they didn’t want to leave. They’ve been year-round residents of Nelson and seasonal employees at Whitewater ever since.
On the day of their wedding, the bride- and groom-to-be spent the day ripping it up at Whitewater with their respective ski buddies, trying to avoid the bad omen of seeing each other before the ceremony.
Laureta attached a veil to her helmet, wore a sash with the word “bride” written across it and had a white skirt over her ski pants.
“People would cheer and shout when they saw me going down the hill — it was so great,” she said.
By the afternoon, the day that started off sunny and warm turned cold and there was a sudden, heavy blast of snow. Laureta was stoked.
“I really wanted powder on my wedding day. So, when the blizzard started, I was like, ‘bring it on.'”
The snow was still coming down when the resort closed for the evening and Laureta and Ben finally reunited by the Summit Chair for the ceremony. After saying their vows, their workmates let them take one last ride up Summit, so that they could have photos taken while they skied down the Blast run together.
Then they changed into their evening wear and met their wedding party for more photos and a formal dinner in the lodge. Later a bunch of their friends came up by shuttle bus for an after party.
“It was the best day ever,” Laureta said. “Everybody at Whitewater was so amazing. We couldn’t have pulled it off without them.”
