Gallatin River Lodge Winter Wedding of Amanda & Harley – Part One

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Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Gallatin River Lodge Winter Wedding ceremony of Amanda & Harley.

It has been such a fun time getting to know these two high school sweethearts over the past year.

They met at the age of 16-year-old. From the get-go, they shared an easy-going sense of humor and appreciation of the little things in one another.

Harley, usually a shy kid, recalled how profound it was that she could always bring him out of his shell and how to completely be himself around others.

Thinking back on what was a difficult childhood, Amanda loved that meeting Harley showed her the possibility of a better life and how to be a kid again.

More often than not, this usually takes the form of dancing and singing to music while cooking together.

Over the next ten years, Amanda and Harley’s relationship flourished.

“We were able to develop around each other and made up for each other’s perceived “faults”, Amanda said.

It was a wonderful, mutual balance of support, love, and acceptance. Each knew they had found their person.

What began with an April phone call, culminated into a really fun and pretty unique portrait photography experience for them last summer.

Through discovering all that they valued in their relationship, we ended up highlighting some of their fondest memories growing up together.

For them, it was going on dates to the historic Washoe Theatre in downtown Anaconda and dining at one of their favorite restaurants in Butte, the Pekin Noodle Parlor – the oldest Chinese restaurant in the country.

The experience was a hoot.

Needless to say, the build-up of excitement for their Gallatin River Lodge winter wedding day could not be overstated.

These two wanted to spread out their wedding celebration so they could highlight the seasons of Montana through their photography.

They loved the idea of having a snowy wedding and opted for a winter ceremony in Bozeman with their immediate family.

Later this summer, they have plans for their wedding reception to be in their old hometown of Butte, Montana.

As their wedding day arrived, unseasonally warm temperatures, unfortunately, melted most of the snow outside but that small detail didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

They rolled with it, put on boots along with a good attitude and we were able to make some creative outdoor portraits for them.

After a brief ceremony, the two families came together for a lovely evening to celebrate, laugh and share stories then settle in for a nice intimate dinner.

I look forward to photographing their grand wedding reception in August.

Congratulations to the newlyweds! – M

To view all of their wedding ceremony photographs, click here.

Wedding Vendors:

Venue/food/drinks: Gallatin River Lodge

Flowers: Sola Chic Boutique LLC

Cake: Julie Hoskins and Big Sky Wild Flour

Hair/makeup: Alex McDaniel and Alli Abraham with Running Bare Aesthetics.

Signs: Kayli Renae Designs

Rings: Jewelry Studio and Millers

Videography: Eterna Films 

Photography: Greener Visuals Photography

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Bozeman Montana Holy Rosary Church Wedding Day Photos of Cassie and Justin

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A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of photographing the Bozeman, Montana wedding day celebration of Cassie and Justin at Holy Rosary Church and wedding reception at Bridger Bowl Ski Resort.

After dating for the past eight years, this couple wanted to say their wedding vows surrounded by the most important people in their lives amongst the mountainous backdrop of Southwest Montana. A place they both love so much.

For many of their family members (coming from Florida, Maine, New Jersey. Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Washington) their wedding weekend would be the first chance to see the place they’ve called home for the last few years.

After an unusually soggy Spring and Summer in Southwest Montana this year, we had high hopes of avoiding the recent precipitation weather patterns. Alas, on a Saturday in mid-July, the rain found us.

Luckily, it just so happened that Cassie and Justin’s wedding ceremony and reception were preemptively planned for a rainy day – they had an indoor Catholic mass ceremony at the church and then lovely intimate reception at the Bridger Bowl mid-mountain lodge.

The rain couldn’t keep us down.

We celebrated indoors at both locations dancing, eating crusted trout and elk tenderloin and playing in the Greener Visuals Photobooth.  Many of their guests had taken advantage of the close proximity of Yellowstone National Park and were telling stories of their recent adventures. It was a lovely evening in a great place with good people.

I could not be more excited for these two. Congrats to the newlyweds Cassie and Justin! -M

To see all of their wedding day photos, click here. 

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Livingston Montana Wedding Day Photography Preview of Teresa and Bob

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Livingston Wedding Photographer Paradise Valley wedding couple

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Last Friday I spent the day photographing and celebrating the Livingston Montana Wedding Day of  Teresa and Bob.

I met these two lovebirds at last year’s A Montana Wedding Bridal Event at The Commons. After a friendly ten-minute conversation, it was clear my candid, documentary style resonated with their wedding day vision. They booked me on the spot. For these two, their love for each other, their family and devotion to their Catholic faith would the focal point of their wedding day celebration. The day could not have been better. Here is a sneak peek of their wedding photos made at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and up Orea Creek near their home where they had their reception. So many more fun photos to share with you all! Stay tuned! -M

 

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Virginia City Wedding Day Photo Booth of Marissa and Tyler

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Virginia City Montana wedding reception photo booth

  • Virginia City Montana wedding reception photo booth

As part of their historic Virginia City, Montana wedding day reception, Marissa, and Tyler added my Greener Visuals photo booth into the mix for entertaining their guests.

