There is no place in the world I LOVE more than Montana, because, well, I am a Montana girl through and through. So, when the oh-so-talented Habitat Events sent along this rustic Whitefish affair, I LITERALLY jumped for joy. It’s everything I absolutely adore about my home state (lush, romantic florals, sunny blue skies and awe-inspiring views) with just the right touch of whimsy, brilliant images by Green Door Photography and enough heartwarming moments to last a lifetime. In other words, a Big Sky dream come true. Click here for more.
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From Habitat Events… We loved planning Elise and Rob’s wedding, which is full of fun and quirky details. Elise is from from Missoula, Montana, which is an hour and a half south of Glacier. Because they loved the park so much, and because it ranks high on most people’s lists of a place they’d like to see before they die, Whitefish was the perfect spot. They chose a very low-key dude ranch right outside of town. They loved the unpretentious and relaxed atmosphere as well as the resident horses (Elise grew up with horses), not to mention some pretty amazing backdrops. Their family and friends really embraced the planned activities list: hikes, rafting and horseback riding, just like camp! As a Northwesterner, Elise always loved Pendleton and wanted to use the Pendleton Glacier blanket as the backdrop for the wedding. They lifted the turquoise mountains from the Centennial edition and used them on their wedding invitations, which Rob designed, and escort cards, and then we used the basic blankets on the hay bales for the ceremony, and also as the theme for our tables. The four long tables (which met in an X) were striped like the blankets (red, yellow, green, and black). Elise bought tons of vessels on eBay and Etsy, and then we at Habitat Events and Floral Design mixed in locally-sourced, organic flowers and produce. For the four square tables to fill out the floor plan, we did two tables with boats and buoys (Rob is from Maine), and two horse-centric tables (Breyer horses, feed buckets, salt licks, lead ropes, etc.). The rental company custom-made the rustic chandeliers that hung over each of the quadrants. Elise free-hand embroidered portraits of both of her parents on their wedding day (hippies, so they didn’t have a wedding), and also of Rob’s parents, to use as cushions for the rings. Rob’s dad had passed away, so it seemed like a nice way to have him there.
From the Bride… Our friend Nicholas Felton, who introduced us, is a graphic designer who is famous for making annual reports about his life. He’s now super-famous because Facebook hired him to make Timeline. He made infographic programs for us as a wedding gift. They were a tri-fold and told the moments of our lives in numbers and maps (things like the number of book pages I’ve read since college, the number of St. Louis Blues hockey games Rob and his friend Scott attended in grade school, the number of days that Rob’s grandparents were married, etc.). We also managed to include about 90% of our guests. I bought my Nina Ricci dress at Barneys, and my engagement ring was Rob’s great-great-grandmother’s. We used vintage stamps, which I know is no big trick, but we tried to only pick ones that related to our lives. We detailed most of them here. My dad calligraphed our envelopes because his mother was a commercial sign painter, so we thought it would be a way to commemorate her, and we painted all of the signs using her favorite yellow and black color scheme. Rob made our wedding website using Virb.com, which is super easy to use and elegant. He also made a downloadable DJ mix for the Going to the Sun Road.
Wedding Photography: Nicole Wickens of Green Door Photography / Wedding Venue: Bar W Guest Ranch in Whitefish, Montana / Event Planning + Floral Design: Habitat Events / Catering: Ryan Boehm of Bravo Catering / Pies: LouLa’s Café / Ice Cream: Sweet Peaks Ice Cream / Rentals: Northwest Party Rentals / Wedding Invitation Design: The Groom / Program Design: Nicholas Felton / Paper Printing: Swayspace / Wedding Website Built by the Groom Using: Virb / Calligraphy: The Bride’s Father / Ring Cushions: Embroidered by the Bride / Wedding Gown: Nina Ricci via Barneys New York / Engagement Ring: The Groom’s Great-Great-Grandmother’s