Summer Weddings

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 to share.

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

 

 

bride-groom-springhill-pavilion-bozeman-wedding-photographer

Happy New Year everyone!

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 – 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 and to begin throttling forward towards my new creative goals on the near horizon. I’m ever 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 with lots of growth, new places explored, new challenges overcome, new faces met and many good times were had. I feel blessed for all the new relationships I made throughout the year and for being able to tell candid, creative stories through photographs!

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

In the spirit of reflection during this time of year, 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 wedding photographer, engagement photos, new family portraits, or updated business portraits 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

Bozeman Wedding Photographer Springhill Pavilion Bridger Mountains couple portrait

I’m still buzzing with excitement after photographing the Springhill Pavilion Wedding Day of Allison and Matt outside Bozeman, Montana a few weeks back.

I’ve gotten to know these two Montana transplants over the past year and have been looking forward to documenting their wedding day for some time now.

And it’s all because they happened to meet by chance.

At the time, both were getting their Ecology graduate degrees from UC Davis in Davis, California but didn’t know each other.

One night after class, Allison was planning to catch up with a friend, but there was a location mix up and she ended up in the wrong bar. As fate would have it, it was in that wrong bar where she met Matt and they instantly hit it off.

Davis, California was a place where I used to live back when I was a newspaper photojournalist and a place that is close to my heart. Having them into my studio to learn more about their wedding day plans, we bonded immediately over Davis stories and the realization that we knew many of the same people.

Sometimes you encounter certain people in your life that you know will instantly become friends. These two are wonderful, hilarious goofballs.

Their Montana wedding day was everything you would hope one could be – lovely Spring-like weather, the perfect setting, and a gathering of friends and family that were ready to get down on the dance floor. Their wedding day was an absolute blast to photograph. Here are some of my favorite photographs I made throughout their wedding day. Congrats to the newlyweds! -Mike

To see all of their wedding photos, click here.

Livingston Wedding Photographer Paradise Valley wedding couple

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of 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 in Bozeman, Montana. After a friendly ten-minute conversation, it was clear my candid, documentary photographic 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.

Their ceremony was held in the grand space of St. Mary’s Catholic Church complete with an hour Mass service. From there we made our way up Orea Creek Road near their Livingston home. We couldn’t help ourselves to stop numerous times to make some portraits with the epic Montana scenery around us. It is so beautiful up that way. The sound of cheers from their awaiting guests greeted the newlyweds to their outdoor reception on their Livingston property.

It was a wedding celebration in the pure local Montana cowboy style.

The live country band beckoned everyone to the dance floor where formal country two-step dance lessons were given. Yardgames and a photo booth entertained in between songs and everyone got stuffed on good Montana BBQ and libations. It was a perfect Montana evening to celebrate the union of these two amazing people. I could not be more excited for these two. Congrats to the newlyweds Teresa and Bob! -M

To view all of their wedding photos, click here.

 

Bozeman Wedding Photographer Kelly Canyon Quaker Wedding portraits

For Lisa and Noah’s Bozeman Montana Kelly Canyon Wedding Day celebration, it was important to return to their cultural roots.

They met two years ago through online dating here in Bozeman. As their relationship flourished over the next two years, Noah would eventually propose to Lisa on his family farm Kelly Canyon outside of Bozeman, Montana. The two currently live in Kirkland, Washington where she works as a computer scientist and he has started his graduate school program with a developing interest in Chinese medicine. When it came time to plan their wedding day, there was no better place to host it than on his family’s farm back where it all began.

Their wedding would be a wonderful hodgepodge of tradition and a unique blend of the couple’s own interests.

Their shared love of medieval fantasy book genres influenced their wedding decorations, outfits and even an honorary object for the day. The wedding party all took turns wielding the wedding couple’s actual battle hammer named “Schmerglehermer”. With a sense of humor throughout, the wedding couple and party included the hammer in the festivities. It was walked down the aisle during the ceremony, guests posed throughout the day with it in photos and it even found it’s way onto the dance floor. I love a couple and community that geeks out together. It was no short of epic.

