We are so fortunate to have a good selection of talented wedding florists in Montana. Not only are they creative and able, but they are easy to work with. Flowers. As they start to blossom around Livingston and begin to grow in my front yard I am taken by how many varieties are my 'favorite.' Right now I have a little bouquet of Lily of the Valley on my counter along with a HUGE bouquet of wild flowers that my neighbor and I picked.

The flowers that you choose for your wedding will become your flower forever! When shopping for potted plants with my kids I chose some of my wedding flowers to include in the pots because it reminds me of our wedding every time I see them. Once you have chosen which type of flowers you want, you then have to choose how you want them to look and feel. Do you want them arranged in traditional, contemporary, funky or relaxed arrangements? What will your complimentary wedding flowers be? I photographed a wedding that had herbs mixed into the bunch and it made it smell divine! ( I love cooking. Wouldn't it be nice to be reminded of your wedding every time you use mint, basil or oregano?)

Your wedding flowers say a lot about who you are and what you love. If I were to marry my husband again, which I would, I would have a bouquet of Lily of the Valley. Somewhere there would be peonies and then I love lilacs! And I think I would want them arranged in a contemporary yet funky kind of way...hmmm what does that mean? Maybe some white feathers and the bouquet tied with white strands of leather or perhaps pieces of silk? Perhaps some antique buttons for accents? The options are endless. Choosing your wedding flowers, just like anything else you will be shopping for, will make you realize that there are too many wedding flower choices.

Here are some of my favorite wedding flower photos for you to look at that I photographed in 2008. Some of them were in Montana and some were not, but they all have ideas that you might want to incorporate into your Montana Wedding. The vendors listed on the Montana Wedding Guide do wonderful work. Take a peak at their sites. See who's work you prefer and then give them a call.

Montana Wedding Florists

Why have a Montana Wedding? Just in case the photos don't speak for themselves it is all about the feeling of Montana. People live here because of the lifestyle it affords them. People get married here to be a part of that mindset and for the beautiful views. These few photos illustrate the diverse feelings you can incorporate into your Montana wedding.

In addition to the views we have very talented vendors that live & work here. When you become a Montana Bride you reap the benefits of the talented wedding vendors that offer their services at an affordable prices. Check out the Montana Wedding Florists, Montana Wedding Photographers, Montana Wedding Consultants, Montana Party Rentals and you will see the skill level of all of these vendors is on par with any area in the nation.

This spring has been crazy here in Montana. Having a Spring wedding in Montana is a risky proposition at best, Keegan, my 15 year old daughter had the privilege of being Laci and Ryan's wedding photographer. Laci & Ryan were so fortunate to have a nice day for their wedding. They chose to get married at the Woodlands in Bozeman, and Leslie from Montana Wedding Florist did the bouquets.

Laci and Ryan personalized their wedding in so many unique ways that were really meaningful to them. From the sign in 'tree' to the bird cage for gifts in envelopes the theme was clear. They love family, nature and wildlife and incorporated it into so many different aspects of their wedding. Personalizing a Montana Wedding offers so many options but the one theme that is very popular is the love of nature. Lacie and Ryan chose to have the ring bearer carry their rings in a bird's nest and had feathers on the center pieces, her hair piece and broach etc. Lacy's broach and matching hair piece that her mother made set off her wedding dress just perfectly.

This was the first wedding at The Woodlands that was held in the trees and it was a perfect location for their wedding. It set the perfect backdrop of the sand ceremony that included sand from Kiawia and from Oregon, two coastlines that are very meaningful for the two of them.

They frames and labeled portraits of their various family members at their weddings. They were a diverse set of photos but the one cohesive factor was that their family members stayed married for a LONG time.

And don't forget a funky pair of shoes. I loved the fact that Laci's accent color was black. It shows a confidence and sense of style that is so funky and fun!

If you would like to see more of Keegan's photos of Laci and Ryan's wedding please visit http://nashanclients.com/RedCart/
scroll down until you see Keegan: Deller.Kooser
(They will be up by the end of next week.)

Keegan did a beautiful job photographing Laci and Ryan's wedding. You can see those at
http://nashanclients.com/RedCart/
Keegan: Kooser.Deller engagement.

When you are planning a wedding in Montana think of what makes it interesting to you. What were the meaningful places that effected you and how can you share those with your family and friends.

What makes a Montana Bride so unique? There are those who live in Montana and want to share our beautiful state with their friends and relatives and there are the 'Montana Brides' who have some sort of special connection to our state and are willing to travel here to celebrate their wedding.



