A moody September Wedding | Rose & Ryan

As Kalispell Montana Photographers we know September is simply the time to get married in Montana!  The perks include less crowding, lesser chance of wildfire smoke, and a greater chance of Glacier National Park showing off a mood.

When Rose and Ryan contacted us about their elopement, we knew September was the perfect time for them.  Neither Rose nor Ryan are “attention on me” type of folks, so they loved the idea of pairing a more private wedding experience with seeing what we consider to be America’s most beautiful national park.

Since becoming the best of friends with Rose and Ryan during their elopement experience we’ve come to know them as the most adorably energetic old people trapped in young folks’ bodies.  You’ll see that here as they chose to include an elopement detail we’ve never seen before: a unity quilt!  Let’s check out their day from start to finish to see this infamous quilt and a few other fun moments!

Related: Eloping in Montana | The Ultimate How-to and Location Guide

A moon-lit first look

Rose and Ryan stayed in a gorgeously rustic cabin in Martin City, located within 10 minutes of Glacier National Park.  When we started drafting their day together on the first call, the two loved the idea of a moon-lit first look so they could make it to a sunrise ceremony somewhere else.  They got ready together but separated to put on their final layers.

Rose’s dress was hand-made by her mother while Ryan’s coat and bowtie were meticulously chosen to match their unity quilt, coffee cups, florals, and basically every other detail they had.  Rose and Ryan are people of details! 😀

Underneath a massive tree outside their cabin, Rose & Ryan saw each other for the first time in their completed attire accompanied by lantern light.  Both agreed they felt much  more at ease once they could really just hang after seeing each other.

Rainbow covered ceremony

Rose and Ryan traveled along the Going to the Sun Road in the dark to reach their ceremony location on a cliff overlooking a gorgeous region of the park.  As the sun began to rise on their dreary elopement day, the clouds cast gorgeous colors and shadows on the monstrous peaks behind them.  They began their windy ceremony with not another soul in sight (besides us of course)!

Rose and Ryan mentioned to us this was one of their favorite moments of the day as we lead them to reflect on their journey as a couple and then begin their commitments to each other.

Eventually the wind picked up enough that Rose took their unity quilt and covered herself in it!  After their ceremony fished, the two were married, and they had taken time to truly soak in the moment, Rose and Ryan needed some chill time to warm up and enjoy the views they had traveled across the country to see.  With coffee and a bearclaw in tow, Rose and Ryan peered over the lake and continued to watch the sun rise.  We wrapped up their time with epic rainbow covered portraits (another September perk) and traveled back down the road to get that mid-day nap they deserved!

Related: Apgar Amphitheater Wedding in Glacier National Park

“Des and Dan were amazing and very personable. From our very first consultation call, I knew we had made the right choice on our elopement photographer. They were extremely helpful in all the planning and it was clear they were no amateurs! They were super accommodating and managed to work in everything that we wanted in our special day.” -R+R

Sunset picnicking & hammock vibes

After their much deserved nap, Rose and Ryan came back out around sunset to explore some on the trails and see some more of Glacier’s most infamous views.  We met up with them in the Avalanche area and showed them some of our favorite old-growth forest landscapes while they traipsed their wedding attire happily through the mud.

Once trail time was finished, they wanted a personalized picnic to enjoy along the shores of Lake McDonald.  For them–this meant dominoes pizza and some local brews!  Not to mention a gorgeous little cake to cut and grub on after!  When their bellies were full, Rose and Ryan found a cute spot on the lake to hammock and take in the moody September wind on Lake McDonald.

We are at Lake McDonald capturing weddings days A LOT, but I mean it when I say this was one of the top 3 windiest days we’ve ever experienced on the lake.

Rose and Ryan soaked in this unique experience laughing and exploring and detailed their hammock time was another favorite moment as it gave them time to relax and reflect on the awesomeness of the day they had already had.

“Des and Dan captured every moment with great detail, which really allows us to share our wedding day with our family and friends. I would highly recommend Des and Dan to capture your special day.” -R+R

what to do after dark

Rose and Ryan started their day before the sun rose, and they wanted to end their day after the sun had set too!  We grabbed the lanterns from their first look earlier, threw on some coats, and continued exploring around Apgar.  At this point the wind was WICKED!  The two finished their time with us by getting thrown around on the dock and splashed by the ferociously chilly water of Lake McDonald.

If you’re wondering what to do to make your elopement day more unique, we’d recommend utilizing time before and after dark just like Rose and Ryan did!

Related: St. Mary Lake Elopement at Sunrise in Glacier National Park

One mo time!

Here’s what eloping folks are saying about hiring us:

Des and Dan truly made our wedding day perfect. When we started looking for a photographer for our elopement, we had a hard time finding someone whose pictures and editing style we loved. After looking through their portfolio, I immediately scheduled a consultation. From the first meeting, it felt like I had known Des for years with how personable she is. My husband and I knew we had found the perfect people to help us plan and spend our elopement day with. We didn’t know the area well, so all the guides and resources provided were a life saver! There was never a question we had that went unanswered, and the communication was always easy and quick. I am in love with every single one of our photos, and there are so many to look at! The final gallery tells the story of our wedding day, and we are so excited to be able to share them with our friends and family. We wouldn’t have been able to have the most amazing day without them!

-Rose & Ryan

Who made this Moody September Wedding possible?

Quilt | Handmade by Bride and Groom

Bridal Dress | Handmade by Bride’s Mother

Bridal Jewelry | Bella Muerte, Story Girl Creations, & Island Treasures Boutique

Groom’s Attire | Ralph Lauren & Pink Peony

Lodging | Abbott Valley Homestead

Florals | Earth Within

Cake | The Cake Girl

Vow Books | Print Smitten

Ring Box | Sugar Creek Lane

Announcements | Nikki Press Designs

Photography | Destinie Fouche Photography

Yo.  You need a hiking wedding guide and photographer.

Imma be so honest.  We love hiking weddings, and we love helping couples plan their elopement days to be full of meaning and intention.  Kick that tradition crap outta here, and let’s plan something magical together!

You deserve for your wedding day to bring you peace in the great outdoors, and this is only a taste of how we help our couples.

All of our elopement packages come with professional elopement photography, two photographers, and unlimited planning assistance.  We think this is the best way to serve eloping couples, and we can’t wait to chat!

Contact us about photographing your elopement!