A Simple Elegant Wedding at Haymoon Resort

After living, breathing, and working weddings for the last 2 decades, I still do truly love every type of wedding! From the large, extravagant affairs to the intimate, understated celebrations, I am honored to be a part of them all. I have come to have a soft spot for a simple, elegant wedding though, like Kathi and Marvin’s! Their smaller, more private wedding was so special to experience. It was infused with good food, thoughtful décor, and close family, including their dogs!

In sharing this wedding, I hope to inspire you to have the wedding of your dreams, even if it’s not the traditional, lavish, multiday event that you see plastered all over Pinterest. A simple, elegant wedding is just as beautiful and special as its larger counterpart, and after reading about Kathi and Marvin’s big day, I hope you feel the same way!

Benefits of a Simple Elegant Wedding

If you’re an introvert, get stage fright, or keep your inner circle close, a simple, elegant wedding is a great option for you! Not only does having an intimate wedding save you tons of money, but it allows you to really spend quality time with all your guests. When you have 200 or more people at your wedding, it’s almost like you’re a celebrity. You’ll wave to people, handshake them, and give them quick hugs during the reception. With that large of a crowd and all that happens during the reception though, it’s unlikely you’ll get to have true conversations with each and every one of your guests.

A simple, elegant wedding also benefits you because you can be more flexible and creative with your budget! With fewer people to feed, you can afford to allocate more money towards floral, rental items, entertainment, or even the honeymoon!

Simple Elegant Wedding Décor:

Kathi and Marvin chose to have their simple, elegant wedding at Haymoon Resort in Whitefish, Montana. This beautiful venue specializes in intimate and micro weddings as well as elopements. They held their ceremony on the resort’s Lawn, where we set a wooden arch and draped it with a garland of greenery. This space had towering forest trees as the altar backdrop and the Pond right next to it, where this couple had their cocktail hour.

For that portion of the celebration, we set both tall and short cocktail tables, some dressed in blue linens and some left bare. We placed floral bud vases as the centerpieces for these tables. With the venue’s twinkle lights strung overhead, it was a picturesque spot to kick off Kathi and Marvin’s celebration!

Inside the reception Pavilion, we set aqua linens on the tables along with wooden lantern centerpieces that the couple handpicked from our Big Day Celebrations’ free decor inventory. We accented the lanterns with eucalyptus greenery, gold mercury candles, and the repurposed bud vases from the cocktail hour.

Did I mention that we also repurposed all the chairs, moving them from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception? If that’s not a reason why you need a wedding planner and experienced vendor team, I don’t know what is!

Kathi & Marvin’s Simple, Elegant Wedding Ceremony:

On Kathi and Marvin’s big day, 25 of their family and friends gathered to witness their nuptials. Marvin entered the ceremony to the tune of “How Long Will I Love You” only to be followed by his beautiful bride walking down the aisle to “From This Moment On.” Kathi’s daughter, Tori, was the maid of honor and she escorted her mom into the ceremony.

Everyone who was present could definitely feel the love radiating from Kathi and Marvin during the ceremony! They each said their own vows, which brought Kathi to tears and prompted her to give her groom a smooch before the official pronouncement!

Their unity ceremony was truly special as well! Kathi and Marvin chose to do something unique and different by having a family stone ceremony. The couple, their kids, and closest family members each wrote their names on individual stones. Then, during the ceremony, they took turns placing each of their stones on a tray around a glowing candle. This signified a complete circle of love created by family, each person coming together to collectively shine brighter than they could on their own. I loved watching this unity ceremony so much! It was incredibly moving and just so special.

And before we knew it, Kathi and Marvin became husband and wife! They shared another kiss, as the song “Marry Me” rang through the air. They did it!

Time to Party!

Another amazing benefit to having a simple, elegant wedding is that the atmosphere can be more relaxed! You can get some photos and then join in the fun at cocktail hour, which is exactly what Kathi and Marvin did! They got to mix and mingle with their guests at the Pond before heading inside to continue the festivities.

Once the reception started, the newlyweds had their first dance, which was followed by the champagne toasts. Then, The Kopper Kitchen served a truly excellent dinner while the Tommy Edwards Duo played for everyone. This is a great example of how you can direct the money you’ll save from having an intimate wedding towards higher end vendors!  

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, Kathi and Marvin served cupcakes and s’mores! They were instant crowd pleasers and the perfect sweet treats to end a perfect day. To put a cherry on top of it all, a gorgeous rainbow stretched across the sky by the end of that evening. I still see it as a sign that this couple and this day were meant to be!

Final Word from Katie:

Kathi and Marvin, thank you for inviting me into your lives to help with such a special day! I was overjoyed to witness your love. I hope that we get to cross paths again one day because you both are just the sweetest! Huge congratulations and much love to you both!

-Katie

Vendor Team:

Venue: Haymoon Resort

Coordinator: Big Day Celebrations

Photographer: Kelly Kirksey Photography

Musicians: Tommy Edwards Duo

Bartender: Michelle Schumann

Florist: Rose Mountain Floral

Baker: Montana Wildflour

Rentals: Empress Tents & Events

Caterer: The Kopper Kitchen

Linen: BBJ Linen

Let’s Plan Your Simple Elegant 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!