Another beautiful Montana Wedding

Rebecca and Marc's wedding was so quintessentially Montana in a different way than usual. Instead of choosing a western theme they chose to really focus on ways to incorporate the natural things they LOVE about Montana in their wedding.

The setting for the photographs for the first time they saw each other was perfect. The trees and canopy of leaves creates an intimacy and surrounds them in the environment they LOVE.

When planning your wedding seriously consider seeing each other for the first time before your wedding ceremony. The anticipation and actual experience is a wonderful thing to share in private, it really allows the two of you to enjoy the moment in a more personal way.
After Rebecca walked down the tree lined lane they got to share a few minutes together while being photographed in one of the most beautiful settings at the venue. By seeing each other before hand you get to be alone for as long as you like, you get to take all of the posed photos that you would like to do done with and you get to enjoy every aspect of your wedding with your family and friends.

Typically every couple wants to have some posed family photos taken at the wedding. If you plan on doing it before the wedding it will take less time to finish them because everyone is there to take photos and nobody gets distracted by other guests. You can make it like a cocktail hour for your friends and family to make it a bit more festive and fun so the time will fly by a bit quicker. Once all of the photos are taken then you don't have to worry about taking any more for the rest of the day. You get to enjoy all of your friends and family during every aspect of your wedding. Typically a wedding will last about five hours including the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and the reception. It is a shame to take almost 1/5 of that time in order to take photographs that can be taken beforehand.

Marc painted the Thank You sign and we took a few photos with it so that they can use the image as a thank you note for their wedding.

On their wedding day the wind was HOWLING. Unfortunately it was blowing in the wrong direction. We were able to take the photos of the men with the Bridger mountains in the background without any hair issues.

Unfortunately we were not able to take many with the women because of their hair blowing in their face. Always make sure your vendors have a backup plan for inclement weather. After getting blown around in the fields I brought the wedding party to the ceremony location which was protected by trees and we were able to take photographes without being wind blown!

Rebecca and Marc created a wedding that was very personal. He and his brother had gathered all of the antlers that lined the aisle and I thought it made a perfect location to take some portraits of the two of them and of their wedding party.
I LOVE these photos of Rebecca because she is the perfect picture of the Montana Bride. She loves the outdoors, and was able to work with Marc to create a wedding celebration that brought attention to everything that makes a wedding, a Montana wedding.


I LOVE the photo of the two of them kissing and the antlers in the foreground.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.
You never know what the weather will be like in Montana.

I can't overstate that enough. Be prepared to be boiling hot or freezing cold during your wedding in Montana. Rebecca and Marc had some blankets for people at the ceremony and every one of them was being used and shared. Just a few days prior to their wedding it was hot and then the weather changed and it was freezing cold for their wedding day.

Rebecca went to great lengths to personalize the wedding. She designed the invites and then had them letter press printed, she designed and made the programs, she bought coordinating robes for herself and the girls.
Be creative when thinking of how to personalize your wedding. Rebecca and Marc asked each of their guests to sign a moose antler. Which turned out to be her favorite thing at the wedding.

Rebecca took the elk that she drew and featured it on the invites, the programs and the welcome packet that they made for their friends.
Rebecca and Marc had a long engagement and asked their family members to gather fall leaves and iron them so that they could be used to make the aisle ever more personal. I love the discreet ribbon they used so that the wedding party would be the first to enjoy the walk.
Everyone knows that although we all hope to keep our high heels on throughout the night while dancing it really is wonderful to have an alternative. Offering the option of flip flops at the reception is a perfect way to ensure that more people will actually get up and dance.

Rebecca and Marc used pine cones to hold the place cards.

Leslie Lukas created the beautiful flower arrangements and planned the wedding with Marc and Rebecca.

Each table had their own bottle of 'toasting' wine with tiny mason jars for the toasting glasses.
All of the drinks including a specialty drink that Marc and Rebecca made beforehand were served in the larger mason jars with stir sticks that Rebecca had made.

The letter press invites that Rebecca designed introduced the Montana Elk theme.

The beautiful centerpieces and table tops were filled with personalized details including hand painted numbers...
and pine tree seedlings for each of the guests.

Rebecca and Marc made little bride and groom wood pieces for their chairs.
The guests were treated to a hay ride through the fields with a magnificent view of the Bridger Mountain Range. Marc is a helicopter pilot and was going to give rides to all of the guests in a helicopter that his boss was flying over but because of the inclement weather they were not able to get the helicopter over to the wedding venue.




Almost every bride wants the most beautiful shoes to walk down the aisle in. Don't forget to bring something comfy to slip into afterwards. It is hard to navigate grass, gravel, mud, wheat, etc in 4" heals.

