Montana Wedding Archives - Thewmatt Photography

June 18, 2024

Morgan & Ben’s Spring Wedding at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake

The theme of this spring here in Montana has been wild swings in weather, but it seemed to work with Morgan and Ben's wedding day schedule anyhow. Rain threatened all day, and there was considerable cloud cover throughout. However just as Morgan began walking down the aisle for the ceremony the sun broke through the clouds and hung around throughout the ceremony. Then as we were wrapping up wedding party photos, the clouds opened up and showered us in a downpour with small hail. We sprinted back to the pavilion at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake and enjoyed a beautiful reception.

Venue, Lodging, & Catering: The Lodge at Whitefish Lake / Bakery: Montana Wildflour / DJ: Sidecar Audio / Florals: Pure Happiness Wedding Flowers / Rentals & Decor: Celebrate Event & Party Rentals

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Montana, Montana Wedding, The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, Wedding, whitefish

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

November 24, 2023

Fall Wedding at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, Dakota & Quinn

I've said it before and I'll probably say it evermore, but it takes a hearty, self-assured couple to choose a Fall wedding in Northwest Montana. I firmly believe it is the most beautiful time of year here, but is also the time with the most fickle weather imaginable. And it will often be cold and rainy.

That was certainly the case for Dakota and Quinn at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake this November. The reception and accompanying dance party were naturally held in one of the ballrooms, and there was a secondary ceremony location set up in another ballroom as a plan B, but these snowboarding enthusiasts had no intention of holding the ceremony inside. Plan A was the only option for these two, out on the pavilion platform with Whitefish Lake in the background. I only call out the snowboarding detail because these two were my third couple this year who snowboard, and went full-send on holding the ceremony outside no matter the weather. And I am here for it.

Venue and Catering: The Lodge at Whitefish Lake / Planning, Coordination, and Florals: Hawthorne House / Bakery: Bakes and Cakes by Brie / DJ: Sidecar Audio / Photobooth: Pixelated Gigs / Videography: Treasure State Entertainment / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Fall, Hawthorne House, Montana, Montana Wedding, The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, Wedding, whitefish

November 3, 2023

Whitefish Wedding Photographer, Christopher & Nick’s Backyard Wedding

Christoper and Nick were another couple I was fortunate to meet at the My Montana Wedding Expo back in January. They approached my booth with a unique request. They were planning an evening, outdoor wedding. Their timeline guaranteed that artificial light would be needed so they needed to see how comfortable I was working with artificial lighting. Great news, I'm super comfortable with it, it's something I don't get to do as often as I'd like because we get so many hours of daylight here during the summer months—not that I'm complaining—so I was all in.

The wedding was happening in Christopher's parents' backyard, it was planned by family members, and the food was prepared by the families, it couldn't have been more intimate.

Bakery: Ephemera Confections / Couture: Rococo Bridal & Formal Wear / Rentals & Decor: Celebrate Event & Party Rental / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Love is Love, Montana Wedding, Wedding, whitefish

November 1, 2023

Montana Wedding Photographer, Rebecca & Bobby at Green Valley Ranch

Rebecca, Bobby, and I initially met to discuss their wedding at Gunsight Saloon in downtown Columbia Falls. It was primarily a vibe-check meeting to make sure we were compatible. You see over and over again on social media that you should get along with your photographer because of all of your vendors, you're going to spend the most time with them on your wedding day, and that is one piece of advice I wholeheartedly agree with.

Needless to say, I felt I had an instant rapport with these two. We only discussed their wedding for about 15 minutes and then proceeded to discuss life in general, snowboarding and skiing, and classic cars for the next hour plus.

They were working with Big Day Celebrations as their planner so I knew the vendor team would be a band of all-stars to work with it, and was eagerly awaiting their wedding day.

As I've said before weather here in Montana can be sketchy in the Fall, but rarely does it stay sloppy all day. Well, this was one of those one in 100 occurrences. It alternated between spitting rain and heavy rain quite literally all day. But true to their laid-back nature, Rebecca and Bobby didn't want to fall back on a 'plan B' scenario for their ceremony and quite literally said "We're going to full-send it" in true snowboarder fashion and it was a beautiful, rain-filled vow exchange in a meadow surrounded by their friends and family.

