The Inspired Rustic Charm of Weddings in Montana

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There is something so therapeutic in the aesthetic beauty of the Bridger Mountain Range near Bozeman Montana.  At any time of year one can look to the mountains, sometimes capped with snow, and see them showing off their beautiful depth of dimension and color giving the beholder a feeling of resounding peace and calmness.  The Bridger Mountains like many other mountain ranges all over Montana balance the juxtaposition of topographical majesty and serenity of nature giving one’s wedding day an inspired rustic charm while bringing out a natural beauty so stunning, it can take your breath away.

Weddings in Montana should never be about competing with the rustic beauty of the landscape, but about harmonizing with its natural inspiration. The very nature of the Montana landscape elicits a beautiful rustic charm and a sense of timelessness.  It can also be unpredictable. Often the changing weather patterns in and around the mountains hold no tolerance for the perfectly primped and planned-out outdoor wedding. Sometimes things don’t always stick to the plan.

With that in mind, I encourage my wedding clients to embrace the unexpected on their wedding day.

You never know when a flash rainstorm might occur. It’s not unheard of for a sudden flurry of snow to happen in June.  It is the imperfections and those impromptu moments that can create an authentic, untouchable beauty to one’s own wedding day. Those are the moments that could never be planned for or prevented, but only accepted and enjoyed. Such was the case for Courtney and Chris’ wedding at the Springhill Pavillion last summer.

The wedding venue sits at the base of the Bridger Mountains just 20 minutes north of Bozeman. It’s a beautiful place and was a spectacular setting for their Montana wedding. Alas, there was a little precipitation on Courtney and Chris wedding day. Despite the rain, the newlyweds kept a positive attitude throughout the day. No amount of unexpected weather could stop their celebration. Their constant smiles and laughter made the hiccup of rainy weather insignificant and it shows in their wedding photography.

Partnering with a Montana wedding photographer who knows how to utilize the unique mixture of scenes and rustic environment (while juggling the unexpected and unforeseen circumstances) helps to create stand out imagery all the while keeping things refreshingly candid and natural. It is the best way to make the most of your Montana Wedding. As a photographer, it’s what I strive for during every wedding I photograph.

The ability to capture candid photos that tell the story of a couple’s wedding celebration is paramount. It’s the beginning of their adventure through life together surrounded by their friends and loved ones. For those who seek to utilize the rustic charm of the rocky mountain landscape, having your wedding in Montana can provide the most vivid of backgrounds and creates a truly unforgettable wedding experience. Rain and all. -M

To view more photos from Courtney and Chris’ wedding day, you can view my blog post about it here.

Special thanks to my amigos at The Social Den for assisting on this post.

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Triple Tree Trail Engagement Session of Bobbi Jean and Chris

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    I recently photographed Bobbijean and Chris' engagement photo session at the Triple Tree trailhead in Bozeman Montana.

I recently photographed the Triple Tree Trail Engagement Session of Bobbi Jean and Chris in Bozeman, Montana.

Wedding season is upon us here in the Big Sky state and I’ve been having a lot of engagement photo sessions lately. Last week I met up with Bobbi Jean and Chris at the Triple Tree trailhead in Bozeman Montana to photograph their engagement photo session.

Engagement photo sessions come complimentary with all of my wedding photography collections. I like it because it gives me and my clients a chance to get to know one another before their wedding day and make some fun photos in the process.

Bobbi Jean and Chris brought along their dogs as we hiked and explored the popular Bozeman trail system during their Triple Tree Trail Engagement session. Knowing Chris worked as a logger and Bobbi Jean as an employee of Yellowstone National Park, I wanted to photograph them in their outdoor element. Afterward, we ventured over to the wood shop of Montana Wildwoods artist and friend Tom Benedict where we played amongst his large juniper tree sculptures.

