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Ennis Montana Wedding of Riki and Lee

A few weeks back, I traveled to photograph the Ennis, Montana, wedding of Riki and Lee overlooking the Madison Mountain range.

It was an absolute pleasure getting to know this wedding couple over the past year during the lead up to their Ennis Montana Wedding day.

Right from the start, the shared, rich intellect and loving kindness of Riki and Lee were an apparent, magnetic force.

Lee and Riki met four years ago while pursuing their PhDs at Northwestern University. They are now both budding powerhouse chemists on the East Coast.

During our first conversation, Lee shared what they admire most about Riki. They love how Riki is so good at genuinely seeing people. She is kind and doesn’t hesitate to help others. “Whether it be her colleagues, students, friends, or our community of loved ones, Riki shows me how to be a better partner,” Lee said. They also admire Riki’s intellect, “She is extremely smart and was the best in her class. I love how she challenges me.”

Riki feels the same – she loves Lee’s mind. This couple’s roots began as friends and quickly blossomed into something stronger. Riki immediately felt that she could be herself around Lee. With their first interactions together, they quickly dove deep into their loving relationship. She describes herself as straight-edged and admires the diversity of Lee’s rich life experiences. Lee’s adventurous approach to life makes it easy for Riki to walk outside her comfort zone in all the best ways.

In honor of their special bond, we met up last Fall to photograph their engagement couples photos in Lee’s hometown of Butte, Montana.

Setting the Scene for your wedding day

When it came to choosing their wedding location, this couple knew that Montana was the only place they wanted to be.

For their DIY Ennis, Montana, wedding day, Riki and Lee gathered an intimate group of close friends and family out at their uncle’s property overlooking the Madison River.

Upon arriving at the wedding venue, guests were greeted by the vast mountain landscape that covered in a lush palette of green colors. It was a wonderful result of the wet spring Montana experienced that year. As far as Montana standards go, you could not have had nicer wedding weather.

Emphasizing a carefree and relaxed event, the couple got ready together with their friends while sipping coffee, eating bagels and BBQ, along with telling countless funny stories. Numerous special details were on display. Riki wore her grandmother’s wedding dress from the 1950s and a sapphire wedding ring she and Lee found at a Phillipsburg, Montana mine.

For a Do-It-Yourself Wedding, it takes a village

Everyone in attendance worked together to make Riki and Lee’s wedding day special.

After a lovely, emotional wedding ceremony, Riki and Lee, along with their wedding guests, took in a beautiful Montana sunset during the cocktail hour. Guests dined on a taco buffet provided by Fork and Spoon catering under the reception tent. Many heartfelt toasts were made by their gathered loved ones.

In Montana, the weather tends to move in fast. Throughout the day, we had an assortment of epic cumulonimbus clouds roll through that created dramatic, beautiful pockets of sunlight. But when the weather turned to strong winds and a brief rainstorm, the group came together to help. Guests battened down the reception tent and held on to weather the storm. Thankfully, it was a short-lived event, and nothing blew away.

In the aftermath, we were rewarded with a lovely rainbow over the Madison Valley and beautiful golden hour light that the wedding couple and I were able to take some gorgeous photographs.

After everyone was fed, tables were cleared to make room for the epic dance party. Orchestrated by the incomparable DJ Missy O’Malley, Riki, Lee, and their wedding guests went wild dancing late into the evening.

In all, this couple’s warmth, adventurous spirit, and focus on each other created such an amazing energy to be around. I had such a great time celebrating and photographing Riki and Lee on their big day.

I could not be happier for these two. Congratulations to the bride and gride! I wish them a lifetime of happiness!