West Glacier Archives - Thewmatt Photography

August 2, 2024

Lauren & Wade’s late-night silent rave with a West Glacier Wedding

Lauren and Wade came my way thanks to Chad at Peak Audio—purveyor of fine DJ and music rentals, and DJ extraordinaire—who is a close personal friend of theirs. After a quick phone call weaved into everyone's busy schedule where we hit it off immediately, the wedding planning began in earnest.

Leaning on the wedding experience that Chad and I both brought to the table, it was a largely DIY affair with a rock star support team. Some of the more unique things they did to make the day their own was a "breakfast adventure" for dinner replete with eggs, bacon, Belgian waffles, and all the toppings you could imagine along with a 'silent' rave into the wee hours of the morning with hundreds of chicken nuggets and dipping sauces as a late night snack.

It also featured the absolute sweetest best-man speech from Wade's brother that took a massive left turn into saucy territory at the end that had everyone switching from tears to raucous laughter in the blink of an eye.

Venue & Lodging: Paddle Ridge / Band: El Wencho / Catering: The House of S&M / Couture: Mimi's Bridal / DJ: Peack Audio / Hair & Makeup: Glacier Beauty Co. / Jewelry: Sugar Plum Fine Jewelry / Photo Booth: Mountain Memories 360 Photo Booth / Rentals & Decor: Empress Tents & Events / Videographer: On-the-Fly Films / Second Photography: Cortney Foster Photos

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Montana Wedding, Paddle Ridge, Summer, Wedding, West Glacier

July 8, 2024

Lake McDonald Suprise Proposal, Silas & Parker

This past winter, Silas reached out to me about his plans to propose to Parker in Glacier National Park one morning this spring. Their plans involved riding bikes on Going-to-the-Sun Road since it had not opened to car traffic yet. So Silas and I planned a specific location on the shore of Lake McDonald, a specific time, he snapped a covert photo of her outfit and let me know what he was wearing so I could identify them when the time came, and as soon as we identified each other, he got right to the task at hand. And yes, of course, she said yes!

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Couples Portraits, Portraits

Tags: Apgar Village, couples portraits, Glacier National Park, Lake McDonald, Montana, Portraits, surprise proposal, West Glacier

April 5, 2024

West Glacier National Park Engagement, Spence & Kristen

This has been the winter and spring of engagement portrait sessions for several lucky couples. Or should I say I've been the one lucky to be working with them?

Spence reached out to me weeks ago as he and his now-fiancé Kristen would be in the area and he was planning on proposing. While he wasn't trying to capture the actual proposal itself as part of a portrait session, he wanted to commemorate the occasion with a portrait session the following day.

We spoke on the phone a couple of times, he asked dozens of really great questions, and we settled on a time and place for the session. All we needed was confirmation of Kristen's "Yes!" and we were off and running.

We experienced a perfectly magical evening with clear skies and warm sun in West Glacier and Glacier National Park resulting in some epically beautiful photos.

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

Tags: couple, engagement, Glacier National Park, Montana, Portraits, Spring Engagement, West Glacier

March 20, 2024

West Glacier Vow Renewal Photographer, Joni & Brandon

Joni contacted me all the way from Texas because she, her husband, and their three children would be visiting the Flathead Valley and wanted to have a simple vow renewal somewhere picturesque, ideally with snow and mountains. Thankfully, Mother Nature cooperated, and we coordinated with Jason of Big Day Officiants for the ceremony exchange itself and had the most lovely evening together.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Couples Portraits, Portraits, Vow Renewal

Tags: couples portraits, family, family portraits, Glacier National Park, Montana, Portraits, West Glacier

March 13, 2024

Surprise Glacier National Park Winter Proposal, Melanie & Bryan

I told Brian—after he'd successfully asked for Melanie's hand in marriage on the shore of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park—that I think my heart was probably pounding as quickly as his heart was. Surprise proposals are such an honor to be a part of but man can they be stressful. What if I'm in the wrong spot? What if I'm focussing on the wrong couple? What if I have a camera failure at the key moment?

Thankfully, choosing a winter proposal here in Glacier means it won't be super busy, and with the proper preparation—something Brian and I began discussing three months prior—a lot of the risks can be minimized. Photographing a proposal is also an adrenaline rush for me not unlike the start of a race, where I quite literally have one opportunity to get it right, and there are no true do overs.

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

Tags: couples portraits, engagement, Glacier National Park, Montana, Portraits, surprise proposal, West Glacier, Winter, Winter Engagement

November 20, 2023

Winter Engagement in West Glacier, Kristina & Casey

Another day, another astonishingly beautiful day in West Glacier. Kristina and Casey are getting married this summer just outside the West entrance to Glacier National Park and were in town meeting up with their planner Big Day Celebrations and other wedding vendors so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to grab some engagement portraits in the same area they'd be getting married in!

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

Tags: couples portraits, Glacier National Park, Montana, West Glacier

November 17, 2023

West Glacier Engagement Photographer, Abby & Kyle

When Abby and Kyle first booked me for their wedding and added an engagement session, we always planned on scheduling it in the Fall. Partially because the Fall colors in Northwest Montana are amazing, but also out of necessity. Kyle is a Wildland Firefighter, and during the summer his schedule can be extremely volatile.

Thankfully, things worked out tremendously weather-wise. We did have a heavy dusting of snow that provided a lovely contrast with the Fall colors. I am so looking forward to their wedding this spring.

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

Tags: couples portraits, engagement, Glacier National Park, Montana, Portraits, West Glacier, Winter

October 27, 2023

West Glacier Wedding Photographer, Alaina & Harrison at Snowmoon Ranch

I was honored to be brought into this wedding at the suggestion of Empress Tents & Events for this lovely wedding they were planning at Snowmoon Ranch which has an amazing panoramic view of Glacier National Park. We had the absolute perfect weather and a dream team of wedding vendors that made for a night not soon forgotten by anyone in attendance.

Venue: Snowmoon Ranch / Planning and Rentals: Empress Tents & Events / Bakery: Bonjour Bakery & Bistro / Band: The MAC Band / Bar Services: Mavericks Bar & Casino / Catering: A Moveable Feast / Florals: Forage & Floral / Couture: Mimi's Bridal / Hair & Makeup: Bridal Bliss by Lana / Invitations: Paper Muse Co. / Officiant: Best Day Officiants / Photobooth: Pixelated Photobooth Gigs / Transportation: Wild Horse Limo / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, Montana, Snowmoon Ranch, Wedding, West Glacier

October 8, 2023

West Glacier Family Photographer, The Genthers

The Genther family, like many families I have the pleasure of working with each year, were on their way around the country while taking the time to 'road school' their kids. I guess technically you'd call it homeschooling, but when your classroom is the wide-open country that doesn't seem to encapsulate the experience. We met up in West Glacier towards sunset, headed into Apgar Village, and they ultimately ended up in Lake McDonald to close out the evening. Pretty much the perfect way to end a session on a relatively warm late-summer day.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Family Photography, Portraits

Tags: family, family portraits, Glacier National Park, Montana, Portraits, West Glacier

September 27, 2023

West Glacier Engagement Photographer, Ashley & Matt

Ashley and Matt were recently engaged and just happened to be here in Northwest Montana for a friend's intimate wedding day. In my extremely biased opinion, they had the magnificent idea to get some engagement portraits done while they were here. After all, it's awfully difficult to pass up the opportunity for engagement portraits at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park.

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

Tags: couples portraits, Engagement Session, Glacier National Park, Montana, Portraits, West Glacier

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