A fall mountain wedding was all these two outdoorsy lovers truly wanted. Somewhere close to home where they could bring along the people they love most, no venue or elaborate decor, just a cool spot off the beaten path that could be their special place. So that’s what they did!
Sam + Tim met through mutual friends while living in Seattle and fell in love on a ski trip in Japan. After plenty of adventures and time spent traveling the globe, they knew that they wanted to get married in the mountains, a place that had so much significance, memories, and a whole lotta love. When they reached out to me, they were quick to say they weren’t into those “normal wedding photos” and instead just wanted their goofy, fun, quirky personalities captured in a beautiful place. Luckily that is what I do best so sign me up, where are we headed?!?!
They do a lot of hiking in the area and one day they stumbled upon a little hill and said, “yep this is it!!” A quiet retreat from other busy areas of western Montana, they booked themselves a cabin from the forest service and a couple of camping spots in this calm corner of Hyalite Canyon, just outside of Bozeman MT.
It was mid-September, the temperature was freakin’ frigid with cold rain drizzling on them already when I got there. A classic fall mountain wedding vibe! Tim headed out to the field for the first look, but neither Tim or Sam seemed fazed by the moody Montana weather. In fact, they were just so damn happy to be getting married that they both were beaming despite it. (They said they loved moody wedding photos anyway, so it was meant to be!)
Their family came out to meet them as they did their ceremony on that little hill they found months before and as they shared their vows, the clouds started to lift. And like something out of an elopement storybook, by the time they shared their first kiss, the sun glowed on their skin and gave us the most insane light as we did their wedding portraits in the field, on the lakeshore, and along the trails, just exploring the land they love so much. Their family went back to the campsites for food and chill time with plans to do s’mores and hang with the newlyweds, but the light was so good we couldn’t stop! We added in their adorable pup LaRue (named after festivals they stumbled upon in their travels in France, how cute?!?) and had the BEST time capturing that just married bliss.
They didn’t leave their family hanging though as they had some celebrating to do! We made it back in time for some toasts and off they went to dinner reservations to wrap up their intimate wedding day.
Love the moody feel of Sam + Tim’s fall mountain wedding?? Here’s some more fall in MT inspiration for you! Take a look at these outdoor wedding ideas – Leoni + Jacob’s October elopement or Leah + Aarron’s destination wedding weekend retreat!
But if you’re sweet on another season, I thought I’d make sure you have some Montana intimate wedding ideas that feel more like what you’re envisioning. Check out this winter mountain elopement in Glacier National Park, a sun-filled summertime elopement in the mountains of Grand Teton National Park, or this moody spring East glacier elopement!
No matter the season, no matter the view, there’s the perfect spot for your intimate wedding or elopement ceremony!