Venue: Green Valley Ranch / Planning: Big Day Celebrations / Bakery: Mountain Mama's Cupcakery / Catering: Forage 406 / Couture: Mimi's Bridal / DJ: RMF Entertainment / Florals: Conrad Floral / Hair & Makeup: Bridal Bliss by Lana / Rentals: Empress Tents & Events and The Party Store / Transportation: Montanan Trolly Co. and Wild Horse Limo / Second Photographer: Cortney Foster

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Coram, Green Valley Ranch, Montana, Montana Wedding, Wedding

October 30, 2023

Glacier National Park Elopement, Amanda & Cale

I was so excited to get a message from Amanda telling me she was engaged and that I was her first thought to photograph it! I initially met Amanda when I photographed her with her parents, her brother, and her dog Penny. The elopement was a great opportunity to reconnect with the family and be a part of an amazing sweet elopement.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Elopement, Wedding

Tags: couples portraits, Elopement, Glacier National Park, Montana, Montana Wedding, Sun Point

October 26, 2023

Whitefish Wedding Photographer, Emily & Kyle at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake

Montana's Fall weather is rivaled only by Spring weather in terms of unpredictability. What you can bet on, is it will be either beautiful, or sloppy (whether that means cold, rainy, snowing, or all of the above.) Emily and Kyle were blessed with the latter, without the snow. It rained a good majority of the evening but gave us enough of a break for some lovely portraits before the wedding after a first look on the dock.

Venue & Catering: The Lodge at Whitefish Lake / Bakery: Ephemera Confection / Couture: The White Dress / DJ: Sidecar Audio / Florals: Elevate Amenities / Rentals & Decor: Celebrate Event & Party Rentals

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Montana, Montana Wedding, The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, Wedding, whitefish

October 18, 2023

Somers Wedding Photographer, Jessica & Tanner at North Shore Farm

Jessica and Tanner are both from the North East, but Tanner's uncle lives here in the Flathead Valley and they've been visiting several times over the years. Tanner's uncle also manages North Shore Farm in Somers, which also had the perfect space along the Flathead River for a beautiful ceremony.

One of my favorite parts of photographing larger weddings is the reception because all the stressful parts of the wedding day are over, the couple can relax—let their hair down so to speak—and just enjoy their time with friends and family. And I've witnessed some crazy dance parties, but none nearly as crazy as this party turned out. Of course, when the party favors are temporary tattoos of the bride and groom in Juggalo makeup, I should've expected nothing less.

Wedding Design, Coordination, and Florals: Signature Events and Design / Bakery: Cakes by Debi / DJ: DJ Portarock / Hair & Makeup: Beauty Bee / Rentals & Decor: Celebrate Event & Party Rental / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Montana, Montana Wedding, Somers, Wedding

October 16, 2023

Columbia Falls Wedding Photographer, Samantha & Austin at North Forty Resort

While not from Montana, Samantha and Austin hold a special place in their heart for this corner of the state. They were both seasonal workers at Glacier National Park and met by what some might call fate when wildfires caused closures in certain areas and caused staff to be consolidated in the areas that remained open. They've been together ever since.

They had an intimate, DIY-style wedding at North Forty Resort located between Whitefish and Columbia Falls. The wedding favors were postcards created from historical maps of where they both grew up and a postcard from the Many Glacier Valley where they met.

Venue: North Forty Resort / Catering: House of S+M / Rentals & Decor: Celebrate Event & Party Rentals

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Columbia Falls, Montana, Montana Wedding, north forty resort, Wedding

October 9, 2023

Anna & Justin’s Wedding at Dog Creek Lodge in Olney, Montana

I was finally able to make it out to Dog Creek Lodge in Olney for a wedding, and it was such a blast. Just a short drive North of Whitefish on Highway 93. Anna and I met for coffee very early in the planning process and she had everything organized and very much under control. She and Justin are both very much into the outdoors—hiking, running, biking, all of the things—they just wanted everyone to have a great time for the wedding day in a beautiful outdoor setting.

One of the more unique elements they had was a unity ceremony consisting of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich together, and then each taking a bite together not wholly unlike "The Lady and the Tramp" spaghetti scene.

Venue: Dog Creek Lodge / Planning and Rentals: Empress Tents & Events / Bakery: Fleur Bake Shop / Band: The MAC Band / Catering: Silk Road Catering / Florals: Two Kays Flower Farm / Transportation: Rocky Mountain Transportation / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography