kalispell Archives - Thewmatt Photography

July 24, 2024

Leah & Ben’s summer wedding at Snowline Acres in Kalispell, MT

Leah and Ben's wedding at the beautiful Snowline Acres in Kalispell was a showcase of colors and big, big wedding parties. They have long ties to the area with family in Bigfork, so had been visiting the area for years. When they got engaged, it only made sense for them to choose a venue in the "last best place."

And when you've got large wedding parties, and a bunch of guests, there are few better venues than Snowline Acres to accommodate your wedding day dreams.

Venue: Snowline Acres / Planning & Coordination: Big Day Celebrations / Bakeries: Bakes & Cakes by Brie and Lake Baked / Bar Services: Lady Luck Hospitality / Catering: Cartwright Catering / Couture: Bridal Finery / DJ & Photobooth: RMF Entertainment / Florals: Flathead Farmworks / Hair & Makeup: Melanie Hobus / Rentals & Decor: Empress Tents & Events / Transportation: Montana Trolley Co. / Videography: Skeeter Johnston Productions

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: kalispell, Montana, Montana Wedding, snowline acres, Summer, Wedding

July 12, 2024

West Kalispell Photographer, the Lewis Family

One of the coolest things I get to do as a family photographer is documenting extended families visiting the area for the first, fifth, or tenth time. As modern life takes family members and spreads them far and wide throughout the country and world it's so fun to share a couple of hours with them as they get to spend time together for the first time in a while.

The Lewis family was no different, and as you can no doubt see in the photos, they were a unique bunch of characters that kept the laughs coming through the whole session.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Family Photography, Portraits

Tags: Extended Family Portraits, family, family portraits, kalispell, Montana, Portraits

April 26, 2024

Abbey & Kyle’s Spring Montana Wedding at Diamond B Weddings

I couldn't wait to get Abbey and Kyle in front of my camera again after their engagement session in West Glacier this past Fall. They had planned a fairly large wedding here in Kalispell at Diamond B Weddings, which in addition to kicking off my 2024 wedding season, was also the same venue where I photographed my first ever Montana wedding back in 2018.

As is common for spring in Montana, the weather was a very big variable in terms of the plans for the ceremony location. Thankfully, in addition to the large heated event space Dimaond B added five years ago, the original barn is still there and was able to serve us well for the ceremony with a rainy, chilly forecast for the day.

Regardless of location, the day was always going to be filled with laughter, love, and smiles with Abbey and Kyle surrounded by over 150 friends and family.

Wedding Venue: Diamond B Weddings / Catering: Atomic Tacos / DJ: V-Team DJs / Hair & Makeup: Glacier Beauty / Transportation: Venture Shuttles / Rentals: Hi-Country Linen Service / Second Photographer: Cortney Foster Photography

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Diamond B Weddings, kalispell, Montana, Montana Wedding, Spring Wedding, Wedding

September 22, 2023

Kalispell Wedding Photographer, Morgan & Bryan at Snowline Acres

Last October I was fortunate to spend a perfect, mid-October evening with Morgan and Bryan traipsing around West Glacier—and a quick stop at the Bulldog in Whitefish—for their engagement portrait session.

I couldn't wait to see them again for their wedding at the Ashley Creek Historic Venue at Snowline Acres which is perfect for large weddings like they were planning. It was a very elegant, black-tie-style affair full of love, laughing, smiles, and dancing... lots of dancing.

Venue: Snowline Acres / Coordination: Empress Tents & Events / Catering: Desoto Grill / DJ: Peak Audio / Florals: Pure Happiness Wedding Flowers / Transportation: Wild Horse Limousine / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: kalispell, Montana, Montana Wedding, snowline acres, Wedding

August 25, 2023

Lake Blaine Wedding Photographer, Caroline & Evan’s Backyard nuptials

From our very first video call when Caroline and Evan were choosing a photographer, it seemed to be fated that I would photograph their wedding. I was wearing a shirt with a penguin on it in that Zoom call, and Caroline immediately commented on it. I soon discovered that she studies penguins, and her specialty is the very same penguin you'll see in the upper left of this website!

As amazingly coincidental as that is, that isn't the sole reason I was their wedding photographer. We hit it off from that very first conversation and continued to over coffee a few months before the wedding which took place at Evan's parent's house near Lake Blaine. And it was just down the literal street from where Evan had grown up. On top of that personal touch, they brewed the beer for the occasion, the food was a group effort prepared by family and following a recipe from Caroline's grandmother, and there was a bird theme throughout given that they both study birds for a living!