These two were great and I’m looking forward to photographing their wedding at the Old Faithful Inn later this summer. A fun day. -M

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Three Forks Spring Engagement Photo Session of Kerry & Jarod

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  • Engagement photos of Kerry and Jarod around Manhattan and Three Forks

Last Friday afternoon, I had the pleasure of photographing the Three Forks Spring Engagement of Kerry and Jarod around Manhattan and Three Forks, Montana.

I met Kerry at the 2015 A Montana Wedding: The Bridal Event back in early March. These two are getting married later this summer. Kerry and Jarod were the recipients of my engagement session giveaway during the bridal event.

When discussing the possibilities of their Three Forks Spring Engagement Photo Session, they made clear that they were up for a fun adventure.

We decided to head out of town and travel west towards Three Forks. I always enjoy my visits to those two Montana towns and always discover something new in the breathtaking Montana countryside.

On this couples portrait experience, we walked down the Jefferson River and came across a public art installation with hundreds of blue horse sculptures along the road. They made for some really unique photos of these two.

Congrats on your engagement you guys! -M

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2015 Thrive Lilly Ball Fundraiser in Bozeman, Montana

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Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the 2015 Thrive Lilly Ball Auction Fundraiser at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bozeman, Montana Saturday evening. Thrive is a wonderful local organization that strives to give every child an opportunity to succeed and grow to become a valuable member of the community and the world. They have been providing families with the resources, tools, and support to raise healthy, successful children in the Bozeman area since 1986. Every year they host their Lilly Ball event as their mainstay for funding their organization. I was happy to volunteer my services to support their great cause. Here are a few of my favorites from the evening event and auction. I was happy to be apart of the event. -M

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Alaska Pilot inflight marriage proposal goes viral

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My pilot brother’s Alaska Pilot inflight marriage proposal goes viral online from national and international media.

My pilot brother Eric and his new bride-to-be Brandy have been making headlines throughout the internet for the last couple of days. Recently they became engaged when he surprised her at 34,000 ft with a proposal inflight while she working as an Alaska Airlines flight attendant! She is an incredible person. Our family is thrilled.

Then a few days ago, a posted youtube video of Eric’s in-flight marriage proposal started to gain traction online. It has since caught the attention of the national and international media. The list continues to grow but so far Eric & Brandy have turned up in news articles for USA Today, The Daily Mail in Great Britain, MSN.com, featured on CBS This Morning, ABC News, Alaska Airlines blog, Cosmopolitan, The Knot, People Magazine and The Huffington Post even used a Greener Visuals Wedding Photography photo that I took of these two love bird goofballs on a mountaintop outside Anchorage, Alaska. Check it out.

It’s been fun for the family to watch their love story spread across the web. Well done brother. Way to be a wing woman, Mom. It’s a great story. I encourage you all to watch the video below and hear my stud little brother propose to an awesome lady. The Greener wedding is going to be this summer! I can’t wait.

Congrats on your engagement you guys! -M

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Gallatin Valley Botanical Labrador Puppy Family Portrait Session – Bozeman, Montana

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I recently photographed the Gallatin Valley Botanical Labrador Puppy Family Portrait of Matt and Jacy!

For the past 7 weeks, I’ve been making a weekly trek to the outskirts of Bozeman to the Gallatin Valley Botanical farm with my girlfriend Lora to scope out her new puppy and best friend. Ten labrador puppies equal awesome. Our Wednesday visits quickly became the best day of the week for us to play with the kids.

Matt and Jacy, the owners of the local Bozeman farm, had a litter of ten puppies and one of which would soon come bouncing into my life. During my youth growing up in Illinois, my family bred labs on our five-acre wooded property. I have some good family memories growing up around Labradors. Now by association, I would get to be around once again. Awesome indeed.

