Low-light Weddings

Bridger Foothills Fire Wedding of Raven and Jordan

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A few weeks back I had the pleasure of photographing the Bridger Foothills Fire Wedding weekend of Raven and Jordan outside Bozeman, Montana.

In all of my years of photographing events, there was nothing quite like documenting the Bridger Foothills Fire wedding of Raven and Jordan. It was an experience I was proud to be a part of.

For so many recent brides and grooms, 2020 has been a year of pivoting with the continuation of the Covid-19 virus. This past year its has been a source of disruption for countless wedding day plans.

Raven and Jordan’s wedding day was originally planned for an earlier Spring date. Unfortunately, the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic changed everything for them. They decided to delay their wedding celebration to a time when their loved ones could safely be in attendance.

Undeterred, this Arizona couple decided to postpone their destination wedding plans to a later summer date and a familiar venue, her parents Bozeman, Montana home. Their extended families arrived for a three-day event at her family’s 140-acre property set against the beautiful Bridger Mountains backdrop.

It was a magical setting orchestrated by the fabulous team from Imoni Events. The rustic setting was complete with huge Under Canvas teepee tents and a wall tent city for their guest to comfortably “glamp” in during their Montana stay. The first two evenings were causal and laid back. Raven and Jordan spent the time reconnecting and celebrating with their family and guests. I was happy to document their Welcome Party and a Nike/Harry Potter themed Groom’s Party photographs.

It’s not every day that wedding couples have all the most important people in their world surrounding and celebrating them. It was a gift this family took full advantage of throughout the weekend.

After social distancing this past year, you could feel the high energy from everyone in attendance. Everyone was thrilled to be amongst friendly, loving faces again.

My role was to document and photograph all of the candid fun while creating special memories of the weekend celebration. It was all leading up to the main event, their outdoor wedding day celebration.

Fire on Wedding Mountain

Staying true to the theme of uncertainty in 2020, Raven and Jordan’s wedding day turned out to be quite a surprise adventure.

On the evening of the Groom’s Party, a lightning strike created a small, wildland fire began near a hiking trail ten miles south of the wedding site. Small at first, by midafternoon on their wedding day, strong winds and very dry conditions made things worse. The dry winds fueled the blaze into an 8,000-acre raging fire and was heading in the immediate direction of the Raven and Jordan’s wedding celebration.

About an hour prior to the start to their wedding day ceremony, a call came in from the local fire marshall. The news traveled fast. We were ordered to emergency evacuate the area due to the fast encroaching Bridger Foothills Fire in Bridger Canyon.

In a state of emergency, where does a couple uproot and move their entire wedding?

Without warning, Raven and Jordan’s meticulously planned wedding, constructed over the past two months, suddenly needed to be torn down, relocated 100 miles, and put back together in under three hours.

Thankfully, their wedding caterer Ashley Gutmann, of Cinnamon and Sage Catering came to the rescue. She offered her ace-in-the-hole (last-minute) venue alternative at Headwaters Ranch in Logan, Montana.

First, it was the pandemic that delayed their wedding. Now, it was a fast approaching wildland fire messing up their plans. Once again, Raven and Jordan were forced to alter their wedding plans, yet again, and move their entire operation away from danger. Thankfully, this was a resourceful group. Through creative, emergency carpooling, the guests were able to make their way around roadblocks and away from thick smoke to the new wedding venue an hour and a half away. The lovely Headwaters Ranch outside of Logan, Montana was our new safe haven.

Sometimes in life, there are forces we can’t control. With focus and the summoning of positive attitudes, wedding vendors and guests alike, snapped into action.

Under the professional orchestration of Raven and Jordan’s wedding planner Jenni, of Imoni Events, we were able to pivot as a working group of professionals and pull off a wedding feat for the books.

Raven and Jordan’s Bridger Foothills Fire wedding wasn’t the event originally envisioned. But considering the circumstances, things worked out rather well.

It was a remarkable effort by every single guest and wedding vendor. Everyone rallied together to make Raven and Jordan’s wedding day a success.

