A Montana wedding is special for so many reasons. Couples can opt to get married within Glacier National Park to have the majestic mountains, lush forestry, or enchanting lakes as their ceremony backdrop. They can choose to tie the knot at a Montana wedding ranch venue for those boho vibes. They can have a bright, wildflower wedding during the spring and summer months, or have a cozy, snowy wedding during the winter months. The possibilities for a Montana wedding are endless. No matter what you decide to go with though, the outcome will be spectacular.
Maddie and Fate chose to have the best of everything that our great state has to offer for their Montana wedding! They said “I do” at Paddle Ridge, a gorgeous indoor/outdoor Montana wedding venue just minutes away from Glacier National Park. Between their epic adventure photos, the special touches they infused, and the gold color palette that complemented the natural landscape perfectly, their wedding day was what Montana wedding dreams are made of!
Their wedding story is filled with emotional moments, intentional design elements, and lots of joy and fun. Join us as we recount the day! We’ll show you a variety of ways you can make the most of your Montana wedding. If you’re currently wedding planning and stuck for ideas on your wedding color palette, wedding music, or ways to make the day your own, keep reading!
Maddie and Fate invited their loved ones to partake in a full Montana wedding weekend of fun! This began on a beautiful Friday evening when they hosted their rehearsal dinner at Paddle Ridge. Our lead planner, Katie, led the rehearsal and setup for this event. This gave her and the nearlyweds a chance to confirm everything for the wedding day one final time and most importantly, get excited for the big day they had been planning! That evening, everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner by The Kopper Kitchen and various mason jar cakes by Miss Patti Cakes. Their cake flavors included Oreo, coconut cream, and lemon meringue. Can you say YUM?!
As Montana wedding planners, we love when our couples choose to host an entire wedding weekend here. The first day like this gives them the opportunity to welcome their guests in a more laidback setting. They get to greet loved ones they may not have seen in a while and spend quality time with them before the big day. Everyone also gets hyped up for the main event!
After a wonderful evening of good food, music, and company, it was time for Maddie and Fate to get married! On the morning of their Montana wedding day, Maddie and her bridesmaids arrived to the Ridgetop Retreat cabin at Paddle Ridge to get all dolled up… and enjoy a mimosa or two! Especially on early wedding mornings like this, we encourage brides to turn up the music, enjoy fun food and drinks, and get everyone pumped for the day! Maddie and her girls did just that on this day by wearing matching rose gold PJs and heart shaped sunglasses. They even had customized mimosa glasses with a hand drawn picture of each one of them on it!
Once the bridesmaids were ready for the wedding in their mismatched terracotta, blush, and rose gold dresses, they eagerly anticipated seeing Maddie as a bride for the first time. They held a special bridesmaids’ first look and the grand reveal was definitely worth the wait! Maddie was stunning in her strapless white wedding gown. It had a sparkly belt at the waist and buttons down the back. Her veil floated behind her and her organic bridal bouquet gave her look the perfect pop of color! It consisted of ivory and terracotta blooms with natural greenery and pampas grass. The florist even incorporated red floral accents to give the bouquet extra depth and dimension. It was perfect for this Montana wedding!
Not only did Maddie plan for a special first look moment for her bridesmaids, but she also held a first look with her father, grandfather, and of course, her soon-to-be hubby! Creating these special one-on-one moments before the ceremony made each of these participants feel so honored. This is a great way to carve out meaningful time with your loved ones on a day that can go by in a blur if you let it!
Maddie held these additional first looks in Glacier National Park with Lake McDonald serving as the most incredible backdrop. Montana could not have created a more perfect day for this couple! The sun was shining, fluffy clouds floated overhead, and the lake reflected the mountains like a painting. Close proximity to Glacier was one of the reasons this couple chose Paddle Ridge as their Montana wedding venue and we couldn’t agree more!
After photos in Glacier, it was back to Paddle Ridge for this Montana wedding ceremony! Our team and vendor squad had been working hard all day to get the venue ready for this moment. We decorated the ceremony site’s wooden arch with orange, red, and ivory floral accented with fluffy pampas grass bunches. Corresponding floral arrangements lined the aisle and our unplugged ceremony sign stood at the entrance.
One of the perks of choosing us as your Montana wedding planner is that you get access to our in-house décor inventory completely FREE! We have tons to choose from to complement any wedding style. This includes items like a welcome sign, unplugged sign, various candles, gauze table runners in every color, sign holders, cake stands, and so much more! We offer complementary access to any of these items as a special gift and token of appreciation from us to you, saving you lots of time and hassle.