The bride and groom’s friends and family gathered together on Noah’s family farm to witness the bride and groom’s traditional Quaker wedding ceremony in the Montana summer sunshine.

Tucked back against a large stand of pine trees, they decided on a traditional Quaker wedding ceremony to honor Noah’s family roots. The bride and groom were married “under the care of a Quaker meeting” before God and gathered family, friends, and meeting members — but was for all purposes officiant free. The idea is based on the tenet that only God can join a couple in marriage. Quakers believe that no church official is essential for a marriage to take place. Instead family and friends throughout the hour-long ceremony would occasionally break the silence by stepping up to the microphone to give words of advice, tell stories or well wishes. I found it to be a really relaxing and thought reflective ceremony. To hear the words of the important folks in their lives in front of all was a special way to honor their guests just as much as they were honoring them.

Like all good weddings, they sealed theirs with a kiss surrounded by a roar of cheers from their surrounding loved ones. The wedding celebration moved on to their evening reception at the Lindley Center in downtown Bozeman where dancing, outdoor games, a good steak BBQ and a Greener Visuals Photo Booth were utilized in full force. It was an awesome time and a wonderful reflection of all the things that are important to these newlyweds lives. I could not be more excited for these two. I wish them all the best! -M

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

 

Bozeman Wedding Photographer Springhill Pavilion

I’m still buzzing with excitement after photographing the Springhill Pavilion Wedding Day of Allison and Matt this past weekend.

I’ve gotten to know these two Montana transplants over the past year and have been looking forward to documenting their wedding day for some time now. Both got their Ecology graduate degrees from UC Davis, a place where I used to live and a place that is close to heart. We bonded immediately over Davis stories and the realization that we knew many of the same people. Sometimes you encounter certain people in your life that you know will instantly become friends.

These two are wonderful, hilarious goofballs.

Their Montana wedding day was everything you would hope one could be – lovely Spring-like weather, the perfect setting, and a gathering of friends and family that were ready to get down on the dance floor. Their wedding day was an absolute blast to photograph. As I begin editing through all of the photographs, I wanted to share a preview of them. Many more to come! Stay tuned… -Mike

 

Livingston Wedding Photographer Paradise Valley wedding couple

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

 

Bozeman Wedding Photographer Kelly Canyon Quaker Wedding ceremony

Montana native newlyweds Lisa and Noah got married on his family’s property in Kelly Canyon just outside of Bozeman Montana last weekend. Perfect sunny weather blessed the day where these two celebrated their Quaker wedding with their close friends and family. I’m working hard to edit through all of the fun photos I made throughout their wedding day.

For now, check out a preview of some favorite photos I made for them. Stay tuned for more… -M

Livingston Wedding Photographer Yellowstone River wedding portrait

A few weeks back, I had the absolute pleasure of providing the Livingston Montana Wedding Day Photography of Erika and Josh.

For these two, it was all about returning to the source of where they met.

Little did they know after a chance encounter over a foosball game table in Livingston, Montana, two years later they would be celebrating their wedding at the Livingston KOA in the beautiful Paradise Valley just south of town.

Both are well versed in the art of hospitality (Josh as a chef at Feast Raw Bar & Bistro and Erika as a former wedding planner now operations manager for the Shane Center for the Arts), they wanted to have their wedding day be “about letting their friends and family know how much they’ve impacted us in our lives.” by creating a personal wedding experience for their guests.

In a wonderfully intimate setting along the Yellowstone River, guests were met with great food, meticulous decorations of 1,000 paper cranes and rock cairns, homemade booze-infused cupcakes and the right tunes to keep the dance floor busy.

Their attention to the little details made their wedding day a true delight.

Not even the constant rainfall throughout the afternoon could dampen the spirits of those in attendance.

