Mere days after returning to Edmonton after their honeymoon, Kasandra and Luke Staniscia were scouring Kananaskis Country mountainsides with a metal detector.

The newlyweds were still in Italy when they got the news from their photographer: a memory card with their family and ceremony photos from their September wedding in Canmore was missing.

Armed with a group of friends, the couple spent hours navigating the area and hoping to track down the card, but they came up empty-handed.

"It's a nightmare that you hear about happening — but then it happens to you," said Luke.

Without the family photos, Kasandra said she feels like they're missing a major part of their wedding day with their loved ones.

"Everyone always says that your wedding's about you," she said.

"But I don't buy that. To me, a wedding is about the community and all the people that are important to you and who have been with you in that relationship and saw you through everything. We want to celebrate having those people there with us, and now we don't have that. It's painful to reconcile."

Their photographer replaced a full memory card while taking group photos at Canmore's Engine Bridge and the Grassi Lakes parking and climbing area, which are the two locations where they believe the card was lost.

Kasandra has requested that Metro not name the photographer, but the couple has since taken to social media in hopes of a hiker coming across the lost memory card.

Their Facebook post on Hike Alberta has since gained more than 3,400 shares, and has come with recommendations, messages of support and offers to help. Kasandra said she's been "overwhelmed" with the support and hopes the card can be found so she can bring the pieces of the day back together.

"It's unbelievable," said Luke. "You're so used to seeing negativity on the internet, so to see everyone reaching out to help and to see the good side of people, it's really humbling."

Luke lost both of his parents over the past four years, and Luke and Kasandra agree that the loss of their loved ones makes the photos of momentous occasions that much more meaningful.

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"You can have all the knick-knacks in the world," he said. "But really the only thing that truly brings back the memories are the photos."

The missing memory card is a gold SanDisk 32 GB with red and black lettering. Click here to contact the couple.