Before the puppies all went to new homes, I ventured one evening over to the Bozeman organic farm with my camera and made some fun Gallatin Valley Botanical Labrador Puppy Family Portrait photos of Matt and Jacy along with their kids and an army of labrador puppies. After all, it’s not often an opportunity like this happens. We had a great time. In the end, Lora got a yellow male and is calling him “Timber”. This will be fun. The dog adventure begins. -M

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2015 The Bridal Event by A Montana Wedding Magazine in Bozeman, Montana

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Had a great time meeting the brides and other Bozeman wedding vendors at the 2015 A Montana Wedding Magazine The Bridal Event in Bozeman, Montana. The event was last Saturday at the Best Western GranTree Inn. It’s a great one-stop-shop planning event for engaged couples looking to hire professional vendors for their wedding celebrations.

Great food, beautiful flowers, and endless inspiration abound for the local brides-to-be.

Well done to the advertising staff of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle for hosting such a great Bridal Event in Bozeman. And congrats to Kerry and Jarod for winning my free photo engagement session in the grand prize drawing. Here are some photos I made throughout the day. All the best to all the recently engaged! Looking forward to next year’s event. -M

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Have a Heart Reach Inc Art Auction fundraiser

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This past Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing the annual Have a Heart Reach Inc Art Auction fundraiser here in Bozeman.

This event serves as Reach Inc.’s main fundraising source for the year to support their cause of empowering adults with disabilities. I love helping out a good cause.

Once again, I worked alongside some friends. The Wizard of Oz-themed local art event was the creative master plan of the talented event and wedding planner Abby Turner, of Icing on the Cake Events. Sadie Morales, chef of all things awesome at Sadie’s Catering, kept the crowd well-fed as they enjoyed live jazz, and drinks. All in attendance turned out to show support for a great organization.

All told the evening of art donated by local Montana artists brought in over $37,000. I had a lot of fun photographing it. -Mike

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Story Mill Park Winter Engagement Portrait Session of Samantha & Jonathan

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Last week I photographed the Story Mill Park Winter Engagement Portrait Session of Samantha & Jonathan near downtown Bozeman, Montana.

These two Manhattan, Montana natives hired me to photograph their wedding day this upcoming August and wanted to showcase the winter Montana landscape in their engagement photo session. We decided to take advantage of the wonderful winter evening light we’ve been having lately here in the Big Sky country and walked around the historic Story Mill park area and Gardner Park in Bozeman for a couple of hours.

This time of year, the outdoor color palette yields a lovely mixture of golds, oranges, and blues and I wanted to maximize it. These two had a great attitude and were up for a fun adventure. Our Story Mill Park Winter Engagement Portrait session time went quickly as we enjoyed exploring the landscape and playing with their golden retriever.

These two are great. I’m thrilled with how their photographs turned out and I’m looking forward to photographing their big day later this summer. Congrats on your engagement you guys! -M

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Bozeman Montana Winter Engagement Pet Photo Session of Julia & Peter

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Last week, I photographed my wedding clients Julia and Peter for their Bozeman Montana Winter Engagement photo session.

We had the opportunity to venture out into the surprisingly mild Bozeman winter weather for their Bozeman Montana winter engagement.  These two have a great park near their home in southwest Bozeman where they often walk their dogs. It’s a place that brings a lot of happiness into their lives. We started our photo outing there.

On this day, I loved the winter color palette of blues, greys, and oranges that were standing out from the white snow blanketing the ground. It gave me some great negative space to play with. I was really pleased with the results.

These two are a great pair.

Looking forward to photographing their wedding day at Chico Hot Springs in June. Stay tuned. -M

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Best of 2014 Wedding Photographs from Greener Visuals

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I’m proud to present my Best of 2014 Wedding Photographs from Greener Visuals!

Another year has gone by and another chance for reflection on all the blessings and celebrations I was fortunate to experience and photograph in 2014. Time truly flies when you are having fun. My passion for photographing destination weddings brought me all over the country this year including to Davis and Chico, California, Idaho, and numerous wedding celebrations throughout Montana. All were unique and special.

I was thrilled to learn the news that Montana this past year joined the ranks of 35 other states to allow same-sex marriages. A good decision that was a long time coming. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to love and marry who they choose. Progress march on!