Florals: Memories in Blossom / Hair & Makeup: Majestic Mountain Beauty / Rentals & Decor: Bella Trailers and The Party Store

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: backyard wedding, kalispell, Lake Blaine, Montana, Wedding

July 12, 2023

Switchback Suites, Downtown Kalispell Boutique Hotel

Several months ago my friends Joe and Katie bought a boutique hotel right in downtown Kalispell. Then came a couple of months of frantic work as they refurnished, remodeled, and converting office space into two additional rooms. This brings us to today and eight rooms, conveniently located to major thoroughfares, walking distance from walking and biking trails, downtown shopping, and local food options.

I occasionally dabble in real estate photography so when they asked if I was available to help them get their listings ready for primetime I jumped at the chance. If you're planning on being in the Flathead Valley and need a place to lay your head, it's worth checking out. You can learn all you need to know about the accommodations at the Switchback Suites website.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Real Estate

Tags: kalispell, Lodging, Montana, real estate, real estate photography, vacation rental

July 10, 2023

Kalispell Wedding Photographer, Lindsay and Brady at Diamond B Weddings

One thing I always tell my wedding couples is that no matter how far out you begin planning, the wedding day will arrive before you know it. Time seems to accelerate the closer the big day comes. Lindsay and Brady's wedding was no exception. They booked my photography services 19 months ago, way back in 2021. Fast forward to the summer of this year and here we are!

This was such a fun and unique wedding, as just about everyone in the wedding both wedding parties and the bride and groom more or less grew up together. There's something really cool when everyone has that shared history together that makes the wedding day really intimate even though there are around 200 people there.

Venue: Diamond B Weddings / Couture: Mimi's Bridal / Hair & Makeup: Halo Salon / Bakery: Montana Wildflour / Sweets: Montana Sweet Traditions / Flowers: Two Kays Flower Farm / Catering: Dickey's Barbecue / Photo Booth: The Candid Caravan / Jewelry: Coins & Carats / Second Photographer: Cortney Foster Photos

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Diamond B Weddings, kalispell, Montana, Montana Wedding, Wedding

May 19, 2023

Dana’s Surprise 40th Birthday Party

Nothing is more exciting, and a little anxiety-inducing, than when you're hired by another photographer for a job. But it's ultimately always a blast. My colleague Jennifer Vernarsky's husband was turning the big 4-O and was holding a surprise party for him at a Kalispell vacation rental. It was so much fun arriving early to capture some of the custom decorations she'd ordered from Etsy, and getting to hang out with her in-laws while we waited for them to arrive for the big surprise. Of course, I had a piece of the delicious cake from the Crumb Cake Bakery.

The good news, the surprise was a success, and everything went off without a hitch in the plans.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Event

Tags: birthday party, family, family portraits, kalispell, Montana, surprise party

March 10, 2023

Ammie & Blake’s Courthouse Ceremony and Glacier National Park Portraits

My friend Katie with An Epic Elopement texted me one evening as she and her husband were having dinner with one of her neighbors to see if I was interested and available for a weekday portrait session with them. They were going to be getting married at the courthouse soon and were hoping for some portraits at the courthouse, and then 'somewhere epic' later on.

Well, it doesn't get much more epic than Glacier National Park in this neck of the woods, even if it is winter and there are low clouds everywhere. We left the sunny, blue skies of downtown Kalispell to the completely socked-in winter setting of Lake McDonald and took advantage of all the beauty it has to offer.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Couples Portraits, Maternity, Portraits

Tags: Civil Ceremony, couples portraits, Flathead County Courthouse, Glacier National Park, kalispell, maternity, Montana, Portraits, winter maternity

February 10, 2023

Kalispell Wedding Photographer, Leila & Jay at Diamond B Weddings

I don't want this post about Leila & Jay's wedding to sound like a paid promotion for another business that is completely unrelated to photography, but that is actually how I first met Jay. He runs Rocky Mountain Power Systems here in the Flathead Valley and was responsible for selling and installing an on-demand power generator at my house. And what I didn't know at the time was I'd actually met his mom through My Montana Wedding when I first joined the association.

Fast-forward a couple of months after his initial consultation visit to my house but I run into him at Kaite & Beau's wedding at Diamond B Weddings because—surprise!—Katie is Jay's youngest sister!

Then a few months ago I get a call from Jay saying he's found the love of his life and he's going to be getting married in January for a winter wedding. Naturally, I was more than happy to oblige, even with the stress of working in front of one of the Valley's long-established photographers Joanna Adams who was in the wedding as the Aunt of Leila.

It's a small world after all.

Venue: Church at Creston and Diamond B Weddings / DJ: Destination DJ / Second Photographer: Kyle Stansbury