In the end, it was completely worth it to witness the moment when these newlyweds kissed and walked hand in hand back down the aisle. Confetti rained from the sky. The enthusiastice cheers of their loved ones congratulated them just as the sun setting below the horizon.

There was a sense of victory and tears of joy in all of us. Raven and Jordan, along with their friends and family, danced the night away.

I could not be happier for Raven and Jordan. It was an honor to be apart of their wedding celebration. What a wild day! I wish them both a lifetime of happiness. -M

To view all of their fun wedding weekend photos, click here.

FEATURING:
Event Planning and Design: Imoni Events
Floral Designer: Carte Blanche Design
Photography: Greener Visuals Photography
Videography: Moshunal Videography
Entertainment: Joe’s DJ Service
Desert and Cake: Elle’s Belles Bakery

Paper Stuff: Freed Hands
Hair & Makeup: Indulgence
Rentals: Montana Party Rentals
Draping and Lighting: The Party Store MT
Linens: La Tavola Linen & BBJ Linen Rental
Glamping: Under Canvas
Host Hotel: Kimpton Armory Hotel Bozeman

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Bridger Mountains Wedding Welcome Party and Groom’s Party Photos

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A few weeks back I had the pleasure of photographing Bridger Mountains Wedding Welcome Party and Groom’s Party of Raven and Jordan outside Bozeman, Montana.

For so many recent brides and grooms, 2020 pandemic has been a year of pivoting and a reliable source of disruption for countless wedding plans.

Raven and Jordan’s originally planned their wedding for an earlier Spring date. Unfortunately, the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic changed everything for them. They decided to delay their wedding celebration to a time when their loved ones could safely be in attendance.

Undeterred, this Arizona couple decided to postpone their destination wedding to a later summer date and to a familiar venue, her parents Bozeman, Montana home. Their extended families arrived for a three-day event at her family’s 140-acre property set against the backdrop of the beautiful Bridger Mountains.

It was a magical setting orchestrated by the fabulous team from Imoni Events. Huge Under Canvas teepee-styled tents decorated the wedding property. For their wedding guests’ accomidations, an additional wall tent city was erected so they could comfortably “glamp” in during their Montana stay. The first two evening parties were causal and laid back. Raven and Jordan spent the time reconnecting and celebrating with their family and guests. It was all in anticipation of their upcoming wedding day!

The first two evenings were causal and spent reconnecting and celebrating with their guests during their Welcome Party and a Nike/Harry Potter themed Groom’s Party.

My role was to document and photograph all of the candid fun while creating special family memories of the weekend celebration.

It’s not every day that wedding couples have all the most important people in their world surrounding and celebrating them. It was a gift this family took full advantage of. This family celebrated their relationships in style. Laughter, great food, libations, fun in the Greener Visuals photo booth, and some serious games of cornhole entertained during the two evening events.

All in attendance at their Bridger Mountains Wedding Welcome Party and Groom’s Party were in high spirits. Even my labrador, Tippet. During the party, she happily entertained, nuzzled, and retrieved objects thrown by occasional wedding guests. Invited to the Groom’s Party (by the bride’s family), my dog promptly managed to cut a good size gash in her leg. Though it wasn’t serious injury, the wound was later mended during a midnight visit to the emergency vet.

During the party, she happily entertained, nuzzled, and retrieved objects thrown by occasional wedding guests.

After social distancing this past year, you could feel the high energy from everyone in attendance. Everyone was thrilled to be amongst friendly, loving faces again. I think it made this event even more special. There is a lot of love and support for this couple.

Here are some favorites photographs from their wedding welcome party and Groom’s Party festivities. It was all leading up to the main event, Raven and Jordan’s outdoor wedding celebration the next day.

A wedding day that I or any other person in attendance will soon forget. -M

To view all of Raven and Jordan’s Wedding day photos, click here.

To view all of the Photo Booth photos from the weekend, click here and click here.