I am so thankful for all of my wedding couples who trusted me to deliver a fun, photographic experience. It was an honor to be a part of your special day. Here are a few of my Best of 2014 Wedding photographs I made from the past year. Looking forward to the new smiles and faces I’ll meet and photograph in 2015. This wedding photographer is open for business! Now booking for the 2015 wedding season. Happy holidays everyone! -Mike Greener

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Bozeman Montana Engagement Photo Session – Sara & Cory

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going out for an afternoon with my wedding clients Sara and Cory for their engagement photo session throughout downtown Bozeman, Montana. I’m looking forward to photographing their wedding day at the Springhill Pavilion in September 2015. With the holiday season upon us, they wanted to get out and use their complimentary engagement photo session for a Christmas card/wedding announcement and wanted to take advantage of the unusually warm weather we were experiencing mid-December. It was a great time for us to get to know each other while breaking the ice and making some fun photographs. I always am inspired by my surroundings when photographing – be that a walk through Lindley Park, using the architecture along Main Street or even cool window displays like at The Bent Lens Optical Boutique. These two were up for the challenge and we had a fun day collaborating on making images. I feel lucky to know that in my line of work I get to meet and hang out with such fun couples like these two. September can’t come soon enough. A fun day. -M

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Bozeman Outdoor Maternity Photo Session with Jessica

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A few weeks ago, I photographed the Bozeman outdoor maternity photo session of Jessica in her home and around downtown.

This will be her first child and she wanted to have herself and her belly documented. Having never photographed a Bozeman outdoor maternity photo session before, I was intrigued and happily accepted. It was a fun challenge.

We got together in the morning and I brought my mobile photo studio to her apartment. We spent our time sipping coffee and having fun creating different photo setups. I wanted to simplify things, eliminate distractions and make the photos all about her.  I’m all about versatility in my photographs and I want to give my clients options in their photo sessions.

From her place, we ventured outside and walked around downtown Bozeman chatting, collaborating, and looking for interesting backgrounds. It was so fun to see her excited anticipation. Jessica is two weeks out from having her life completely change into her upcoming motherhood. I’m so excited for her. Congrats to the mama-to-be! -M

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Montana ends same-sex court marriage ban – Love Wins!

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Yesterday, I had the pleasure of photographing the same-sex court marriage of MichaelAnne and Shannon in Bozeman, Montana!

In the early morning, news had spread around the State of Montana that a U. S. District Court Judge struck down Montana’s same-sex court marriage ban which effectively made the Big Sky country the 34th state to allow gay marriage. I was so happy to hear it. It was some good news that has been a long time coming. Positive change. Love had finally won!

So as I was sipping my late morning coffee and reading the Bozeman Daily Chronicle newspaper article about the court decision for ending the same-sex marriage ban, I got a surprise call from a friend. She let me know that my two friends MichaelAnne and Shannon had decided they had waited long enough. They we’re going to quickly tie the knot at the Gallatin County Law and Justice Center at 11:30 am.

They suddenly needed a wedding photographer!

I had about ten minutes to get to the other side of town and I wouldn’t miss such a special occasion. Grabbing my camera gear, I rushed out the door.

Sprinting up to the second floor, I arrived to find the Rev. Nina Grey, of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bozeman performing free wedding ceremonies to LGBT couples in the hallway as they lined up to the County Clerk’s office to get their new marriage certificates. It was a beautiful and emotional scene to witness. There were many tears of joy. Sweet beautiful victory.

