Tag Archive for: DIY

Bozeman Wedding Photographer Kelly Canyon Quaker Wedding portraits

I recently photographed the Kelly Canyon Wedding Day celebration of Lisa and Noah in Bozeman, Montana.

When planning their wedding day, was important for Lisa and Noah to return to their cultural roots.

These two currently live in Kirkland, Washington where Lisa works as a computer scientist and Noah has started his graduate school program with a developing interest in Chinese medicine. This couple 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.

When it came time to plan their wedding day, there was no better wedding venue 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 authentic 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 its way onto the dance floor. I love a couple and community that geeks out together. Their wedding was nothing short of epic.

Tucked back against a large stand of pine trees, the bride and groom’s friends and family gathered together on their family farm to witness a traditional Quaker wedding ceremony to honor Noah’s family roots.

The bride and groom were married “under the care of a Quaker meeting”. It’s a ceremony before God and gathered family, friends, and meeting members. The Quakers’ beliefs are unique in that their ceremonies are 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 during hour-long ceremony, would occasionally break the silence by stepping up to the microphone to give words of advice, tell stories, or give well wishes.

I found their Kelly Canyon Wedding ceremony to be a really relaxing and thought-reflective. It was special for the bride and groom to hear the words of loved ones spoken in front of all. It 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. The wedding celebration moved on to their evening wedding reception at the Lindley Center in downtown Bozeman. The newlyweds and their guests danced, played outdoor games, and dined on a good steak BBQ throughout the evening. They also played in my Greener Visuals Photo Booth.

The fun was in full force.

It was an awesome time and a wonderful reflection of all the things that are important in these newlyweds’ lives. I could not be more excited for these two. I wish them all the best! -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 photographing the Livingston KOA Montana Wedding of Erika and Josh.

For this engaged couple, their wedding day was all about returning to the source of where they met.

Little did they know after a chance encounter over a foosball game table, two years later they would be celebrating their wedding at the Livingston KOA in the beautiful Paradise Valley where it all started.

Both Erika and Josh are well-versed in the art of hospitality. Josh is a chef at Feast Raw Bar & Bistro and Erika is a former wedding planner and now operations manager for the Shane Center for the Arts.

Erika and Josh wanted to have their wedding day focus “be about letting their friends and family know how much they’ve impacted us in our lives.” They intended to create a personal wedding experience for their guests. They wanted their wedding photography that honored their guests in the same way.

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.

The sounds of the consistent rain and the high waters of the nearby Yellowstone River serenaded the evening. The big pavilion worked as a perfect, versatile space. It began as the ceremony site and transformed smoothly into the catered dinner area. Soon after, it transitioned into an energetic, all-night dance party at their Livingston KOA Montana Wedding.

Happiness smiles, and good times abound. What a fun 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

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I had the pleasure of photographing the 1915 Barn Bozeman 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

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of photographing the destination Yellowstone Lower Falls Wedding of Zachary and Elizabeth in Yellowstone National Park.

These two lovebirds traveled from their home in Kansas City to Montana with their relatives to celebrate their destination wedding day celebration in America’s largest national park. It’s a place they absolutely love to visit.

It was important to the newlyweds that we make time to explore Yellowstone for their wedding couples portraits. After getting ready in West Yellowstone, we drove into the park. We spent an hour or so exploring the landscape. We were lucky. The tourism traffic wasn’t bad that day and it allowed us to see quite a bit. After driving around YNP and stopping to make portraits of the wedding couple, we arrived at our destination. Their afternoon wedding ceremony at Artist Point overlooking the Yellowstone Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park. It was a perfectly beautiful setting to say their vows.

For their wedding reception, we left the park and drove to their parent’s house in West Yellowstone. Their small collection of family and friends came together to make their wedding day special.

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.