It was a huge hit.

Complete with old-fashioned furniture to match the old west theme of their wedding, it seemed like everyone had a chance to play in it. The cool thing is that their guests triggered the camera and studio flashes themselves remotely. The creativity of their tribe knew no boundaries.

Here are some of my favorite photos from their reception photo booth. To see all of the fun photo booth photographs, click here.

It was such a fun evening with some amazing people. Congrats again to the bride and groom!

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Virginia City Montana Wedding Day Photography Preview of Marissa and Tyler

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This past weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the Virginia City Montana Wedding Day Photography of Marissa and Tyler.

These two wanted to celebrate their wedding celebration standing in the old territorial Capitol of Montana. The town is a true piece of history. In fact, it is considered a National Historic Landmark. Of the nearly three hundred structures in town (standing in their original condition), almost half were built prior to 1900.

It was like stepping back in time to the Old West period and we took advantage of the amazing architecture and made some cool photos.

These two Helena residents work in the state government and styled their special day with their own nod to history, to their love of politics and each other. Their boss just happens to be State of Montana Gov. Steve Bullock who officiated the ceremony. It was a rare cool August day and the perfect venue to celebrate the start of their new journey together.

Here is a preview of some of their wedding photos I made throughout the day. I still have many more to go through and I’m excited to show you all. These two are incredible people and I wish them all the best. Stay tuned for more. -M

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1915 Barn Bozeman Montana Wedding Day of Dee and Chris

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I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of two incredibly giving and generous Bozeman people this past weekend. I’ve known Dee and Chris for years through volunteering with the adult special needs non-for-profit Reach, Inc. I would be hard pressed to find such selfless individuals as these two. They both have done so much for the Bozeman community. These two decided to have their friends and family gather at the beautiful 1915 Barn in Bozeman, Montana for their DIY wedding day. The large remodeled barn was the perfect setting to shelter their indoor wedding festivities. The evening was spent conversing with good people, eating great food and dancing to the live tunes of Montana Rose. It was a true pleasure to photograph their wedding celebration. Wishing these two newlyweds all the best! -M

To view all of the photos from their wedding day, click here.

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Salvage One Chicago Wedding Day of Matt & Liz

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One of the best perks of documenting the love is that every once and a while, I get an opportunity to travel to photograph the wedding of friends. At the tail end of April this year I had the honor of flying back to my old stomping grounds of Chicago, Illinois to photograph the wedding day celebration of my old family friend Matt and his lovely bride Liz. Growing up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, I grew up knowing Matt and his family through our local church and the family social circle. A few years back I was able to photograph the wedding of his brother Nick in California so when I learned that Matt and Liz were to be married, I was completely honored when they asked me to photograph it. It is such a treat for me to be able to document the weddings of old friends.

These two lovebirds decided to marry in style in the heart of The Windy City. We started the day getting ready at The Godfrey Hotel and from there took a trolley around the city taking in the sights, dodging the spring rains and making creative portraits along the way. Their wedding ceremony took place at Holy Family Church one of the oldest Catholic churches in the city. A beautiful gothic looking building. As the day transitioned into the celebratory reception, we finally landed at Salvage One, a 60,000 square foot vintage Chicago warehouse covered in fantastic antiques. Great food, laughter, and some epic dancing made the night truly one to remember. I was so grateful to be a part of it. Here are some of the highlights from their wedding day. What a fun weekend. Wishing these two a lifetime of happiness. -M

To see all of their wedding photos click here.

 

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Kiera & Collin Wedding at Gallatin River Lodge Bozeman Montana

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After celebrating the holidays with friends and family here in Montana, I jumped right into my 2016 wedding photography season to photograph and document Kiera and Collin’s Gallatin River Lodge wedding day outside Bozeman, Montana in early January. A small gathering of their loved ones gathered to help them celebrate their union at the comfortable, the top-rate fly fishing lodge just outside of Bozeman, Montana. Kiera and Collin were a blast and were up for anything. When wedding couples have their wedding day in Montana it goes without saying that you need to have some portraits taken out in the majestic Big Sky scenery. In this case, we all braved the chilly 10 degrees Montana winter weather for a series of quick portraits around the perimeter of the lodge. Despite being freezing cold, these two were beaming ear to ear with smiles. It’s so much fun to photograph people in love. I had a great time with these guys and their crew. A great way to kick off the New Year! Wish these two all the best, -M

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