I photographed a few couples and then waited to see my two friends finally join in union. MichaelAnne and Shannon met in Eugene, Oregon has been together for the past 15 years. It was so special to see them finally tie the knot surrounded by close friends. I’m so excited for them and all the other LGBT couples that finally got their big day. Today love won! Congrats to all! -M

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Chico California Wedding Day Photos of Sara & Jason

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I’m excited to post these wedding photos. About a month ago, I traveled to Chico, California from Bozeman, Montana to photograph the destination wedding day of Sara and Jason. These two lovebirds booked me well over a year out after her work friend found me and showed my photography to Sara during a internet search for Northern California wedding photographers during a long overnight emergency work shift (Sara is a veterinarian). Talking with with Jason and Sara on the phone we quickly bonded over discovering a mutual love of the outdoors, fly fishing and the occasional craft beer. These were my kind of people. I had been looking forward to their wedding day for a while. Our first time meeting was in the morning of their wedding day but it was like being reacquainted with old friends. I met up with them as they were getting ready at the Hotel Diamond in downtown Chico and photographed them as the day unfolded.

Their wedding was a fantastic DIY (Do it yourself!) event hosted at his mother’s farm property outside of town called the Double R Ranch. It was put together with the help of friends and family who were successful in creating a charming garden farm themed wedding celebration. Dinner was served in the garden amongst the sunflowers and squash on wood tables made by the groomsmen. The barn itself had been just finished by the wedding party in time for the event. Everywhere you looked there was a personal touch. It was a beautiful day filled with warm weather and smiles. A fun weekend with great people! I am just thrilled for these two! Congrats to Sara and Jason and many years of continued happiness! -Mike Greener

To see all of their wedding celebration photos, click here.

 

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Brynne & Dustin Wedding Day at Abbott Valley Homestead outside Whitefish, Montana

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A few weeks back I drove over and up to northwest Montana to photograph Brynne and Dustin’s wedding day near Whitefish, Montana. Fall is by far my favorite season of the year and my excitement grew as I made the drive through the mountains landscape littered with bright reds, oranges, and yellows of the changing leaves throughout the Flathead Valley. You couldn’t ask for a nicer Montana Fall wedding landscape. Brynne and Dustin’s wedding celebration was held at the Abbott Valley Homestead, a gorgeous northwest Montana horse property with the classic cowboy charm. This was the second time I had the pleasure of photographing her family. After meeting the couple last year when I was photographing her sister Cierra’s wedding in Big Fork, Montana, we hit it off and they booked me over a year out for their own wedding day. Needless to say, I had been looking forward to their wedding for a while. And what a wedding it was! These are a fun bunch of folks to celebrate with. I had a blast documenting the day and the happy familiar faces. Here are some of my favorite images from the day. Wish these two all the best! -Mike Greener

To see all of their wedding photos from the day, click here.

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A Montana Wedding magazine features Greener Visuals Photography

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Whoo hoo! Big news! I just got copies of the brand new A Montana Wedding magazine and it is full of wedding photos from Greener Visuals Wedding Photography! The wedding magazine is a yearly publication produced by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and showcases Montana wedding stories and useful tips for couples planning their wedding day in the Big Sky state. The best part is that a photo from Courtney & Chris’ Wedding day was chosen as the magazine cover photo! My first ever! I’m so excited! The publication will be dispersed to wedding vendors and businesses throughout the state for the next year. I’m proud to to see numerous past clients of mine be featured throughout the pages. As you can see from the photos, I got a lot of good photo play. Also, I have plenty of copies. Shoot me an email and I’d be happy to send you one. Check it out! -M

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Courtney & Chris Bozeman Montana Wedding Day Photos at Springhill Pavilion

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A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding day of two amazing people here in Bozeman, Montana. Courtney and Chris had their late summer outdoor wedding at the beautiful Springhill Pavilion just outside of town. It’s funny how some people come into your life. I first met Chris during a friendly (but intense) game of garage ping pong with mutual friends at my old place in town. Little did I know that a few months later I would run into his bride-to-be Courtney at the 2014 Bridal Affaire Bozeman Montana last February and we hit it off. From the get-go, I loved the energy these two brought to the table. Such endless positivity and smiles. I love a wedding couple that takes the traditional concepts of a wedding and instead go in their own direction to make it entirely an unique experience. Such was the case with them. Their wedding honored their friends just as much as the day was meant for them. They had all of their friends contribute and participate in some way to make their wedding day special. Some performed songs, others read poetry, spun fire and gave blessings. They even had a friend perform numerous AC/DC songs on a cello. By the time DJ Missy O’Malley cranked up the beats, everyone celebrated into the night dancing their faces off. It was a wonderful celebration and I was so thankful to be there to document the fun. A big thank you to Time Of Your Life Events wedding planner Genevieve Burmeister and crew for making it all flow so smoothly. I wish these two all the best. -Mike Greener