FEATURED VENDORS:
Event Planning and Design: Imoni Events
Floral Designer: Carte Blanche Design
Photography: Greener Visuals Photography
Videography: Moshunal Videography
Entertainment: Joe’s DJ Service
Desert and Cake: Elle’s Belles Bakery

Paper Stuff: Freed Hands
Hair & Makeup: Indulgence
Rentals: Montana Party Rentals
Draping and Lighting: The Party Store MT
Linens: La Tavola Linen & BBJ Linen Rental
Glamping: Under Canvas
Host Hotel: Kimpton Armory Hotel Bozeman

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

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  • Portrait Gallatin River Lodge Winter Wedding

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

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 Holy Rosary Church Wedding of Cassie and Justin

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A few weeks back, I photographed the Bozeman Holy Rosary Church Wedding of Cassie and Justin and their wedding reception at Bridger Bowl Ski Resort.

After dating for the past eight years, Cassie and Justing wanted to say their vows during their Holy Rosary Church Wedding surrounded by the most important people in their lives. Their celebration after the ceremony would be amongst the mountainous backdrop of Southwest Montana at a place they both love so much, Bridger Bowl Ski Area.

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 the newlyweds have 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 rain 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 by dancing, eating crusted trout and elk tenderloin (delicious!), 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

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Bozeman Holy Rosary Church Wedding of Cassie and Justin Preview

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This past weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing the Bozeman, Montana wedding day celebration of Cassie and Justin at Holy Rosary Church and Bridger Bowl Ski Resort.

After dating for the past eight years, these two wanted to say their vows surrounded by the most important people in their lives among the mountainous landscape of Southwest Montana they love so much.

Their wedding would be a chance for many of their family members (coming from Florida, Maine, New Jersey. Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Washington) to see the place they have called home over the last few years. Many of their wedding guests were traveling to Montana for the first time. The day was filled with Big Sky excitement and surprisingly for July, lots of precipitation.

It has been an unusually soggy Spring and Summer in Southwest Montana this year. The rain found us.

Luckily, it just so happened that their ceremony and reception were preemptively planned for a rainy day – 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 without a hitch indoors at both locations dancing, eating crusted trout and elk tenderloin and playing in the Greener Visuals Photobooth.

I’m working hard to go through all the fun photos I made during their special day. For now, I wanted to share a preview of their wedding photographs.  Here are a few favorites so far. So many more photos to share.

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

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Best of 2018 Montana Wedding Photographer Greener Visuals Photography

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Happy New Year everyone! I’m proud to present my Best of 2018 Montana Wedding Photographs from Greener Visuals Photography!

I always find this time of year to be thrilling.

It’s a moment we collectively engage in looking ahead and backward from where we came.

The last week of the year always holds a lot of important annual events in my life. It’s time spent with family around the holidays, the celebration of my birthday (I turned 36 years old a few days ago, yikes!), and the ringing in of the new year.

I always take this time to self-reflect on the great experiences with my wedding photography clients from the past year. It’s a time to begin throttling forward toward my new creative goals on the near horizon. I’m forever striving to be the best version of myself (mind, body, and spirit) and finding ways to better serve my clients and community.

2018 was a positive year for me. I had lots of growth, explored new places, overcame new challenges, met fascinating people, and made many good memories. I feel blessed for all the new relationships I made throughout the year and for being able to tell candid, creative stories through my photographs!

I’m excited about my upcoming adventures and the fun clients I’ll get to document in 2019.

In the spirit of reflection, I’ve gathered up some of my favorite wedding photographs from the past 2018 wedding season.

It’s such a joy for me to relive some of my favorite moments all gathered in one place. I feel honored to have been a part of all the wonderful celebrations this year with my wedding clients.

With pride, here are my Best of 2018 Montana Wedding Photographs by Greener Visuals Photography.

If you or a loved one you know is in need of an epic Bozeman wedding photographer, engagement photographs, a new family portrait, or updated business headshots in 2019, Greener Visuals Photography is now booking for all your professional photographic needs!

Grateful for all of your continued support and I look forward to hearing from you! -M

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Murrieta California Destination Wedding of Tandy and Rex

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About a month ago, this Montana destination wedding photographer photographed the Murrieta California Destination Wedding day of my two artistic friends Rex and Tandy.

There are few things in life that bring me more joy than being able to photograph the wedding celebrations of dear friends.

This wedding was particularly special for me to document.

