Advance apologies for how much I’m about to rave about this themed Yellowstone wedding in Glacier National Park, but I think it might be my Roman Empire. 

(Scratch that, it is, without a doubt, my Roman Empire.)

I mean, not only have I been dreaming of going to Montana since I was fourteen years old, but Wendy and Brian totally outdid themselves with their intimate and breathtaking destination wedding, making this bucket list item blow my expectations out of the icy blue glacier water. 

Let’s run it back. I’ll try to keep myself contained. (Who’s kidding who, when have I EVER.)

The Welcome Dinner

Consider this my petition to make the welcome dinner a staple of any wedding, ever. Wendy and Brian welcomed fifty of their closest friends and family to their destination wedding by hosting a ‘Dress in Your Best Yellowstone Attire’ welcome dinner at Sacred Waters Brewing, and I’m obsessed with how it set the tone for the equally romantic and raucous time that was waiting the rest of the weekend.

As you can see, the guests did not come to play. They busted out their very best Beth Dutton-chic and Durangos, kicking off the weekend with some serious cowboy-coded fanfare before settling in at their campus-style lodging at ROAM Beyond. 

(You read that right, Wendy and Brian literally rented a huge ranch to host all of their wedding guests. Needless to say, the bar is high.)

Setting the Stage for the Yellowstone Wedding of the Century

Wendy’s and Brian’s Yellowstone wedding timeline was a little different than your standard day-of schedule. While they opted in for twelve hours of coverage, on top of the welcome dinner and film add-on, three of those hours were devoted to driving into the depths of Glacier National Park for the most stunning photographs I think I’ve ever taken in my life. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself! (You would, too, if you had the privilege of teetering on a literal mountain to get these shots.)

Before we set out on our little road trip, though, Wendy and Brian’s morning was devoted to getting ready at the ranch, taking a beat to get eyes on each other for the first time in their his and hers cowboy hats, and knocking out family photos. Since literally every human at this wedding was considered family– some by blood, most by choice– we had our work cut out for us, but the party had started the night before and wasn’t about to stop for the photos. 

I think my favorite thing about this portion of the gallery is that you don’t have to know that they’ve all been thick as thieves since high school and college to see that they’re tighter than a pair of leather chaps. There is so much youth, so much history written all over everybody’s faces as they gear up for helping Wendy and Brian become a forever sort of thing.

Road Trip to Glacier National Park

Okay, now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for– the mountains, the direct sunlight, the hats, the boots, the pollen floating in the air. It was everything. 

It’s moments like these– ankle deep in glacier mountain water or standing in the middle of a Montana highway to get the shot– where it really hits me how lucky I am to do this for a living, to create a visual legacy of a love story as iconic as Wendy’s and Brian’s. 

The real magic of it isn’t in anything I do with my camera, though. As cool as it is to press the shutter and position myself just right, it’s even cooler to witness a couple give themselves over to a moment– to throw their heads back in the air with belly-aching laughter; to close their eyes in sweet sweet bliss when they’re cheek to cheek with the human that they love with everything they have in them; to be so couldn’t-care-any-less with your wedding dress and suit that you wade into the lake. 

That is what having your wedding photographed is about. This– the complete and total reckless abandon you see in these photos– is what it’s all about. 

The Ceremony

Wendy’s and Brian’s wedding vows were also said in Glacier National Park, tucked away in a little alcove with nothing but an amphitheater, their nearest and dearest, and the overwhelming expanse of nature that surrounded the bride and groom. 

Of course, the wedding vows were gorgeous and made me cry, but no one is surprised there. What you might be surprised to know, though, is that if you’re not beelining to your people to wrap them in a hug or cracking a cold one in your trunk shortly after the ‘I do’ leaves your mouth, you may be missing a crucial step of the whole wedding process.

Just saying.

The Yellowstone Wedding Reception

Scene change. Outfit change. Position-of-the-sun-in-the-sky change. 

After Wendy changed into a chic-as-f*** Georgia Hardinge gown and the literal goat made his presence known on the premises, everybody was ready to party. 

I don’t really have words for how every detail of this reception– from the wood-paneled walls to the simple white cake decorated with wildflowers, the charcuterie-style appetizers to the golden hour portraits, the Modelos raised and boots stomped– was so perfect for Wendy and Brian. So, I guess I’ll just let you see for yourself and be green with envy while you’re doing it.

As I look back on this gallery– more times than I should probably admit– a couple of distinct thoughts come to mind:

1. If my grandpa could see these photos (he was a nature photographer and taught me everything I know), he’d be really freaking proud.
2. My fourteen year old self was onto something good, when she had Montana in mind.
3. Wendy and Brian are onto something good with their adventurous, whimsical love. 

Have another bucket list destination wedding for me to capture? (Or, heck, let’s do Montana round two, three, or seventy-three!) You fill out my inquiry form, and I’ll get my cowboy boots ready.