With a little help from the talented team at Soiree 99 Events, this gorgeous couple absolutely perfected their rustic yet elegant western wedding with a little southwestern twist – and the results couldn’t have been more beautiful. From the colorful flowers in the bride’s Disney princess-worthy hair to a horse-drawn carriage ceremony entrance to the breathtaking mountain views – we can’t even begin to explain the beauty in here, people… you’re just going to have to see for yourself at the full gallery, all taken by Orange Photographie!
From the bride… Montana is a place that is so close to our hearts. It’s where some of my greatest memories are from my childhood. It’s where my family lives. It’s the first place Chris and I visited together when we were dating, and where many of our first adventures took place. Living in New Jersey, Chris and I crave that mountain air and those open spaces. We visit every single chance we get. Friends and family frequently ask us “Why Montana?!” …which is clearly only ever asked by someone who has never been before! After Chris proposed, it was immediately agreed that our wedding needed to be in Big Sky so that we could share this beautiful place with all the people that mean the most to us. It’s the place where we truly feel the most “at home.” No other place in the world felt as fitting for us as a couple. Our wedding weekend was all about showing our loved ones, who traveled from all ends of the country, why Montana is called “The Last Best Place.” We kicked off the festivities with a group whitewater rafting trip where 45 of our guests joined us on the Gallatin River. That was followed by a cocktail party on my parents’ property, and we finished off the night with some of our closest family and friends at an outdoor country concert in the town center. When all of our guests arrived to town, we hosted everyone at our favorite local barbecue joint for a welcome dinner.
All of our guests stayed in cabins on the ranch where we were getting married. This is the ranch where I learned to horseback ride as a little girl. It’s where Chris rode a horse for the very first time! The ranch where we’ve have had countless holiday and birthday dinners, chuck wagon rides and sleigh rides. It was a no-brainer to pick the 320 Guest Ranch because of the nostalgia and its sentimental value to us. To make sure our guests experienced everything else Montana has to offer, welcome bags were delivered to each cabin. We filled them with our favorite local beers and antler bottle openers, hangover kits, monogrammed water bottles, huckleberry treats, plus a map and booklet filled with all our top eats, sights, and activities. As an artist, I had a clear idea of what I wanted our wedding to look and feel like. Chris and I both had a very good sense of what we wanted for this day and thankfully there was nothing we disagreed on (or that he put up a fight about… lol). So for the most part, the planning process was pretty effortless (I even purchased the very first wedding dress I tried on!). Owning my own stationery business, I had always dreamed of designing my wedding invitations so that part was definitely the most fun for me. It’s where the overall inspiration for the rest of our wedding was born. I love color, especially warm and bright colors! So it was important to incorporate that into our wedding palette while also blending it with colors and textures from the natural landscapes surrounding our venue. We combined sage greens, dusty teals/blues and tans with peaches, golden yellows, and pinks. We wanted our wedding to have rustic yet elegant western vibes with a little southwestern twist. We used leather accents to add that rustic touch, from our engraved leather invitations, to the place cards, and a dusty blue leather guestbook where guests filled out mad libs about their journey to get to our wedding and their experience in Montana. We also incorporated copper in every aspect of our wedding – from my boots, to the mule mugs and signage at our bar, the chargers and vases on the tables at our reception, to the copper on our wedding cake and Montana-shaped sugar cookies for dessert. We also tried our very best to bring in little “Montana” details into what we were wearing that day. My crocheted wedding dress and cowboy booties gave all the western feels, but my Montana Sapphire wedding bands were what really meant the most to me. I wanted to wear a constant reminder of not only my vows and my marriage, but the place where it all happened. Not to mention, they tied into our color palette beautifully. And Chris and his brother Kevin, the best man, had some Montana-themed socks hiding under their chambray suits!
THE CEREMONY
My dad and I rode in a horse-drawn carriage from the cabin where I got ready across the ranch to where our guests and my future husband were waiting at the ceremony site. Our ceremony took place under an arch with views looking out across a field into the canyon. The sun was shining, but the dark storm clouds covering the mountains behind us and the draft horses who followed us down made for such a cool backdrop. On the arch hung an elk skull that was gifted to us by grandparents. It meant so much to say our vows under something they had given us. I know it’s something we will keep in our home forever as one of the many reminders of how our loved ones were such an integral part of this day. Our florist also covered the arch in greenery and colorful blooms (after the ceremony, this was a great photo op for our guests!).