Once everyone was ready, Katie lined up the wedding party for the processional. Then, she cued the DJ to start the music. Everyone walked down the aisle to “Lover” by Taylor Swift featuring Canon in D. It could not have been more romantic to kick off the ceremony! Maddie and Fate tied the knot on that beautiful day with mountains and pine trees standing majestically behind them. It was downright gorgeous, as if all of nature was celebrating this union right along with us!
One unique twist on Maddie and Fate’s Montana wedding day was that they chose to forgo a cocktail hour! They knew that they would capture wedding photos in Glacier before the ceremony. Thus, they opted to have their guests go straight into the venue’s Park View Pavilion following the ceremony’s conclusion. At this time, our team repurposed the ceremony floral within the reception space, placing the arrangements at the reception entrance, bar, and dessert table. We always help you make the most of your budget!
As guests entered the reception, they saw Maddie and Fate’s wedding mood board come to life. Long wooden tables interspersed round ones covered in ivory linens. We set wooden cross back chairs at each table along with textured amber glassware, taper candles, rattan chargers, and blush napkins. Blush gauze runners ran down the long tables with bud vases and natural greenery. We scattered various votives and pillar candles on each table to create even more visual interest with varying heights. Thanks to the open-air siding of the Pavilion, natural light flooded through the space, making the glasses glisten.
Maddie and Fate also planned for extra special touches as part of their Montana wedding design. This included customized cocktail napkins with each of their pets’ faces on them with the saying “I loved her first!” They also gifted their wedding guests koozies with their monogram and wedding date on them. Last but not least, they had a memorial table to commemorate their loved ones who couldn’t physically be in attendance. We loved the special sign they displayed at this table that read “Here’s to our angels. They have the best seat in the house.”
While the guests found their seats and began to enjoy dinner, the newlyweds went back to the Ridgetop Retreat cabin to enjoy a private meal together. This was another intentional moment we planned for. This gave them a chance to pause and truly soak in the moment one-on-one. Many couples say that their wedding day flies by, so adding in meaningful quality time like this allows you to slow down and let it sink in that you just got married!
When the new Mr. and Mrs. were ready to enter their Montana wedding reception, we blasted “Welcome to the Jungle” to start the party. Then, they went into their first dance followed by the parent dances. Maddie and Fate chose to have their wedding party surround the dance floor for these special dances. We adore that so much love surrounded them!
Next, it was time for something sweet! The newlyweds cut their two-tier strawberry cake to open their dessert table. That night, everyone indulged in confections like rice krispy treats, brownies, and lots of yummy cake! The cake options included one-of-a-kind flavors, such as vanilla with huck mousse filling and almond with caramel cream filling.
The rest of the night was filled with nonstop fun! Maddie changed into her party outfit for the second half of the night. She wore a white feather fringe top, white cowgirl boots, matching hat, and customized pearl and fringe dotted jean jacket with her new last name on it. Talk about iconic!
People flooded the dance floor all night and recharged with late night snacks of brie tarts and charcuterie. We even took the party to the next level when we broke out the glow sticks and light up headbands! These dance party props kept the fun going long after the sun set and the pure joy that radiated throughout the space was infectious!
But wait that’s not all! The day after their Montana wedding, Maddie and Fate got to have even more fun by having an adventure photo session throughout Glacier National Park! They chose to have this session the day after their wedding in order to maximize the time they got to spend with their loved ones. This worked out perfectly so that they could truly relax and be present throughout the wedding day and then their adventure session.
Plus, it gave them a chance to get all dressed up again and explore the natural beauty of Montana! They got to see the mountain range, waterfalls, lakes, and forest at their leisure and have them serve as incredible backdrops for their photos.
From their pictures, we’d say that they had a blast!
Maddie & Fate, we did it! Huge congratulations to you both! I couldn’t be happier for the two of you and loved every minute that we worked together! Enjoy your happily ever after!
-Katie
Planner: Big Day Celebrations
Venue: Paddle Ridge
Photography: Marianne Wiest Photography
Cake: Miss Patti Cakes
Hair & Makeup: Bridal Bliss
Floral: Forage & Floral
Linen: BBJ Linen
Rehearsal Dinner Catering: The Kopper Kitchen
Wedding Day Catering: 406 BBQ
Officiant: Best Day Officiants
Rentals: Empress Tents & Events
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!
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