June 10, 2022

Glacier National Park Elopement Photographer, Dee & Steve

I met Dee and Steve through wedding planner extraordinaire Kate Jimenez with An Epic Elopement. They'd initially contacted her for her all-inclusive elopement package but after consultation—and because she's such a sweetheart—she realized they didn't really need that much for what they were looking to do. After contacting me to see if I was available, she basically handed them off to me and suggested they order a bouquet from Mum's Flowers in Whitefish, and it would be super simple. They weren't needing an officiant, they were simply going to exchange vows between themselves, which for now does not require a special permit to be obtained from Glacier National Park ahead of time.

Initially, our plans were for a part of the park that sometimes opens by early June but with the unpredictability of weather, and a very late winter storm we experienced in Northwest Montana that was unfortunately not possible, but I think we found a suitable alternate location, and it was such an honor to play my small role in documenting their exchange of vows.

July 29, 2021

East Glacier Family Photographer, the Lewis Family at Glacier Park Lodge

For some reason, I'd not had the opportunity to make it over to Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier but I'm so glad I got the opportunity to document the Lewis family's vacation stop there. Yes, it was sort of a miserable day, with gray clouds and reasonably persistent rain, but they were very open to working around that and didn't let it spoil the fun—and plenty of shenanigans from the teenagers and the grandads—of the evening.

August 14, 2019

Saint Mary, Montana Wedding Photographer, Debra & Christopher

While they're regular visitors to the area due to familial ties, Debra and Christopher were planning their wedding day from the East coast. Naturally, in the best of scenarios, this can make planning and coordinating a wedding without a planner difficult. And when a permitting snafu scuttles plans for a wedding in the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park you're forced to fall back to a plan B. Of course when your fallback is family land on the shores of Lower Saint Mary Lake, your plan B is better than many people's plan A!

From getting ready, the first look, the wedding ceremony, and then a family hike in the Two Medicine area the day after the wedding, I really got a chance to get to know both of them and their children, and it couldn't have been more fun. It is so humbling to be included in such a special day.

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Matt Wetzler is an editorial, motorsport, portrait, and destination wedding photographer based in Whitefish, Montana.

Copyright ©Matthew Wetzler 2008–2024