Travel Inspired Mountain Wedding by Glacier National Park
Many of our couples have hearts for travel and adventure. After all, many of the weddings we do are destination mountain weddings! Some couples infuse mountain inspired design elements into their weddings as a nod to the natural scenery Montana provides. But Emily and Jarred’s wedding will always stand out in our minds because they incorporated a full travel theme into their mountain wedding!
From their custom designed invitation suite to the personalized reception favors, they thoughtfully included travel inspired elements throughout their big day. Coupled with a classic wedding color palette of ivory, gold, and hints of blush, this mountain wedding was also timeless and elegant.
Make sure to read this entire wedding story to find inspiration for your own travel inspired wedding! We’ll also illustrate all the little customized details that blew guests away at every stage of the wedding. These really made it look like Emily and Jarred thought of everything!
Let’s dive in!
Before the Mountain Wedding:
Prior to Emily and Jarred’s travel inspired mountain wedding, they had to first decide on a location, venue, and color palette. They selected Great Northern Resort in Montana for its gorgeous and secluded ceremony and reception sites, its proximity to Glacier National Park, and their natural and rustic vibe.
If you know us, you know that we love Great Northern Resort too! It’s just 10 minutes away from Glacier, which allows our couples to quickly jump over there for adventure photos and still have enough time to party the night away! The team at the resort is absolutely spectacular and their outdoor event spaces are unparalleled. One of our favorite parts is that they have covered open-air spaces as well in case of inclement weather.
Emily and Jarred then chose a neutral wedding color palette consisting of white, ivory, natural greenery and touches of blush. They accented this with gold and copper metallics, making for a classic and timeless wedding look.
Leading up to their mountain wedding, Emily and Jarred took engagement photos in Glacier. Their pictures perfectly captured the natural beauty of Montana and this couple’s whimsical nature. When guests saw the photos as part of their save the date cards, they saw that this was no ordinary wedding. They were in for a full wedding weekend adventure!
Mountain Wedding Weekend Timeline:
Emily and Jarred planned a weekend of fun for all their guests! Their wedding invitation suite featured a custom illustration of Great Northern Resort, including a map of the grounds. Every page of the suite included elegant, hand drawn details, like fir trees and wildflowers.
It also outlined the weekend’s activities, getting everyone hyped up for what was to come! Their wedding agenda included:
- Friday – Rehearsal Dinner & Welcome Campfire at Great Northern Resort
- Saturday – Wedding Day!
- Sunday – Post-Wedding Brunch at Great Northern Resort
Since this was a destination mountain wedding, Emily and Jarred treated their loved ones to fun events on each day. This not only maximized the quality time they spent with their people, but also was a wonderful way to thank everyone for making the journey to Montana.
Emily and Jarred’s weekend timeline can work for you too! Your wedding doesn’t just have to be a one-day affair. You can turn it into an entire weekend of fun!
Must-Have Personalized Details:
As we mentioned, Emily and Jarred’s mountain wedding had a travel theme. Their Glacier engagement photos and Montana-inspired invitations set the scene and then, the theme came to fruition on the wedding day! This sweet couple also included out-of-the-box, personalized details throughout their big day that truly made a world of difference in their guests’ experience.
If you’re planning your wedding and want to make it look like you thought of everything too, take notes! Here are all the personalized details that made Emily and Jarred’s mountain wedding extra special:
Unique Unity Ceremony – Wine Box & Love Notes
This mountain wedding ceremony took place outdoors in Great Northern Resort’s Ceremony Meadow. There, we set a square wooden arch with ivory floral sprays, white garden folding chairs, and large wooden barrels with white floral arrangements on top. We also scattered white rose petals to line the aisle sides.
Emily and Jarred’s unity ceremony consisted of a wine box and love notes. This special twist on a traditional unity ceremony included the couple sealing love letters to each other inside a wooden wine box along with their favorite wine. The intent is for the couple to open it on their first anniversary to savor the wine, read their notes, and drink in all the sentimental, romantic feels!
Reception Lounge Area/Photo Opp
Under the reception tent, we set a velvet, burnt orange couch and patterned area rug as a lounge area. To elevate this space, we also had the lounge area double as a photo opp! We set a copper square arch with smilax greenery on each side of the frame. The backdrop was the trees that ringed the meadow that this mountain wedding reception tent was in.
