The first time I photographed Kristen and Scott we were running from a huge rain storm. After deciding that we could not outrun it, we decided to do the photos in the rain and then suddenly it stopped and the light was beautiful! Here is a link to the engagement session:
http://www.nashan.com/2009/06/arnoldjorgenson-engagement.html

Thank goodness that was for their engagement session and not their wedding. Their wedding was held in September at The Wild Flower Gardens in Red Lodge on one of the last really hot days that we had this summer.

Kristen and Scott met at a branding and he works on a ranch and his family runs cows. All of the vessels from the wedding were gathered from his family's ranch. I LOVE all of the old milk bottles and various containers that they used to decorate the tables with.
Not only were they beautiful, they brought meaning into the beautifully arranged flowers.

They used the colors of the wedding and topped the cake off with a small bouquet of flowers.
Kristen had made all of the programs and displayed them in a milk bucket on the welcoming table.
Each guest was asked to write a short note on a note card that Kristen had made.


Each guest was given a carmel coated apple on their way out....
Kristen's dress was just perfect for her and her boots were comfortable throughout the night.


One of Kristen's bridesmaids was fluffing te under part of her dress just minutes before the wedding.

I Loved the small details that really made Kristen look so beautiful!

In the heat of the afternoon Kristen walked down the aisle without a cloud in the sky. When you plan your Montana Wedding you need to be prepared for all sort of weather. Although it was piping hot during the ceremony it did get a little chilly for the reception.

I LOVED Scott's feather...

As I was walking around photographing the wedding I saw this Cowboy standing behind the last row of chairs and I think it is one of my favorite photos because it captures the feeling of the wedding and gives a very clear sense of place.
Scott made the Arbor that they were married under...

One of the best times to photograph a couple is as they walk down the aisle right after being pronounced man and wife.

The good, the bad, the...

Kristen and her sweet niece.

Labels: Montana Planning, Montana wedding, wedding planning

This Monday morning I was given some bad news from a friend of mine. In his Email he told me that Elegant Bride and Modern Bride had folded! I LOVED each of the magazines for different reasons and have been featured in both publications many times over the past eight years. More importantly the two photo editors that I have known for all of this time found themselves out of work on Monday morning. They lost their jobs rather unexpectedly although we all know that the publication business has been in turmoil since this time last year when the financial crisis first started to hit all of us.

Both publications have been a great resource over the years for women, and a few interested grooms, who have been planning their weddings. So there will be a great gap to fill. Fortunately I also got news that Brides magazine, which has been published on a quarterly basis, will now go monthly so not everything is lost. All three publications were run from offices on the same floor in NY. Each had their own specialty and style but all of the editors were in close touch with the each other so I think Brides will fill in a lot of the missing gaps now that they are being published more frequently.

One of my favorite features of the publications was the Elegant Bride section of EB's publication. I have had two bride's featured in it over the years and thought of continuing the idea on our blog. The title of our feature will be Elegant Montana Bride. This is our first feature and we will continue to host a new bride on a regular basis. In the publication there was only one photo of the bride and we will be hosting several images that really show off the individual style of our Elegant Montana Bride.

Labels: Elegant Montana Bride

Last week's guest blogger, Rebecca, was married on Saturday at the Lazy B Ranch in Bozeman, Montana.

Rebecca epitomizes a Montana Bride in so many ways! She had a very clear idea of what she wanted her wedding to be and went to great lengths to make sure everything was just right. Their destination Montana wedding had so many personal touches that it was really amazing.

Elk antlers that Mark and his brother had found over the years lined the aisle, and they used bench seats instead of chairs for a more intimate feel. Autumn leaves were scattered on the grass to enhance the feeling of Fall.