Styling shoot....creating a memorable montana wedding

I recently had the privileged of doing a styling shoot at the Double T River Ranch with a fist full of talented event professionals.  My goal for this styling shoot was to show a table, beautifully set, in three different versions.  Here is a bit of that hard work in action. I will price each look out in a future post.  You can see by each photo, the use of different materials.

 

First Look: The Bouquet

Rarely do I get to see the big moment when my bride first sees her bouquet...this is largely due to the details I am tending to at the reception site or putting the finishing touches on the ceremony.  I love to make my brides bouquets as it leaves my signature on the event and is one of my most favorite things to do!

Nicole married the love of her life, Alex, two weekends ago at Chico Hot Springs.  You may remember the engagement shoot that I posted a while back.  Here are some priceless images from Morgan Lamare showing the "first look" of her bridal bouquet!

A country carnival wedding...

The most amazing thing happened this past year.  I was able to work with a most fabulous lady, Cassie LaGreca and her fiance Chris Bailey, originally from Billings, now residing in Chicago.  This couple was anything but ordinary and they wanted to make guest enjoyment a high priority on their wedding day--from a special MP3 event, to relay games, and a beer garden.  Now, I have seen blogs and magazine spreads on country carnival themed weddings, but this was the first of its kind for so many reasons. 

Cassie works as a graphic designer for an event planning company called Kehoe Designs in Chicago....and the photo story by Nashan.com below will tell you a lot, but let me explain a bit of the rest at the end of this photo display....

The day was filled with so many details that flowed flawlessly together by the wonderful vendor team that was in place.  Cassie and Chris are a true DIY couple and exhaustively created so many of the parts and pieces to this unique wedding that there are too many to count!  It had an MP3 event during the ceremony where guests were asked to go on a journey with the cupids of love, all the while a duck race down the creek unfolded the "winner" and what last name Cassie was to take or Chris was to take (Lagreca, the brides maiden name, won and the groom is now Chris LaGreca!)  The bride, also a burlesque dancer, was serenaded by her "girls" late night, and oh....if you could have only been a guest!

Whatever your dream plans are, be sure to enlist the services of an experienced wedding planner to help all your carefully made props, decor, and details come together on the wedding day.  Cassie and I had a ball working on this wedding together....hope it inspires the DYI'er in you!

Ingredients for this perfect day:

Leslie Lukas Weddings & Events--event planning, day of management and decor assistance

Nashan Photographers--Melanie Nashan

Montana Epicurean--unique country carnival fare! and provided the bar, too!

The Bad Larry's--the band

Moonstone Pictures--videography

Montana Party Rentals--event tents

Kehoe Designs--unique event props, signage and video story booth

Ice Cream Truck---awww, you'll have to call for the source!

Elles Belles--unique pies, cupcakes and other desserts

Roys Barn--venue

Tonic Salon--Hair and Make-up

Dresses--Vintage Couture

A special new spot...Big Sky Resort

So, in all my years of wedding planning, I have never come across this view of Lone Peak...

mainly because I am not a down-hill skier and to typically get this view, you need to be one!  This image was captured by none other than Melanie Nashan, owner and much published and accredited photographer of Nashan.com. I am very happy that I got the opportunity to ride the lift and organize this very beautiful and intimate wedding.

Thanks so much to Natalie Miller, who hired me to plan and facilitate her intimate Big Sky Wedding. I was in for the treat of a lifetime.  While I love large affairs and celebrations, there is something very humble, intimate, and lovely about small weddings.

Natalie and Shawn chose a beautiful day in late July (7.23) and wanted a vast mountain view to take them into wedded bliss.  They are both avid skiers and love coming to Big Sky.  When they started looking for places, and telling people what they wanted to do, they happened to come across a gentlemen that worked the lifts at Big Sky Resort and told them of this serene place with a larger than life view of Lone Mountain.  It required them to purchase a lift ticket for each guest, and the friendly staff at Big Sky Resort gave them discount passes for the group.  The staff also drove the ceremony chairs up the mountain for us...and the florals.  If you are looking for a resort atmosphere, with an incredible view, look no further than the top of the world (at least that's my name for it) at Big Sky Resort. 

The other really wonderful thing about their wedding is they chose to be married on a Friday, so that they could enjoy the weekend with all of the guests, with several planned activities and a trip to Yellowstone National Park.  So, the wedding day schedule went like this:  Ceremony took place in the early afternoon at Big Sky Resort and then their dinner reception took place in a rented Penthouse at Moonlight Basin Resort. I turned them on to Private Chef, Sarah Knecht, to prepare their meal, and voila!  A perfect and intimate Montana Wedding!

Here's me, spreading petals moments before guests arrive...tee hee, you never get to see pictures of me actually working...so here you go!