People who live in Montana have a certain sense of who they are and choose to live in Montana for the quality of life it offers. The bride who chooses to have her wedding in Montana usually emanates a self confidence that is indicative of the strong personalities of people who live in our state. Montanans are individuals and typically so are our brides. Life in Montana is not always easy, right now the wind chill is 12 below, so typically the more weak at heart move on to more mild and welcoming climates. (My family, who lives in Florida, thinks I am crazy for living in this cold weather, sometimes I am not certain they are wrong!)




The Montana Bride who tackles the extra burden of planning a destination wedding here has to come to terms with our weather and juggling more logistics. There is always a chance of inclement weather in Montana but our vendors know how to plan for it so please heed their advice. When the rental company suggests that you have a tent 'just in case' they are not trying to make another sale they are trying to make sure your wedding goes smoothly. I have lived in Montana since 1991 and have seen it snow every month of the year! I have also photographed weddings where it has rained and snowed and I have to say the weather has brought together the whole wedding party every single time. There is a sense of togetherness that is evident in those weddings that is not there during any other circumstance. Destination brides can choose to have their weddings anywhere and by choosing Montana they are saying a lot. Montana is a down to earth state. Our people posses an outlook on life that is more about quality than quantity. We choose to live and work here because the pace of life is slower and the pressure to keep up with the Jones' is non existent. Brides who travel to Montana appreciate that perspective on life, they love our landscape, the endless summer days, and the almost perfect climate for two months out of the year.




We love our local and destination 'Montana Brides' because they typically want a more relaxed wedding that celebrates their commitment to one another. They usually have a definite vision that they want implemented, and they trust the vendors they hire to take their vision and execute it in such a way that makes it even better than they imagined. A lot has to do with trust here in Montana. People are trusting and trust worthy.

A Montana Bride has to think of many things while she is planning a wedding in Montana. One of the most important decisions are the shoes she is going to wear. Typically brides will have a couple of shoes for the wedding, especially if the wedding is going to be outside. I would strongly suggest that you have a pair of really pretty 'girly' shoes for the ceremony and then have something funky to change into. One of our favorite brides, Carrie Patterson, told us she ws going to wear dyeables and we had to have an intervention. She came to our office, we flipped through the options on Zappos.com and VOILA, the next day she had some great shoes for her wedding and they were only about $70! Zappos.com (Which by the way comes from the Greek word meaning shoes. I am Greek.) allows you to search for shoes in so many different ways including color and heal height. Their free shipping is great so you can order as many pairs as you like and return the ones that don't work for FREE!

For those of us who know us here at montana wedding guide you know we have shoe problems. (We love them and LOVE seeing what unique shoes our Montana brides choose to wear!) Here are some of our favorite wedding shoes. Next week we will chat about Montana Wedding Flowers.

Devan and Jeff had their wedding ceremony and reception at Devan's parent home in Bozeman, Montana. Although the wedding was simple, it was beautifully held together with the green color scheme that started with Devan's sash and was carried throughout the wedding.
This is the spot where Jeff proposed one year earlier.

Devan's sister was in charge of making all of the details of the wedding including the programs, umbrellas, and take home gifts.

The cake mimicked Devan's sash even down to the brooch she wore and one that decorated the cake.
I love the ribbon guarding the bed of flowers. They were fresh for the bride and her dad to enjoy their walk down the aisle.


Some huge sparklers to wish them well on their walk of fame.....

I always love seeing flowers in the containers that they are delivered in.


Here are some of the photos of the work the various vendors did on the Marshal/Kearney wedding. Maura and Andrew were very easy to work with, their joy of life and deep connection with their family and friends was very evident during the day. I hope you can see how much fun everyone had and how beautifully integrated the event was.
I love the leather strapping that tied the flowers together. Maura worked with Cecilia so she really knew what her style was and Maura gave her complete creative freedom on the wedding.
The various vessels on the dinner tables with the cowhide table clothes.


When guests arrived, cowboys on horses directed traffic to the lodge.
Maura & Andrew had a wonderful engagement portrait session and they decided to have some large art prints of the session hung around the dining area.

The delicious cupcakes!



A couple of details....

Engagement photos are essential to any wedding. They give clients and the photographer a chance to get to know each other and they are just fun! As you all know the weather in Montana can sometimes be crazy! When we did this photo shoot the wind was HOWLING! With a little bit of patience and Kastina and David's ability to brave the cold we were able to make some really lovely photos.

Once you book your photographer make sure you talk about your engagement shoot, many people include it in their packages.

A wedding in Montana is awe inspiring, an engagement session can be too.