Nashan Blog

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.

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.