THE COCKTAIL HOUR
Cowboy boots were highly encouraged! Women wore sundresses, and many of the men wore jeans and blazers. Some guests even broke out the bolo ties! It was super important that everyone be comfortable and that our event feel as laid back as possible. During cocktail hour, guests could play corn hole, ladder golf, or have a seat by the fire pit. We had an outdoor seating area with blankets that guests could use to keep warm after the earlier storms had cooled everything off. In keeping with our Montana theme, our bar served all Montana-made wines, beers, and liquors. We had a menu that listed out these special options, as well as his and hers signature cocktails using some of our favorite Montana spirits. One included a huckleberry vodka and fresh huckleberries that our guests are still talking about! We had Montana trivia questions copper foil stamped onto our cocktail napkins so that guests could learn some fun facts with they sipped on their drinks. We opted out of some of the traditional wedding things like announcing our entrance to the reception (we just casually snuck into our cocktail hour), a bouquet toss, or garter toss. We replaced those with some of our own traditions like a set of shot skis that my dad made. He and my mom searched far and wide for months to find to get the perfect vintage wooden skis. My dad removed the bindings and affixed magnets to the skis that were strong enough to hold shot glasses. Having magnets on the bottom of the shot glasses made it so easy to swap them out each time. Each glass was engraved with our custom monogram so that guests could also keep their glasses as favors!
THE RECEPTION
Our reception was held in a tent along the Gallatin River. Our florist really helped us transform the space by creating and hanging 3 giant floral chandeliers down the center of the tent. Each of our dinner tables were named after Montana mountain ranges. Guests were directed to their seats with our escort display made from an old barn window that I found in a local antique store. The peeling rust-colored paint on the old wood fit with our wedding palette too perfectly to pass up! We used our wedding color palette to color code the designs on each menu based on our guests’ entree choices, and on the back was a thank you note to our guests who traveled so far to celebrate with us. Each menu was wrapped in suede cord that held a hand-lettered leather place card. My mom put her heart and soul into searching antique stores and thrift shops across Montana to find depression glass votives and vases and some old kerosene lanterns for our reception. The floral arrangements on each table were surrounded by a variety of these yellow, pink, and peach glass votives.
THE BRIDE’S FAVORITE MEMORY
Besides getting to marry my soulmate, some of my most favorite moments of the day were those moments leading up to the ceremony. We woke up to sunshine on our wedding morning, and all day long it was clear blue skies. The iffy forecast from earlier that week had changed in our favor and the radar looked completely clear! Around 4:30pm, when the carriage came to pick up my dad and I, some dark clouds suddenly started rolling over the hills behind our ceremony site. All of sudden, thunder started booming in the distance but strangely enough, the radar was still completely empty. Then came the rain… and the hail! My dad and I were standing at the door of the cabin just staring at the sky and drinking some spiked seltzer together. I was weirdly calm for a bride who was watching it hail on her horse and carriage on her wedding day! I was just really appreciative of that time my dad and I got to spend together. The band played through the rain while our guests were hiding in the reception tent and our coachman (like a true Montanan) sat out in the carriage with his horses and denied the umbrella we offered him. This went on for nearly an hour. Since nothing ever showed up on the radar, when it was looking like there might be a break in the clouds, my dad and I decided to just make a run for it. We grabbed a bunch of towels from the bathroom, wiped of the carriage, and booked it across the ranch. As we were riding, we passed a field where the ranch’s draft horses were grazing. They got excited and started racing alongside our carriage. They followed us all the way to the ceremony site and stayed there amongst the beautiful backdrop for the whole thing! And not only had the rain stopped, but as my dad and I, arm in arm, reached the beginning of the aisle, the sun started to shine again. My dad stopped, looked out to Chris while pointing at me and said “here’s your sunshine!” And then the sun was out until it set that night. I hope this is a metaphor for what our life is going to be like as husband and wife.
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Photographer: Orange Photographie | Wedding Planner: Soiree 99 Events | Floral Design: Wild Blume | Wedding Dress: Rue De Seine | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Azazie | Hair & Makeup: Ethereal Hair & Makeup Artistry | DJ: Joe's DJ Service | Band: Cutini Parrucchieri | Groom's Attire: Ralph Lauren | Bride's Ring: Ashford & Grace | Ceremony & Reception Venue: The 320 Guest Ranch | Desserts & Cake: Cakes by Jenn | Dress Boutique: Lovely Bridal Shop | Groom's Ring: Leonardo Jewellers | Horse & Carriage: Yankee Creek Carriage | Rentals: Montana Party Rentals | Rentals: Empress Tents & Events | Wedding Branding & Paper Goods: Summit & Sage
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