Rex and I have been close childhood friends since elementary school. What started as a shared love of artistic endeavors growing up, went on to foster countless visual creative collaborations in our formal middle school and high school years.

It was with Rex at my side that I first discovered the possibilities of what a camera could create. Together we explored our surroundings and even went as far as to build a darkroom in my mom’s spare closet. Soon we were off to the races chasing this new creative rabbit hole. Little did I know then that those times with him would be the beginning of my life-long pursuit of exploring the photographic medium. I wouldn’t be the same person without knowing him in my life.

Rex also followed his creative muses through life. He graduated from art school and now makes his living in Missoula, Montana working as a remote video game designer. I heard he had found himself an equally talented creative partner in Tandy, a successful illustrator, I knew he had found his person.

When Rex and Tandy asked me to photograph their wedding celebration on her family’s property in Murrieta, California, I could not have been more honored.

Their Murrieta California Destination Wedding day was a lovely, intimate DIY wedding staged at Tandy’s mother’s large home. Their friends and family worked together to transform the newly renovated yard into a special and memorable wedding atmosphere. Cute, homemade gray and yellow decorations added a lovely pop of color to the green surrounding landscape.

As the sun set over the valley, the wedding couple said their vows witnessed by their close loved ones. They cheered as the newlyweds kissed to seal the deal. The rest of the night we laughed, told stories, ate homemade pies, and danced the night away.

Here is a selection of favorite photographs I made throughout their day.

I could not be more excited for these two. I wish them a lifetime of happiness! -M

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Springhill Pavilion Mountain Wedding Day of Camille and Matt in Bozeman, Montana

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Spring in Montana lately has been a sight to behold. Yesterday could not have been a better setting to photograph the Springhill Pavilion Mountain Wedding day of Camille and Matt just outside Bozeman, Montana.

The warm spring rains promised in the weather reports failed to dampen the day. Not that it would matter.

This was a group that shrugged off inclement weather.

The wonderful combined family energy of Wisconsinites and Montanans raised the level of a wedding celebration to a new high bar.

They raised their Coors Light libations with smiles and focused on the task at hand, celebrating two special people through hugs, laughter, songs, and dance during their Springhill Pavilion Mountain Wedding.

I met Camille at a fishing friend’s house over ten years ago. I was working at a newspaper in Northern California and spending my weekends chasing steelhead in the multitude of incredible nearby rivers. We ran in the same flyfishing circles. Camille was about to graduate high school, and the buzz in the fishing circles was that she was already quickly becoming one of the most successful women anglers in the United States.

Camille was raised between Montana and Alaska. Every summer growing up she was at her family’s fishing lodge on the Nushagak River in Bristol Bay. She began guiding at a young age. She has since enveloped herself in the national fly fishing community and has become an advocate for the great outdoors.

Presently, Camille is dominating the internet. She divides her time advocating against the Alaskan Pebble Mine efforts and works as Alaska & Christmas Island Program Director for Yellow Dog Flyfishing. She is living her dream of traveling the world guiding with a fly rod in hand.

It was only natural that she would find a partner with the same passion for the outdoors. Through Camille, I got to know Matt. He’s a kind, caring, and incredibly talented hunting and outdoor lifestyle photographer based here in Bozeman.

Their shared love of the outdoors helped influence their Springhill Pavilion Mountain Wedding day style.

Yellow flowers intermixed with whitetail deer antlers accentuated the venue. As their wedding guest dined on wild game appetizers and sipped local Montana wine and microbrew. The wedding couple’s mutual love of fishing was highlighted by artwork details of fly fishing files for the table settings and incorporated into the bridal party boutonnieres and corsages.

Their wedding day was a wonderful and complete representation of all that was important to them in their lives. I loved meeting all of their loved ones and photographing the festivities during their wedding day.

I could not be more thrilled for these two newlyweds! Congrats Camille and Matt! It has been a pleasure getting to know these two over the past year. I am convinced that anyone would be hard-pressed to find a better pair of people so perfectly suited for one another. Wish you guys a lifetime of happiness! -M

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Salvage One Wedding Day of Matt & Liz in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

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    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.