 To view more photos of this wedding go to http://nashanclients.com/RedCart/ and select the Brown.Miller wedding by Melanie!  Cheers!

The importance of an engagement session...

Here are some beautiful images captured by Morgan Lamare of Nicole and Alex.  They will be wed in exactly two weeks at Chico Hot Springs, in Paradise Valley.  I can't wait to do the flowers for Nicole and Alex as she is so stylish with her color selection of deep purples, teal, chartreuse greens and peacock feathers.  The flowers are going to be a comination of orchids, calla lilies and other interesting textures. Oh, and she is going to wear a birdcage veil...

Anyway, the reason for this post is the importance of going through an engagement session with your photographer.  It will allow the photographer to get to know you and you to get a feel for how they will communicate with you on the wedding day...and then, you will get images like these:

What I can do for you in these economic times...

I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most wonderful couples that have ever come through Montana.  I like to think that I attract clients that are "real people" just like me, no matter their financial background, race, style, etc...the bottom line is that they want a timeless event and they need help getting it done.

Lets face it, one can spend a lot of money on a wedding these days.  Most brides try to save money by shopping at Michael's crafts or other bargain stores...often spending more than they would have with a professional.   I am learning to embrace my knowledge, share it,  and educate couples on how they can pull off a beautiful wedding and not sacrifice the important things.

I love the type of designs we create that you will look at 50 years from now and appreciate how simple and beautiful they were...I am really not a trend-setter, but look at the subtleties that will enhance my bride, the perfect shade that warms the venue, and a menu that the guests will remember.

One of the most challenging questions I get as a planner is "how much is this going to cost me".  So much of the answer to this question depends on YOU, the person with the pocket book.  So many wonderful things happen as you begin the journey of planning your wedding.  The personal expression that you want to bring to the event, the color of the bridesmaids dresses, the flowers, the food, the venue...it is all exciting to watch come together and share with your closest family and friends, and at the same time, all of this can be quite time consuming to organize and facilitate to achieve the wedding that you wish for.  But for many couples in this economy, it is what you are faced with...planning and facilitating a wedding all on your own.  I understand, and I REALLY get it.  

My job is getting more difficult. With budget conscious couples, over the top communication needs to happen on all things financial. I can see the stress that weddings cause a family during these economic times. At one time, most of my couples could have anything they wanted on their wedding day....and are now forced to make tough decisions.  I say, bring it on, and I will help you! 

The most important thing you could do in this economy, is hire a professional planner to assist you...if not for the entire process, at least to facilitate your wedding day.  I feel strongly about marriage, why we enter into them and what is sacred about the union. I want to get you back to the reason you are getting married and help you enjoy this time in your life.  The year you get married is a starting point for the rest of your life, a part of a legacy and document of the two of you as a couple.  I also feel strongly about my role as a professional in this field.  I am a planner, and I want to teach people how to make their wedding dreams reality without sacrificing great design.  It can be simple, you can do it yourself, and I will give you the tools to make it happen.  

The top 5 things I see a professional bringing to the table are:

1. winning vendor teams--they have already met with and worked out many contracts with caterers, musicians, car rentals, event rentals, photographers...and understand what their fees will be.  They will quickly point you to the ones that are a good fit for you.
2. area knowledge--they can find the perfect spot for your wedding day and all of the activities that are available to you
3. local discounts--many planners have strategic relationships with vendors and can offer better pricing on things such as linens, favors, and event rentals
4. timing of the day...you may not think it or know it now, but this plays a huge factor on your wedding, and you don't want to go into it without a detailed plan and someone to meet with vendors while you are tying the knot.
5. giving you the ability to enjoy your own wedding...this is priceless.  Just ask any bride who had a professional run their day! 

So, if you are a DIY bride, a budget conscious bride, or a bride that needs help with the planning process--STOP right here!!!!  It will be a pleasure working together....if you were thinking of doing your own flowers, that is ok!  Let me show you how!  If you were planning on organizing your own wedding, that is ok!  Let me show you how to do that, too, but let me be there on the wedding day.

Get ready, it's going to be a fun journey! 

McCurdy 1.mov

This wedding took place at the beautiful Springhill Pavilion on June 19th of this year.  I want to draw attention to the fact that I met Jeanette Ulmer through her website Callisto Studios. She is out of Livingston, MT, and is the master behind the video camera.  Since I hadn't worked with her before, I checked her references and had her send me some sample work prior to hiring her...  her price point, talent and editing skills were spot on for what I was looking for for two clients of mine.  This is a snippet out of about a 40 minute wedding video that she completed for Heather and Bill.  I think if you are considering having a wedding video, you should check out her work!