Formal gardens have almost always been a symbol of the upper class. Certainly, in up-and-coming Calgary, the Lougheeds would have been one of the few families with the means to instill this grandeur. Isabella Lougheed was a supporter of the City Beautiful movement, a philosophy that promoted beauty to create moral and civic virtue among urban populations. It is of no surprise then that she called her home “Beaulieu” – French for “beautiful place” – and held many garden parties in her carefully curated oasis. To score an invitation to one of Lady Lougheed’s prestigious garden parties would be an accomplishment envied by many, but enjoyed by few. The most coveted invitation would have been to the garden party she held in 1919 in honor of the visit of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, but to meet the Duke and Duchess of Connaught in 1912 would have been a close second. In an article published in 1912, the formal gardens were described as rivalling those in the east, with “hedges of sweet peas and banks of shaded astors […] against the bright greengrass and the darker greens of the bay trees that border the drives.”  Lady Lougheed even went so far as to place a beautiful swan sculpture fountain as her centre piece, a gathering place for idle chatting and children playing, much like our gardens are today, though the invitation is now open to anyone who wishes to visit.