To see all of their wedding photos click here

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Manhattan Montana Backyard DIY Wedding of Christina & Levi

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Wow! Is it August already? Time does fly when you are having fun. Looking back on my summer, I’ve been keeping busy photographing weddings and spending the remaining free moments mountain biking around the mountains of Bozeman, Montana. Life is good. I feel lucky to have found such happiness and fulfillment in documenting the love of others with my camera. It’s a continual reaffirmation that fills me with gratitude daily. The only thing better than documenting the big day of my new wedding clients are those times when an opportunity to document a good friend’s wedding comes around. A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of watching my buddy Levi marry the love of his life Christina in a beautiful and intimate ceremony on a family friend’s property outside of Manhattan, Montana. Levi and his family have been dear friends of mine for many years running. Having grown up in Bozeman, Levi was the guy who introduced me to great people and many places to explore when I first moved to Bozeman and I didn’t know a soul. It was a kindness extended at the time to the new guy in town that I will always be grateful for. I had been looking forward to them tying the knot for some time now. These two love birds met at a kundalini yoga retreat and quickly fostered a strong bond with each other. When it came time to planning their wedding, they decided to have a small ceremony with close friends and relatives contributing food in a potluck fashion. It worked out great. Their wedding day was simple but elegant collaboration. It’s was a great feeling to watch my friend be filled with such joy at having found a wonderful woman and partner in Christina. Here are some favorites from their wedding day. I wish them a lifetime of happiness! -M

 To see all of their wedding photos and to buy prints, go here.

 To see their Photobooth photos, go here.

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Idaho Falls Idaho Wedding Photography of Hope & Jeffery

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A couple weekends ago I traveled down to the small Idaho town of Rigby near Idaho Falls to photograph the country garden wedding of Hope and Jeffery. I met the two last summer when I was photographing her sister Ashley’s wedding day in the Montana Bitterroot Valley. It was so great to celebrate another wedding with their family again. Hope and Jeffery had their wedding at her grandparents country garden home, a beautiful property covered with flowers, produce, horse pastures and cottonwood stands which left all onlookers to admire the artistic touch of two master gardeners. Her grandparents said they collected over 30 gallons of raspberries alone last year. I love seeing wedding couples take the idea of a wedding and make it all their own. These two were no exception. Hope and Jeffery were able to blend a country wedding with Jeffery’s Japanese roots. His relatives folded 1000 paper cranes and then hung them intermixed with lights all in a large cottonwood tree which made for a beautiful ambience. The food had a wonderful homemade touch. They had many mouths to feed since about 360 guests were invited. The riddle was solved by having a caterer make pulled pork BBQ. Rather then create an exorbitant wedding cake, they opted for a smaller wedding cake from a fancy bakery then the family cooks united and made dozens of homemade pies, a delicious personal touch to a wedding day food menu. Once bellies were full the night entertainment began. Drinks were poured and the moment the DJ cued the music, the dance floor got busy. Yard games, a photo booth and an epic candy bar assisted in keeping spirits and sugar levels high into the late evening. Smiles were seen all around. In all, it was a beautiful day and I was thrilled to be apart of it. I wish Hope and Jeffery all the best! -Mike

To see all of their wedding day photos, you can view them here.

The Wedding Team:

Cherz & Co. Salon – Hair and makeup by Kellie & Kristie Stolworthy – Idaho falls, Idaho

North Hi-Way Cafe – BBQ catering – Idaho Falls, Idaho

Master DJ – music man Tony Schmitz – Omaha, Nebraska

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