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 a part of it. Here are some of my favorite wedding photographs from their day. Wishing the newlyweds all the best. -M

Happy 2016 everybody! 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 this past weekend. I had a great time getting to know these two lovebirds during their downtown Bozeman engagement photo session back in early December with me. This past Saturday, the wedding day finally arrived. A small gathering of their loved ones braved the chilly 10 degrees Montana winter weather to help them celebrate their union at the comfortable, top-rate fly fishing lodge. Here is a preview of a few favorite photographs I made during their wedding day. I’m hard at work editing through the rest. Congrats on getting married you guys! More awesome is on deck. Stay tuned… -M

 

Broken Hart Ranch Fall Montana Wedding of Madeline and Chase

Fall in Montana this year has kicked into overdrive and the autumn colors have been popping all over southwest Montana. To my delight, last Saturday I was fortunate enough to photograph the wedding day of my clients Madeline and Chase at the Broken Hart Ranch outside of Bozeman, Montana. Four years of dating has led them to a relationship filled with much gratitude and many great stories. These two and their wedding guests told many funny stories about them and went all out to celebrate their union amongst the fire colored Montana backdrop. What a day! Here is a preview of some favorites I come across so far. Many more photos are en route. Stay tuned… -M

 

A few weeks back my pilot brother Eric married an awesome woman named Brandy, the love of his life in Hope, Alaska. The first of the siblings to get hitched. It was also the first time I’d been assigned the roles as both a best man and a wedding photographer. It was a fun challenge. I’m editing through the mountain of photos and will post their full wedding soon. I’m so excited for you brother! Stay tuned… -M

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

I had the pleasure of documenting the wedding day of Julia & Peter out at Chico Hot Springs outside of Pray, Montana a few weeks back. These two were so much fun. The historic venue is located in the heart of Paradise Valley in a beautiful setting backed up towards Emigrant Peak. It’s a perfect place to tie-the-knot in Montana. These two lovebirds along with their friends and family took over the historic venue for a night of celebration, laughter and get down dancing. It was a wedding of mixed cultures and influences. I like how the bride and groom melded her family’s Jewish traditions together with their own style to make a wedding celebration all their own. After the walk down the aisle and the family toasts to the newlyweds, the whole wedding party took to the dance floor in force. Such great energy from the lot. I had a great time documenting their special day. My congrats to the newlyweds! -M

To see more photos and purchase prints from their wedding day, click here.

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I’m excited to post these wedding photos. About a month ago, I traveled to Chico, California from Bozeman, Montana to photograph the destination wedding day of Sara and Jason. These two lovebirds booked me well over a year out after her work friend found me and showed my photography to Sara during a internet search for Northern California wedding photographers during a long overnight emergency work shift (Sara is a veterinarian). Talking with with Jason and Sara on the phone we quickly bonded over discovering a mutual love of the outdoors, fly fishing and the occasional craft beer. These were my kind of people. I had been looking forward to their wedding day for a while. Our first time meeting was in the morning of their wedding day but it was like being reacquainted with old friends. I met up with them as they were getting ready at the Hotel Diamond in downtown Chico and photographed them as the day unfolded.

Their wedding was a fantastic DIY (Do it yourself!) event hosted at his mother’s farm property outside of town called the Double R RanchIt was put together with the help of friends and family who were successful in creating a charming garden farm themed wedding celebration. Dinner was served in the garden amongst the sunflowers and squash on wood tables made by the groomsmen. The barn itself had been just finished by the wedding party in time for the event. Everywhere you looked there was a personal touch. It was a beautiful day filled with warm weather and smiles. A fun weekend with great people! I am just thrilled for these two! Congrats to Sara and Jason and many years of continued happiness! -Mike Greener

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

 

Just got back to Bozeman, Montana after spending the last four days traveling to Chico, California to photograph the destination wedding day of Sara and Jason on their family farm. Such a fun weekend with great people! This was a fantastic DIY (Do it yourself!) wedding. I’m excited to show you more of the fun. Here is a quick preview of their wedding celebration photographs. Many more to come! Congrats to Sara and Jason! -Mike Greener

