One of my long time favorite sites to visit is theKnot.com. It is full of information and valuable resources. It is a great place to create your wedding blog so your friends and family can learn about all of the details of your plans and of your relationship!

They are featuring one wedding that is one of my favorites. Shel and Marisa were married on a small ranch in Big Timber, MT. Jill from Montana Party Rentals provided the rentals and her mom did the catering and made the delicious raspberry wedding cheesecake! Take a peak at the simple Montana Wedding details. I love the photos of them with the tee pee.

Marisa & Shel: A Rustic Wedding in Big Timber, MT

If you would like to see all of their photos please visit their gallery: http://nashanclients.com/RedCart/index.php?gnum=256

Shana Behr and Priscilla Foster recommended me to Christi when she was looking for a photographer. Thank you both for the recommendation, first for the business, and second because I have loved getting to know Christi and Drew! Kara Zurliene did the wedding coordinating and did a great job making sure everything flowed just so. Yesterday when I spoke to Christi to tell her that the photos were online she told me that it truly was the best day of her life!!

Christi came to my office with her mother just a few weeks before her wedding and decided to hire me to photograph her wedding at the Springhill Pavilion. She and Drew were probably the most spontaneous and fun couple that I have ever photographed.

Amber from Bloom did all of the floral arrangements which were simple and beautiful. I love the ribbon flowing off of the wreaths on the doors of the pavilion. (There are a few other photos of the flowers in their gallery that I think really show off what Amber does so well!)

Drew and Christi had ALL of the children at the wedding participate in the ceremony. They were given these little bags of flowers or bells to walk down the aisle with.
Christi's boots. Love them on this old wood burning stove in one of the barns!
The ladies in blue with the matching pans on the side of the building.

Drew and Christi with their two dogs.


In all of the years that I have been photographing weddings I have never seen a man combing a little girls hair. I just love this photo.

Here is Drew just moments before the ceremony with all of the kids.

Once they walked up the aisle they all sat on quilts that were stocked with snacks to keep them occupied.
I love this perspective from over Christi's dad's shoulder.
One of the bridesmaids and her daughter who did some outrageous flips on the trampoline!
This exemplifies Drew and Christi's zest for life! (Even though Drew is holding two bouquets!)


Billy Costigan of Poindexter's took care of the sound for the ceremony. Billy is one of my oldest and dearest friends. If you need anything done related to the audio visual world just give him a call.

The ladies at the Daily Coffee Bar made this beautiful and delicious cake.
(There are some sweet cake assembly photos in their photo gallery.)

Sweet.So, back to the title of one wedding, five brides. I have been a 'Montana Wedding Photographer' for 18 years now. As I shoot more and more weddings, there are more and more of my previous brides and grooms at the weddings. Here are Beth and Cooper. Their wedding is still up on my RedCart shopping cart: http://nashanclients.com/RedCart/index.php?gnum=89
Erin and Erik who's portraits we did on the yellow line in the center of a country road!




Shana and Luke who were married at The Woodlands. Priscilla and Dave with their children Tristen and Wilder who were married at Chico Hot Springs.


And Lisa Raddick who was married on her dad's property in Big Sky about eight years ago.
Christi and Drew had a laid back wedding which included all of their friends and family. If you take a peak at their photographs you will see how much fun was had at their wedding.

I am so pleased to announce Rebecca Nicklin of Cakes From Cabin Ridge as our Vendor of the Month! I have worked with Rebecca for many years, and she consistently produces elegant, creative work. She is one of my favorite cake designers, and is located only 30 minutes away in Bozeman, Montana -- a perfect location for any Montana Destination Wedding.

Rebecca's ornate cakes have recently been included in Brides magazine; in the March/April 2008 issue, a cake was published in the article "America's 50 Most Beautiful Wedding Cakes," and in the July article "Top 10 Weddings of the Year." Another cake was also featured on the NBC Today Show segment "Top Wedding Cake Trends and Tips."

When you are deciding on a cake vendor for your Montana Wedding, be sure to seriously consider Cakes From Cabin Ridge. Rebecca has many years of experience in designing cakes to withstand the dry Montana air and the ever-changing mountain weather. Visit Cakes From Cabin Ridge to browse through Rebecca's cake galleries, and for more information about scheduling a consultation and reserving a date.

Tara and Ryan are planning a wedding in the park in Missoula. She is a friend of a friend and I am looking forward to photographing the small intimate wedding and the larger reception that will follow.

I just received the invitation that they designed and LOVE it for several reasons. It is simple. It is clean. The font is perfect for the design. (If you are designing your own invites there are a lot of free fonts out there if you search free fonts on google. You can also buy some nice ones for a nominal fee.) It is so darn cute! I love the little heart of the tree with their initials.
I can't wait to photograph my Missoula, Montana Bride. I have met her once and she is beautiful. Perhaps she will share some of her planning details with us.

Here is a sneak peak at some of Bärbel's (from Nashan Photographers) beautiful photos from Chris and Monique's July 4th wedding. The couple chose Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana as the location for their destination wedding, traveling from California for their special day. The day brought rain, sleet and thunder showers early on but turned into a lovely day in time for the ceremony, allowing for the couple to exchange vows outside with gorgeous views of the mountains. The wedding was coordinated by Leslie Lukas who also did the beautiful floral arrangements. Cakes from Cabin Ridge created the amazing tree inspired cake. Bärbel had a wonderful time photographing the couple who were so gentle and tender with each other.

Labels: Cakes from Cabin Ridge, Destination wedding, Leslie Lukas, Mountain wedding, Nashan Photographers

Katie and Paul were married last Wednesday at Chico Hot Springs in Paradise Valley, Montana. They both live in Colorado and decided on Montana as the spot for their destination wedding. Everyone attending was from out of town which kept the wedding fairly small and intimate. The family rented a vacation rental in Emigrant where they had their rehearsal dinner and where Katie and her maid of honor (her sister) got ready for the wedding.

Chico was the perfect place for Katie and Paul because they take care of so many of the details for you, which can be a real benefit when planning a wedding from another state. Katie ordered her adorable dress on Ebay and even ordered her flowers online, which her mother and sister then put together in arrangements.

The bride and groom are both very laid back, relaxed people and that was evident throughout their wedding. They did a great job of keeping it simple and very fun. Thank you Katie and Paul and I hope to see you back in Montana some day!

- Chieko

Labels: Chico Hot Springs, Destination wedding, Paradise Valley

Lindsay and Josh were just married on a beautiful, remote piece of property owned by Josh's parents. Lyndsay is the perfect picture of a Montana Bride, beautifully natural with a understated sense of style. They had set up a clearing next to a creek way up a tiny dirt road near Old Chico for the ceremony. Hay bales were used as seating for the guests which we used to take some of the family portraits after the wedding. The flowers, by Angela at Fresh Designs, were all an amazing green color that accented the Montana setting perfectly. Lindsay and Josh were so much fun to photograph and even though I had only met them a few weeks ago it felt like I was photographing a friend's wedding. Everything about their wedding was simple, tasteful, heartfelt and fun. Lindsay found her dress at After 5 in Bozeman, the delicious food was prepared by Matt's Butcher Shop and Lindsay's friends Hilary and the Foulhooks provided the wonderful music. Thank you Lindsay, Josh and your families for including me in your beautiful day.

- Chieko

If you would like to see more of this beautiful Montana Wedding please visit Nashan Photographers select Chieko: Wedding at the bottom right, then scroll down to Chieko: Wells Wright wedding. ENJOY!