I recently photographed the Salvage One Wedding of Matt & Liz in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

One of the best perks of documenting the love at weddings is that every once and a while, I get an opportunity to travel to photograph the wedding of friends. This past April, I had the honor of flying back to the old stomping grounds of my youth.

Growing up together in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Matt and his family grew close to mine over the years through our local church and the family social circle. A few years ago I photographed the wedding of his brother Nick in California. 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, especially the same family twice.

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. From there, the bridal party and I took a trolley around the city taking in the sights, dodging the spring rain showers, and making creative portraits along the way.

Their wedding ceremony took place at Church of the Holy Family, one of the oldest Catholic churches in the city. It is a beautiful gothic-looking building.

As the wedding ceremony transitioned into the celebratory reception, we finally landed at Salvage One.

Salvage One a 60,000-square-foot vintage Chicago warehouse covered in fantastic antiques. Matt is a professional chef so creating a celebration that emphasized great food experience was essential. 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 Matt and Liz a lifetime of happiness. -M

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Big Yellow Barn Bozeman Wedding Day of Kim and Preston Photo Preview

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Had a blast photographing the fun at the destination wedding celebration of Kim and Preston this past Saturday at the Big Yellow Barn in Belgrade, Montana. Warm weather, a couple in love, great people, excellent Montana barbeque, and cupcakes and an assortment of epic dance moves made the day not only memorable but one heck of a good time. I’m hard at work editing through all the wedding photos of the day but wanted to share a few that have stood out so far. Congrats to the newlyweds Kim and Preston! So many more fun photos to show you all. Stay tuned…M

  • Had a blast photographing the fun at the destination wedding celebration of Kim and Preston this past Saturday at the Big Yellow Barn in Belgrade, Montana.

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Chicago Wedding Day of Matt & Liz Photo Preview

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Whew! What a weekend! I just flew back from photographing Matt and Liz’ Wedding Day in downtown Chicago a few days ago. Despite a little midwest precipitation, the day was a fantastic celebration, a wonderful reunion with old friends and spirits were high. I had a lot of fun with these two exploring “The Windy City” with their crew of close friends. I’m hard at work getting all the awesomeness edited and toned but I wanted to share a quick preview of some images that have stood out to me thus far. I’m excited to show you all the rest. Stay tuned. Congrats to the newlyweds! -M

 

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Gallatin River Lodge Wedding of Kiera & Collin in 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 the Gallatin River Lodge wedding of Kiera & Collin in Bozeman Montana.

I’ve been looking forward to this wedding for a while now. I had a great time earlier in the year photographing this couple during their couples portrait experience in downtown Bozeman. These two are great and brought lot of energy to their photo session.

For their wedding day, this couple brought a small gathering of their loved ones together to help them celebrate their union at the comfortable, top-rate fly fishing lodge just outside of Bozeman, Montana.

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. Kiera and Collin were a blast and were up for anything.

In this case, we all braved the chilly 10 degrees of Montana winter weather for a series of quick Gallatin River Lodge Wedding portraits around the perimeter of the lodge. Despite being freezing cold, these two were beaming ear to ear with smiles. It was so cold that I had to ask them to hold their breath so that the cold fog wouldn’t block their faces.

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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Preview of Courtney & Jordi’s Wedding at The Woodlands in Bozeman, Montana

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This past Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of photographing Courtney and Jordi’s wedding day at The Woodlands in Bozeman, Montana. I’m just thrilled for these guys. A beautiful calm early Fall day amongst the pine trees. We had a great time earlier in the year when we made some engagement photos. These two are a lot of fun and I’ve been looking forward to their wedding day celebration. I’m busy editing through all the great moments from their wedding day but for now, you can check out a preview of wedding photo standouts so far. Many more wedding photos to come. Stay tuned… -M

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Springhill Pavilion Wedding Preview of Sara and Cory

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I’m happy to share the Springhill Pavilion Wedding Day Preview of Sara and Cory’s celebration!