Wow! Is it August already? Time does fly when you are having fun. Looking back on my summer, I’ve been keeping busy photographing weddings and spending the remaining free moments mountain biking around the mountains of Bozeman, Montana. Life is good. I feel lucky to have found such happiness and fulfillment in documenting the love of others with my camera. It’s a continual reaffirmation that fills me with gratitude daily. The only thing better than documenting the big day of my new wedding clients are those times when an opportunity to document a good friend’s wedding comes around. A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of watching my buddy Levi marry the love of his life Christina in a beautiful and intimate ceremony on a family friend’s property outside of Manhattan, Montana. Levi and his family have been dear friends of mine for many years running. Having grown up in Bozeman, Levi was the guy who introduced me to great people and many places to explore when I first moved to Bozeman and I didn’t know a soul. It was a kindness extended at the time to the new guy in town that I will always be grateful for. I had been looking forward to them tying the knot for some time now. These two love birds met at a kundalini yoga retreat and quickly fostered a strong bond with each other. When it came time to planning their wedding, they decided to have a small ceremony with close friends and relatives contributing food in a potluck fashion. It worked out great. Their wedding day was simple but elegant collaboration. It’s was a great feeling to watch my friend be filled with such joy at having found a wonderful woman and partner in Christina. Here are some favorites from their wedding day. I wish them a lifetime of happiness! -M

 To see all of their wedding photos and to buy prints, go here.

 To see their Photobooth photos, go here.

A couple weekends ago I traveled down to the small Idaho town of Rigby near Idaho Falls to photograph the country garden wedding of Hope and Jeffery. I met the two last summer when I was photographing her sister Ashley’s wedding day in the Montana Bitterroot Valley. It was so great to celebrate another wedding with their family again. Hope and Jeffery had their wedding at her grandparents country garden home, a beautiful property covered with flowers, produce, horse pastures and cottonwood stands which left all onlookers to admire the artistic touch of two master gardeners. Her grandparents said they collected over 30 gallons of raspberries alone last year. I love seeing wedding couples take the idea of a wedding and make it all their own. These two were no exception. Hope and Jeffery were able to blend a country wedding with Jeffery’s Japanese roots. His relatives folded 1000 paper cranes and then hung them intermixed with lights all in a large cottonwood tree which made for a beautiful ambience. The food had a wonderful homemade touch. They had many mouths to feed since about 360 guests were invited. The riddle was solved by having a caterer make pulled pork BBQ. Rather then create an exorbitant wedding cake, they opted for a smaller wedding cake from a fancy bakery then the family cooks united and made dozens of homemade pies, a delicious personal touch to a wedding day food menu. Once bellies were full the night entertainment began. Drinks were poured and the moment the DJ cued the music, the dance floor got busy. Yard games, a photo booth and an epic candy bar assisted in keeping spirits and sugar levels high into the late evening. Smiles were seen all around. In all, it was a beautiful day and I was thrilled to be apart of it. I wish Hope and Jeffery all the best! -Mike

To see all of their wedding day photos, you can view them here.

The Wedding Team:

Cherz & Co. Salon – Hair and makeup by Kellie & Kristie Stolworthy – Idaho falls, Idaho

North Hi-Way Cafe – BBQ catering – Idaho Falls, Idaho

Master DJ – music man Tony Schmitz – Omaha, Nebraska

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.

I love it when brides and grooms completely make their weddings unique and their own by doing a “Do-it-yourself” styled wedding. For my last wedding of the 2012 season, Melissa and Brendan wedding didn’t disappoint. I always like to end my wedding seasons with a bang. In the case of photographing their wedding a couple weeks ago, it was a literal interpretation with shotguns. These two Seattle outdoorsy, love birds found me through my connections with the fly fishing industry and flew me from Bozeman, Montana to Seattle, Washington for the weekend. For the groom, an avid hunter and fisherman, what better way to celebrate his wedding weekend but to start with a half day of blasting guns along the Yakima River at the private gun range. It was awesome and the fire powered event would set the tone for the rest of the country styled wedding weekend. Their wedding was held at this cute little fishing lodge called the The Canyon River Ranch along the Yakima River. Friends and family came together to help set up and celebrate these two. I had a great time getting to know them all. What a fun bunch. I wish them all the best. -M

To see their entire wedding photo collection go here.