Kari and Brandon's plans for their Wedding in Montana

Several weeks ago we talked about having our brides blog so they can share waht they are thinking and planning. I would like to thank and welcome Kari and Brandon as our first couple to be our guest bloggers!!! Thank you for taking the time to share what you are planning with us!

Kari and Brandon are getting married in Montana in August at the Springhill Pavillion!

At the end of the blog you will see some of their favorite photos from their portrait session!

Tell us a little about yourself?

My Name is Kari I am a Barista at a local coffee stand here in WA. My fiancé’s name is Brandon and he is a Firefighter for a fire department in Snohomish County. We both enjoy staying active by going to the gym, walking our dogs, and playing sports. We both have a strong sense of family and keep them apart of our daily lives. We also enjoy traveling. Our favorite place to get away is road tripping to Montana.

How did the two of you meet?

I was working at a coffee stand at the time. The stand happened to be in Brandon’s Fire District. Although I hadn't met Brandon yet, some of his coworkers would stop by on a regular basis. One day as I was leaving work Brandon and the guys were pulling up to get a coffee. I went to my car and was getting ready to leave when I realized I locked my keys in my car. Luckily, with the help from a Slim Jim, some wedges, the guys were able to get into my car! But from then on I couldn't stop thinking about the cute guy with curly hair. A few months later I ran into Brandon at a restaurant in Lake Stevens, we exchanged numbers and the rest is history...

How did you get engaged?

We got engaged on the beach in Mukilteo, WA. We went to dinner early that evening and were planning on going to a movie afterwards. Brandon suggested that we go and walk on the beach and look for seashells for his niece. We didn’t have very much time before the movie, so I was kind of hurrying him so we wouldn’t be late. I didn’t know at the time but he was trying to stall and I was getting impatient. I suggested that we at least start walking back towards the car and look at the same time. As I turned around to see if he was walking towards the car, he was down on one knee. He proposed to me and I said yes!

Tell us what you envisioned when you started planning your wedding. Is there a particular color scheme or theme that you are using?

We really wanted a family BBQ style wedding in Montana with a rustic theme.
Our idea was to keep a rustic Montana theme and incorporate bright summer colors. Brandon and most of his groomsmen will be wearing their Class A Dress Firefighter Uniforms. The Bridesmaids will be wearing a royal blue dress to compliment the Groomsmen.

What other vendors have you chosen to work with and why?

All of our Vendors came highly recommended from the Springhill Pavilion. The Pavilion provided an information packet that included a preferred local vendor list. Since we were from out of town it made our research easier by just going off that list. Here are the Vendors that we decided to use; Vans IGA will be providing our floral arrangements. The Sweet Pea Bakery will be making our cake and cupcakes. Our DJ will be Joe’s Mobile Disc Jockey Service. Montana Party Rentals will be providing all the tables, chairs, linens, flatware and other rental items. And we are using Cheiko Horn, from Nashan Photography, for our engagement and wedding pictures.

What blogs are you following?

The blogs we are following are theknot.com, snippetandink.blogspot.com

What magazines are you looking at for inspiration?

We are constantly looking at a variety of wedding magazines for inspiration and ideas. To name a few; The Knot, Brides, and Modern Bride.


Why did you choose to get married at the location you selected?

The Springhill Pavilion, in Bozeman, MT, fully captured the rustic Montana theme that we were looking for. Brandon went to high school and college in Bozeman and had been up to the Springhill Pavilion on occasion for different events. When he took me there on one of our trips back to Bozeman I fell in love with it.

How has the economy effected your planning for the wedding?

Due to the economy we have decided to do a lot of the things ourselves. We have been able to save money by making our own invitations, center pieces and other arrangements. All though it has made it a bit more time consuming, we’ve enjoyed the time together and the personal touch it added to our wedding.

Why did you decide to work with us as your photographer?

Not only did Nashan Photography fit in our budget and come recommended by local vendors, we really enjoyed the pictures on their website. We felt that their style of photography would truly capture the feel of our wedding. http://nashan.com/

What do you envision your photos to look like?

We envisioned that our pictures would capture our strong sense of family, friends and the love for each other, as well as the rustic Montana theme that we wanted.

If you have had your free engagement portrait session, how did you enjoy it and what were your favorite photos from it?

We did have a free engagement photo session and we really enjoyed it. It was very laid back and casual, which fit both our personalities. Chieko made us feel comfortable and was a lot of fun to work with. We really enjoyed the photos in front of the old rustic buildings and the ones down on the Yellowstone River.

(If you would like to see their engagement portraits visit http://nashanclients.com/RedCart/ and scroll down to Chieko: Gardner/Swayzee engagement)

What kind of shoes are you planning on wearing?

I haven’t picked out my shoes yet, but thought it would be fun to wear royal blue pumps to match the bridesmaid’s dresses and to just be a little different.