A Timeless, Outdoor Wedding at Paddle Ridge

With the bounty of wedding inspiration online, we understand how tempting it can be to incorporate ALL the latest trends. On Instagram, you see the weddings of celebrities, influencers, your friends and family, and other couples in your area, and no doubt they are all beautiful. However, not all of the details from these weddings will always be right for you! As a top Montana wedding planner, we are here to remind you that you should always remain true to yourself when designing your big day, even if it means putting blinders up and ignoring the latest viral reel about the newest wedding trend.

This is one reason why we absolutely love the wedding story we are sharing with you today. Angela and Ryan had an outdoor wedding at Paddle Ridge with a neutral color palette and thoughtful details that made their day exquisite and timeless. We incorporated some trends that were meaningful to this couple, but were intentional about it in order to keep the focus on their love.

From their outdoor wedding ceremony to their open-air reception, we’ll show you how we curated their perfect day. It was filled with quality time with their loved ones, personalized elements, and gorgeous photos that radiated pure joy. Angela and Ryan’s outdoor wedding at Paddle Ridge is sure to inspire your own timeless wedding design, so let’s dive in!

It’s a Love Story:

When we work together to plan your wedding, we always start by getting to know you, your soon-to-be spouse, and your love story. After all, your wedding day is the culmination of the journey you took to get to the altar! Angela and Ryan for instance first met at the Minnesota State Fair through mutual friends. With the help of their friend group, they laid the foundation for a solid friendship and over time, it progressed into something more. They both realized this for the first time when they celebrated their birthdays together with their friends (they’re only 4 days apart!).

After a whirlwind 5 years of dating and making memories, Ryan planned a weekend getaway at a cabin in Wisconsin to celebrate New Year’s. One morning, Angela and Ryan went on a walk together and he popped the question on the banks of Lake Superior! They shared this intimate moment together, as they entered the next phase of their relationship.

Outdoor Wedding Ceremony:

This is when Angela and Ryan reached out to our team here at Big Day Celebrations! They decided they wanted to have an outdoor wedding in Montana with 13 of their closest people. It was important to them to be able to maximize the time spent with each other and their loved ones on the big day, so they kept their circle small. They also knew that they wanted to keep the wedding design simple, classic, and timeless. After viewing their inspiration photos, our lead planner, Katie, put together a mood board for them that consisted of a neutral color palette with natural textures and greenery.

We were then able to bring the vision to life! On the day of this outdoor wedding, we took care of the venue setup together with Angela and Ryan’s rockstar vendor team. While the couple did their first look and captured pre-ceremony photos, we set out their personal décor and ensured everything was picture-perfect.

Before Angela and Ryan knew it, it was time for the ceremony and to get married! We lined up the wedding party for the processional, cued the music, and sent everyone down the aisle. It was so sweet to watch Angela’s father walk her up to the altar, where Ryan took her hand. Since they had an outdoor wedding ceremony, the natural beauty of Montana served as their backdrop with its majestic mountains and towering forest trees. Their guests sat in wooden cross back chairs while they bore witness to Angela and Ryan’s new marriage.

Pro Tip for Your Wedding Cocktail Hour:

After they tied the knot, the cocktail hour of this outdoor wedding began! We invited guests to munch on a luxury charcuterie display and grab a drink from the bar. Angela and Ryan had an open bar with the crown jewel being their signature drink called a “Moscow Mohs,” inspired by the newlyweds’ last name.

In the meadow adjacent to the reception space, we set up a gorgeous lounge area, where guests now mixed and mingled. Consisting of vintage cream furniture, a natural wood coffee table, and a textured ivory rug, this was not only a great place for guests to relax, but also made for a wonderful photo opportunity! Throughout the rest of the evening, Angela, Ryan, and their family had fun hanging out here and snapping photos. After all, with a jaw-dropping background like this, how could you not take a picture (or 10)?!

A lounge area is the perfect way to include additional seating and help create a relaxed environment at your wedding. You can tie in your wedding colors here and add plenty of texture to give your design depth and dimension. It’s also a wonderful way to fill the space with a functional and aesthetically pleasing element, especially if you’re having a micro wedding!

Timeless Wedding Design Details:

Angela and Ryan’s outdoor wedding reception took place in an open-air venue at Paddle Ridge that featured natural wood paneling and a stunning antler chandelier. The vibe of this space was reminiscent of the cabin that Angela and Ryan stayed in on their proposal trip, so it couldn’t have been more perfect to celebrate their new marriage in!

In this space, we set a wooden king’s table with an ivory gauze runner trailing down the center. We placed a garland of greenery and white blooms on top of the runner along with clear and gold votives and pillar candles. We interspersed assorted bud vases amongst the candles, giving the tablescape more height.

At each place setting, we set a rattan charger, gold flatware, and an emerald water goblet. A custom place card and a simple sprig of greenery sat atop each linen napkin. We really drew inspiration from nature for Angela and Ryan’s outdoor wedding design, especially in the hues and textures that we incorporated. Using neutral colors and natural elements help create a timeless wedding design.

Outdoor Wedding Reception:

When this outdoor wedding reception officially started, the newlyweds did their cake cutting followed by their first dance and the parent dances. With an intimate guest count, these formalities felt even more special and sacred. Angela’s father, Bobby, then gave a heartfelt toast that brought smiles and even happy tears to everyone there.

Everyone then enjoyed a delicious plated meal of either Moroccan Chicken or Beef Medallions, provided by the ever-wonderful The Kopper Kitchen. Our team next cut and served the wedding cake, which was a vanilla cake with huckleberry filling and vanilla bean buttercream. Montana Wildflour always knocks it out of the park with their confections, and we love when couples incorporate huckleberry, the state fruit of Montana! Angela and Ryan also offered their loved ones mini mason jars with cake to take home with them.

The remainder of this outdoor wedding was filled with golden hour portraits (SO dreamy!), dancing, and good plain fun. Angela even threw on a custom white leather jacket that had “Mrs. Mohs” emblazoned on the back. Fringe lined the back of it to create an iconic bridal look!   

Looking back on this romantic and beautiful day, the thing that stood out to us the most was simply how joyous everyone was. You can see it in Angela’s smile and the way Ryan looked at her. With an intimate group, the love everyone had for this couple was tangible and we couldn’t be happier that this sweet couple had their perfect big day!

A Word from the Bride:

When asked “What piece of advice would you give to couples planning their wedding, Angela said:

“Hire Katie as your planner! But for real. I put all my trust in Katie and she exceeded our expectations. I sent Katie all my inspo pictures and she completely nailed it! It was everything I hoped for and more!

-Angela

A Word from Katie:

Angela and Ryan, your outdoor wedding at Paddle Ridge is truly one for the books! Thank you for being such amazing people to work with throughout our time together. I enjoyed every minute of getting to know you and was so glad that you had the best time on your wedding day! Cheers to you and a lifetime of happiness together!

-Katie

Vendor Team:

Planner // Big Day Celebrations

Photographer // Amber Lynn Photography

Venue // Paddle Ridge

Floral // Conrad Floral

Caterer // The Kopper Kitchen

Cake // Montana Wildflour

Hair & Makeup // Covet Beauty

Rentals // Empress Tents & Events

Linen // BBJ Linen

Transportation // Wild Horse Limousine

Rehearsal Dinner Venue // Grouse Mountain Lodge

Let’s Plan Your Outdoor Wedding!

Big Day Celebrations offers full-service wedding planning, coordination & design services, and micro-wedding packages, so no matter how you envision your wedding, we will make it happen and have a whole lot of fun along the way!

Ready to get started? Drop me a note below and let’s do this!