As the sounds of the consistent rain and the high waters of the nearby Yellowstone River serenaded the evening, the big pavilion transformed smoothly from the ceremony to the catered dinner and then into an energetic all night dance party.

Happiness, smiles and good times abound. What a day!

Here are some of my favorite highlights from my day photographing their wedding celebration. Congrats again to the bride and groom Erika and Josh! Wish you guys a lifetime of happiness! -M

See all of their wedding photos here.

 

Livingston Wedding Photographer Yellowstone River couple portrait

This past Monday, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the Livingston Montana Wedding Day Photography of Erika and Josh on the banks of the Yellowstone River at the Livingston KOA.

For newlyweds Erika and Josh, it was all about returning to the source.

Little did they know after a chance encounter over a foosball game table in Livingston, Montana, two years earlier, they would be surrounded by friends and loved ones celebrating their wedding in the beautiful Paradise Valley just south of town.

Both being well versed in hospitality (Josh as a chef at Feast Raw Bar & Bistro and Erika as a former wedding planner) wanted to have their wedding day be “about letting their friends and family know how much they’ve impacted us in our lives.”

Great food, meticulous decorations of 1,000 paper cranes and rock cairns, homemade booze-infused cupcakes and the right tunes to keep the dance floor busy.

It made the day a true delight.

Not even the constant rainfall throughout the day could dampen the spirits of those in attendance.

While I’m still working away at editing all the fun photographs, I wanted to share a small preview of their awesome wedding day celebration. Congrats to the newlyweds! Stay tuned for more photo goodness. -M

I’ve gathered up my Best of 2017 Wedding Photography by Greener Visuals Photography images that made during this recent trip around the sun.

As the last days of the year tick away, I find myself reflecting back on all of the fun photos I made of my wedding couples over the course of this past year. 2017 was a lot of fun! Lots of growth, new places explored, new challenges overcome, new faces met and many good times were had. I feel blessed for all the new relationships I made throughout the year and for being able to tell candid, creative stories through photographs!

I look forward to what “adventures in documenting the love” await me in 2018.

If you or a loved one you know is in need of new family portraits, business portraits, headshots, engagement photos, boudoir or an epic wedding photographer, Greener Visuals Photography is available for all your professional photographic experiences in 2018! I look forward to hearing from you!

Happy New Year everyone! -M

Paradise Valley Montana Wedding bride groom hug

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful Paradise Valley Montana Wedding Day of Brita and John along the banks of the Yellowstone River.

Unlike most of my wedding I photograph, these two opted for my two-hour elopement collection where I focused on documenting their wedding ceremony and making portraits of their friends and family.

While perhaps one of the shortest wedding days I’ve ever photographed, it was still just as fun.

These two had all of their wedding guests meet at this really cool VRBO rental south of Livingston, Montana in Paradise Valley right on the river. As the sunset over the mountains their family and friends circled around them for their intimate ceremony then the celebration evolved into one heck of a pig roast.

In my brief time with them, I had so much fun getting to know them and their tribe. Here are a few of my favorite images from their wedding. It was a true pleasure to be able to document their union. Congrats to the newlyweds! -M

To view all of their wedding images, click here.

 

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!

Virginia City Montana wedding day bride and groom train station

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of photographing the Virginia City Montana Wedding Day Photography of Marissa and Tyler.

It’s not every day that I get to go photograph a wedding in the historic small town of Virginia CityMontana. 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.

So when Marissa and Tyler told me they wanted to have their wedding celebration standing in the old territorial Capitol of Montana, I could not have been more thrilled.

It was like stepping back in time to the Old West period and we took advantage of the amazing Old West architecture and explored the grounds making some cool photos of them and their fun bridal party along the way.

When the time came to head to the ceremony, we all took a ride on the Virginia City Shortline Railroad from Nevada City over to the wedding ceremony site in downtown Virginia City. 