Use ribbon to discreetly tell your guests where they are not welcome to go.


Choose a perfect intimate site for your ceremony. There are usually a couple of places at each venue site that people have their ceremonies at. Really look at the venue and see what is the best place for you to have your wedding ceremony at.

I LOVE the feeling of the upstairs of the barn. Some places don't even need any decorating.

Kristen Jorgenson & Scott Jorgenson get married at The Wild FLower Gardens in Red Lodge

The first time I photographed Kristen and Scott we were running from a huge rain storm. After deciding that we could not outrun it, we decided to do the photos in the rain and then suddenly it stopped and the light was beautiful! Here is a link to the engagement session:
http://www.nashan.com/2009/06/arnoldjorgenson-engagement.html

Thank goodness that was for their engagement session and not their wedding. Their wedding was held in September at The Wild Flower Gardens in Red Lodge on one of the last really hot days that we had this summer.

Kristen and Scott met at a branding and he works on a ranch and his family runs cows. All of the vessels from the wedding were gathered from his family's ranch. I LOVE all of the old milk bottles and various containers that they used to decorate the tables with.
Not only were they beautiful, they brought meaning into the beautifully arranged flowers.

They used the colors of the wedding and topped the cake off with a small bouquet of flowers.
Kristen had made all of the programs and displayed them in a milk bucket on the welcoming table.
Each guest was asked to write a short note on a note card that Kristen had made.


Each guest was given a carmel coated apple on their way out....
Kristen's dress was just perfect for her and her boots were comfortable throughout the night.


One of Kristen's bridesmaids was fluffing te under part of her dress just minutes before the wedding.

I Loved the small details that really made Kristen look so beautiful!

In the heat of the afternoon Kristen walked down the aisle without a cloud in the sky. When you plan your Montana Wedding you need to be prepared for all sort of weather. Although it was piping hot during the ceremony it did get a little chilly for the reception.

I LOVED Scott's feather...

As I was walking around photographing the wedding I saw this Cowboy standing behind the last row of chairs and I think it is one of my favorite photos because it captures the feeling of the wedding and gives a very clear sense of place.
Scott made the Arbor that they were married under...

One of the best times to photograph a couple is as they walk down the aisle right after being pronounced man and wife.

The good, the bad, the...

Kristen and her sweet niece.
I Loved photographing Kristen and Scott's wedding for so many reasons. They were both wonderful to work with, their wedding was relaxed and truely a celebration of the two of them getting married and everything was so simply western.

Bailey.LaGreca Engagement

Cassie LaGreca and Chris Bailey are planning a carnival-themed wedding in August 2010 at Roy's Barn near Bozeman, Montana. The couple lives in Chicago, but while they were visiting Montana a few weeks ago, we were able to squeeze in a fun engagement session!




I love Cassie's dress!


The balloons and ice cream cones were an easy way to loosen the mood and have fun!

For images from their entire engagement session, visit the gallery on Nashan Photographers event page.

Sneak Peek: Mike and Jessica Engagement Session in Bozeman

Mike and Jessica are getting married in October at The Woodlands. Nashan Photographers associate Chieko shot their engagement photos earlier this week in downtown Bozeman. The couple created a fun and playful atmosphere by carrying the color scheme of their wedding (pink and black) into the clothing that they chose for their engagement session.




Keeping with this week's theme of featuring gift ideas for your guests, we wanted to share with you the unique gift idea that Jessica and Mike are sharing with their wedding guests: the couple donated to a breast cancer charity in the names of each of their guests. At the wedding, they are giving friends and family pink breast cancer awareness bracelets, which continues with the theme of pink and black.

Check out the shots from their entire engagement session in the Nashan Photographers event gallery.

Wedding featured on Stellina Events!

Amanda of Stellina Events, a wedding and special events design consultancy based out of London and New York, has a new post up about how to choose a color palette for autumn. If you're thinking about a fall wedding, Amanda's advice is fantastic! She featured images from the Behr.Walters wedding at the 320 Ranch near Bozeman, Montana, shot by Melanie Nashan. Read Amanda's blog post for helpful hints, and visit the full Behr.Walters album here for more fall inspiration!

Real Advice From a Real Montana Bride

One of Bärbel's brides, Lani, filled out the questionnaire that we give each couple with their completed wedding package and had a bit of advice for future brides that we thought was important to share since we hear it time and time again. She says, "Even if you don't think photography is a high priority (as I did initially) when everything is said and done...photographs are the best way to relive the day. It goes by in such a blur. It is so wonderful to have reminders of all of the people we love and an event we will always cherish." Here are just of few of the beautiful photographs from that wedding. You can see more of Lani and Mark's wedding in their gallery on our website.