The crown jewel of this space though was the custom neon sign that read “The Barrons.” This was a modern and whimsical touch that put the couple’s personal stamp on this area!
Vintage Dresser Guest Book Table
Instead of an ordinary banquet table for the guest book, we utilized a white distressed vintage dresser! This piece exuded homey, cozy vibes, especially when we topped it with a white floral bouquet and pictures of the couple to accent the guest book.
Incorporating fun accent pieces like this dresser is a unique way to catch your guests’ eyes and draw them in, encouraging them to engage with the guest book.
Polaroid Guest Book
Along the same note, consider using a non-traditional guest book! Emily and Jarred opted for a photo guest book, where each guest snaps a Polaroid picture and sticks it in the book along with a message. We love this modern take on a traditional wedding element!
Individual Luggage Tag Escort Cards/Favors
Emily and Jarred really showcased the travel theme in their mountain wedding escort cards, which doubled as favors! They chose to have individual brown leather luggage tags that showed each guest which table they were assigned to for the reception. Each tag also read “Thank you for celebrating with us.”
On the table where we laid the tags out, we placed a pink globe and a travel-inspired sign to direct guests to take one and find their seats.
Special Reception Grand Entrance
Instead of a traditional grand exit, these newlyweds opted for a special grand entrance into their mountain wedding reception! We gave all the guests streamer wrist bands for Emily and Jarred’s introduction. We lined them up on either side of a path and when the couple walked through their loved ones, they were showered with silver streamers! This was honestly SO fun for everyone involved and made for amazing photos!
Laser Cut Wooden Place Card Names
When each guest took their seat at this mountain wedding reception, they found a custom laser cut out of their names. These customized wooden place cards were an added wedding favor for each guest and elevated each place setting. Now that’s a win-win!
Personalized Signature Drinks
Here’s where Emily and Jarred’s dogs made it to the wedding… without actually being present! They named each of their signature drinks after their dogs. There was “The Koda” and “The Otis.” The bar sign depicted custom illustrations of each of their fur babies as a tribute to each of them and how special they are to Emily and Jarred.
We also love that one of their signature drinks was a Huckleberry Moscow mule! Containing huckleberry, vodka, ginger beer and lime, this was a subtle nod to Montana’s unofficial state fruit.
Custom Cocktail Napkins & Coasters
Emily and Jarred further included their dogs in the wedding with custom cocktail napkins and coasters! On each of these, they had custom images of both their pups, along with their last name and wedding date. These are the types of details that really showed how much care and love this couple put into planning their mountain wedding!
Custom Cookies & Ice Cream Bar
Last but certainly not least, Emily and Jarred treated their guests to custom cookies and a Coldstone ice cream bar for dessert! They still had a wedding cake to cut, but these additional sweet options ensured that there was something for everyone!
The cookies featured a variety of hand painted designs, from ones that bore their monogram to ones that displayed a ring with mountain and floral accents. They were the most elegant cookies and we almost didn’t want to eat them for how beautiful they were!
Plus, the ice cream bar that Coldstone brought in was such a fun touch! They served Emily and Jarred’s favorite flavors and supplied a sugar high, perfect for dancing the night away!
Final Thoughts from This Mountain Wedding:
All of these personalized details made Emily and Jarred’s mountain wedding one we won’t forget! And we haven’t even mentioned their epic adventure session in Glacier or the incredible custom jean jacket that Emily donned as the sun set. Every aspect of this travel-inspired mountain wedding was thoughtful, personal, and beautiful. Each detail helped to create a seamless guest experience and infuse Emily and Jarred’s personalities into their big day, making their wedding uniquely theirs.
A Word from Katie:
Emily and Jarred, your mountain wedding was simply divine! The travel theme was so fun and you were such a joy to work with throughout the entire process. I loved how much excitement was in the air on every day of your wedding weekend, and I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out! I wish you all the love and joy in the world!
-Katie
Vendor Team:
Planner: Big Day Celebrations
Venue: Great Northern Resort
Photography: Elsa Eileen Photography
Officiant: Wed by Anna
Florist: Conrad Floral
Baker: Miss Patti Cakes
Hair & Makeup: The Edge Salon
Caterer: Cartwright Catering
Ice Cream: Cold Stone Creamery
Rentals: Empress Tents & Events
Linen: BBJ Linen
Sunday Brunch Pastries: Fleur Bake Shop
Let’s Plan Your Mountain 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!
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