I wish all Septembers in Montana could be as nice as this year has been. Over this past weekend, I photographed the wedding of Sara and Cory at the Springhill Pavilion near the base of the Bridger Mountains. In a rare window of opportunity, the smoke from the summer wildland fires eased off giving way to a clear blue sky day and calm warm conditions. A perfect backdrop to a wonderful wedding day. I’m busy editing through all the awesome. Here is a preview of some photos that have stood out to me so far. Many more wedding photos to come. Stay tuned… -M

Update: Check out their finished wedding day photos on my blog here.

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Samantha and Jonathan Wedding Day at the Y Knot Barn in Pony, Montana

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As a wedding photographer, I love traveling to new places where I get to explore, be creative and make storytelling candid photographs. It is so much fun. A few weeks back I traveled out to the cute little town of Pony, Montana where I spent my day documenting the rustic country wedding day celebration of Samantha and Jonathan at the beautiful (and new) Y Knot Barn in Pony, Montana. Such a cool place for a wedding. It was a gorgeous venue with a great expansive 360 degree Montana view. These two were all smiles. It was a classic DIY cute country wedding. These two newlyweds were also up for a little adventure. With the help of the generous Y-Knot Barn owners, we were able to acquire a couple four wheelers and rode them (wedding dress and all) to an overlook in the valley where we made some pretty epic portraits. We returned to the barn for an evening of BBQ, laughter and country dancing. A fun Montana wedding day. Wish these two all the best! -M

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

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Preview of Bobbijean & Chris Wedding Day in Yellowstone National Park

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Bobbijean & Chris Wedding Day in Yellowstone National Park

I recently photographed Bobbijean & Chris’ Wedding Day in Yellowstone National Park. What a cool experience! It’s not every day that I get to photograph a wedding in the most famous national park in the country. I’m excited to show the full celebration but for now, I give you a preview of a few favorites so far. I’m hard at work editing the whole lot. Many more great wedding photos to come. Stay tuned… -M

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Davis California Wedding Photography Booth of Emily & Matt – Odd Fellows Hall

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In addition to photographing Emily and Matt’s wedding celebration, they also hired me to set up my photo booth at their reception at the Odd Fellows Hall in Davis, California. Photobooths are a great way to add some fun to the wedding reception. It’s amazing the positive energy it can bring to a wedding celebration.  Their wedding guests were able to trigger the booth remotely themselves which meant I could continue to photograph the festivities elsewhere. The results are often a surprising and hilarious discovery and random creativity. I’ve made it a rule now never to have beverages around my computer while editing photobooth images. Too funny. You never quite know what you will get. This crowd did not disappoint. What a fun evening! -Mike Greener

To see all of the photo booth images, follow this link.

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Sacramento Association of Bridal Consultants Wedding Planners Quarterly Meeting at CAVERNA 57

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A couple weeks back I was asked by my friend Catrina, of Catrina Maria Designs and The Venue Vixens, to photograph the social meet up of the Association of Bridal Consultants Sacramento chapter meeting. The quarterly event brings wedding planners from throughout the Sacramento area together for educational and networking and was held at new CAVERNA 57 wine cellar in Sacramento. My job was to document the evening while also photographing the new venue for an upcoming Venue Vixens review. The place was so new that much of it’s landscaping wasn’t finished so I was forced to get creative about how I composed my shots. Once the venue shots were taken care of, I started to document and socialize with the guests. I love these types of events for numerous reasons. It’s a very welcoming educational scene, it allows everyone to experience the different, new concepts of floral displays and venue set ups, it’s a good opportunity to sample the foods and beverages of the local vendors (which can be a good reference when suggesting food vendors to potential wedding clients) and best of all it is a perfect place to network and to meet with like-minded friendly people in the Sacramento wedding industry. Overall the evening was a lot of fun. The CAVERNA 57, when completed, will be a great little venue for small intimate weddings or social events. Definitely worth checking out. -M

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2011 Lavish and Fabulous Couture Bridal Event Photos