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 to each other. Their boss just happens to be State of Montana Gov. Steve Bullock who with humor and charm, officiated the ceremony.

It was a rare cool August day and the perfect venue to celebrate the start of their new journey together.

After these two newlyweds tied-the-knot, we walked the streets of the historic downtown over to the reception hall where we spent the night dancing, playing in a photo booth and celebrating these two amazing people. It was such a fun day and I felt so grateful to be a part of it. Here are my favorite images from the day. I wish these two all the best!

View all of Marissa and Tyler’s wedding photos click here.

 

Yellowstone National Park Wedding Day

This summer I had the privilege of making the Yellowstone National Park Wedding Day Photography of Judy and Butch.

These two traveled from Beavercreek, Ohio to get married in our nation’s most popular national park. We had their small ceremony in the Mammoth Chapel then celebrated with a post-ceremony picnic where we ate lunch and had a small wedding cake. Because it was just them and their enthusiastic photographer in attendance, we took the afternoon to explore the park and make some fun outdoor wedding portraits on their special day.

It was a great way to celebrate the 4th of July this year! I wish these two years of happiness! Congrats! -M

 

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

2016 Best of Weddings Greener Visuals Photography

Winter has arrived and it’s snowing in Montana now. I’ve been reminiscing about the past year. It’s funny how time flies when you’ve been having so much fun. 2016 was another great year of documenting the fun memories of my client’s wedding day. I kept busy this year photographing over the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Southwest Montana offers up so many beautiful places to get married and I feel thankful that I was able to continue to explore the hidden pockets throughout. It was such an honor to be a part of my client’s wedding celebration.

I feel so grateful to be doing the candid wedding storytelling photography that I do.

My travels this year took me all over Montana. Traveling up to Whitefish down to Yellowstone National Park and as far away as downtown Chicago, Illinois. I even got to witness a wedding in northeast Mongolia.

In addition to having fun documenting the love, one of my favorite highlights of the year was when I moved into my new photography studio inside of Gallatin Event Rentals. It has been a wonderful place to house my wedding and portrait photography business. Having an inviting, comfortable space to host my clients and hear their wedding story has been such a pleasure. If you haven’t stopped by already, I’d be happy to give you the dime tour and geek out on photography with you.

Here are a few of my favorite wedding images that stood out to me from this past year.

I am now booking for the 2017 wedding season and I travel all across the country. I’m looking forward to the new smiles and faces I’ll meet and photograph in the new year.  Wishing you all a fantastic new year ahead! -M

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.

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of photographing the destination wedding of Zachary and Elizabeth in Yellowstone National Park. These two lovebirds traveled to Montana from Kansas City with their relatives in tow to celebrate their wedding day celebration in America’s largest national park. It was a classic DIY wedding complete with 1,000 paper cranes, paper flower bouquets and a small festive reception at their parent’s place in West Yellowstone. Their small collection of family and friends came together to make their wedding day special. After driving around YNP, we arrived at Artist Point to have their wedding ceremony overlooking the Yellowstone Lower Falls in Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone National Park. What a special day it turned out to be. It’s always so inspiring to be around a couple so completely in love with each other. I was so glad I could be apart of it. Here are some of my favorite photographs from the day. Wishing the newlyweds all the best. -M

Over the 4th of July weekend, I was up at the Whitefish Mountain Resort in Whitefish, Montana photographing the summer wedding day of Tim and Jill. These two Bozeman locals wanted a destination wedding celebration feeling without leaving the Big Sky state. Northwest Montana was the perfect answer. When their big day arrived, I traveled north to Whitefish, Montana where I was able to join up with Tim and Jill’s wedding entourage at the resort. After a sunset wedding ceremony at the summit, we took the chairlifts down to the reception where we all dined and danced while celebrating the union of the newlyweds. You could not have asked for a nicer summer day. It was a true pleasure for me to be present and to document their wedding day festivities. Wishing Tim and Jill all the best and many years of happiness! -M