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After I spent the first half of the evening photographing the 2011 Lavish and Fabulous Couture Bridal Event VIP Black Carpet portraits at the Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa, I wandered the venue documenting the fun. The annual event is put on by my wedding planner friend Fearon, of Fearon May Events, in association with Real Weddings Magazine as a chance to show case the top wedding vendors in the Sacramento region to local brides and grooms in numerous themed vignette table top design settings.  Each room within the spacious resort vicinity had a different theme that introduced brides to an assortment of different design possibilities they could apply to their own wedding. Fearon also asked that I photograph two rooms for future publication in the Real Weddings Magazine including the Moroccan Lounge and A walk down the Aisle room. One thing I really liked about the venue setup was that each room was so unique from the others. The Moroccan Lounge offered an outdoor setting where guests could warm themselves by a fire while watching a belly dancing demonstration or enjoy a freshly rolled cigar from Casilla Cigars while being entertained by a Egytian music duo. It had a surreal feel to the place with lots of pink and blue color tones throughout. The Walk down the Aisle room offered a very different feel. It had a more subtle yet elegant feel to it with plenty of candles to light a centered room alter surrounded by flowers and guest chairs. It was a great intimate setting to it that would be perfect for brides considering a small family wedding ceremony. After guests had a chance to wander through all of the decorated rooms and sample the desserts and foods from the selected vendors, the remainder of the evening was spent socializing and dancing to the music of the Mother Mayhem band. Overall the event was a huge success and a lot of fun. I was proud to be apart of it. Until next year. -M

To see of the event photos you can view them on the Lavish and Fabulous website here.

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Parker Colorado wedding day of Erin & Ryan

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I recently photographed the Parker Colorado wedding day of Erin and Ryan.

When Erin & Ryan hired me to photograph their wedding weekend in the Denver, Colorado area, they made it apparent to me that it was going to be a huge celebration. The two have made successful careers working in Palo Alto, California – Erin at Facebook and Ryan for the AGC of California and they wanted a wedding that could accommodate all of their friends coming in from all across the country.

The day began with an early morning start with Erin getting ready with her bridesmaids at the home of her aunt and uncle in Parker, Colorado. The venue was a huge, beautiful custom-designed mansion complete with antique furniture and big windows that cast in a lot of natural light. It really set a nice scene for the pre-wedding preparations and reminded me of being in some fancy European castle.

Photographing Erin’s wedding was a mini-reunion for me because I knew her and many of her bridesmaids from high school in Crystal Lake, Illinois. It was so great to see them all again. As the girls got ready, they sipped champagne, laughed over old high school stories, and helped Erin get ready for her big day. Once they were finished with their makeup and hair by the stylists from L Raymond Styles Hair Salon, they got situated into their black, designer dresses from Rent the Runway and we were able to do some Vogue fashion-style formal portraits. As the wedding start time approached, we loaded up into a stretch Hummer and made our way to the church. Erin and Ryan decided to have a more traditional catholic wedding held in the Ave Maria Church in Parker, Colorado.

The benefits of having a second photographer at your wedding

It was there that my assistant Justin Edmonds, a photojournalism friend, and fellow Eddie Adams Workshop teammate, arrived and we worked together to document the story of their wedding day. Having a second photographer to help photograph a wedding allows me to have multiple angles and to provide much more thorough coverage of my client’s wedding day. It really makes a huge difference and if it’s something you are considering for your own wedding day, I can’t emphasize the benefits enough. He was a big help.

Creating a magical wedding day reception

The wedding couple got a lot of assistance with all of the wedding details and decoration ideas from her wedding planner Stacy Pisani, of Alexan Events. Where the wedding ceremony followed a traditional catholic undertone, the reception was a stark contrast of hip, luxurious style and design. A large air-conditioned tent was set up in the backyard of the house. There was a full dance floor with DJ music from Scratch Weddings, a club-style lounge with couches, table settings, and chairs from Event Rents, an assortment of gourmet food stations from Epicurean Catering and fine wines from The Wine Experience Café scattered throughout. The incredible evening complete with delicious food, a fun, Greener Visuals photo booth that I set up and the guests danced well into the early morning. These guys know how to have a good time.

This is a sample of some of the photographs from their wedding day. You can see all of my favorites from the day under my wedding stories section here. You can view and purchase all of the photos from the day here.

Wishing Erin and Ryan all the best with their new life together. Congratulations!

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