You’re right, I’ve seen it all! The good, the bad, AND of course, the trendy. I had an amazing wedding season this year full of brides and grooms that were so creative and thoughtful about their wedding day. If you are here to read my smash or pass list, or my worst of the worst stories, this is NOT that kind of list. That might be in my book when I am far away from Bozeman, and can’t get sued haha. 😉
So, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite moments, or some of the ideas and weddings that stuck out to me the most! Along with some amazing vendors I met this year that I loved working with and who made the day go by smoothly. When you are planning a wedding, a lot of the time you will start searching for vendors around you and only get the top 4 vendors in the Gallatin Valley area. Which is amazing for those top four vendors that have been working so hard, but I also want to share the people that might be on page 2 or 3 of your google search that are still incredible options!
Alright, keep reading and let’s get into this 2023 wedding wrap up of great ideas, advice and beautiful moments!
Starting off strong! Something I absolutely loved was putting notes on dining table settings! It was such a fun way to let your guests know you are thinking of them when they arrive. I love offering up a huge thank you to everyone who made this day happen and how excited you are to see them on the dance floor!
2. There’s that endless problem of what should an officiant have in their hands when they are getting you hitched? Sometimes it feels so silly for them to have a huge iPad when they are reading a verse from the bible, or having to keep touching their phone as it continues going dark. I thought this officant was so clever! She wrapped up a few of the couples favorite memories in pictures and with each image she would show them, she would tell their story to the crowd! It was such a cute idea, and also a treat for e everyone else to see those pictures. They also had all of these images on their reception tables inside, so I could hear the guests saying “awww, their first Christmas together!”
3. I am LOVING a wedding dress with a different kind of train! This one specifically stuck in my brain because on a windy day (which we have a lot of in Livingston) a veil will fly around which makes every bride stressed about it coming out. Also, your train will get dirty pretty quickly in Montana! This train was so much fun for photos because she could swoop it around and give drama to all of our photos.
4. A lot of the times at the reception there is a carafe of Folgers Coffee sitting out for all the grandparents and vendors to drink so they can stay awake till 9:00pm. (I get it y’all, I am with you!) However, as much as I love Folgers, it doesn’t have to be that dull! This couple hired a Roly Poly Coffee truck to come and liven up the reception and happy hour! Take this idea and bring it to your reception! It was awesome. It also gives all of your non-alcoholic friends a fun option! And ensures your dance floor will be going all night long!
5. I will never turn down a beautiful and dramatic grand entrance before the ceremony or reception! If you aren’t too eager to have all your guests quietly stare at you for the first time as you come down the aisle, I highly suggest having a grand entrance together before your ceremony to get the jitters out! For this couple specifically, their ceremony was at Bridger Bowl and they had all their guests mingling while the staff handed out Champagne. Then all of a sudden this 6-door Lincoln comes barreling down the hill and the guests went wild!! The bride and groom popped out and yelled “Who’s ready to party!?” It was so much fun for everyone to give them a big hug and talk a but before they went over to the mic and toasted everyone with a huge thank you for being here. Then everyone went to find their seats for the ceremony, and they got that party started!
6. Tyler and Taylor’s wedding was really cool because they had so many grandparents and parents still together and married at their wedding! They also had decorated a tree with their great great grandparents wedding pictures. It was beautiful and incredibly meaningful to the whole family. This was such a fun decoration because throughout the night I would take one picture down and have the family members hold their old wedding pictures and pose for a new picture together! It was fun seeing all the trends throughout the generations, and how much has changed. I really hope one day Tyler and Taylor get to hold their picture at their grandkids wedding. HOW CUTE WOULD THAT BE!?
7. First of all, how fun is this magazine picture of them haha! I love it. Okay, next up is Mika and Bubba! They definitely win the best photo booth for their wedding BY FAR! This was so stinkin’ fun for all their guests to jump inside the photo booth and get pictures. Mika’s brother MADE it. You heard me right! He is now renting it out for your wedding! He can customize it just for your wedding day!
https://www.instagram.com/montanamagazinebooth/
8. How do you ensure you feel comfortable standing up in front of all of your family and friends at your wedding ceremony? Bring your living room with you! Ok, maybe not the TV. But all the comfy, cozy stuff you have, grab it and bring it along! I loved that these two grabbed all their house plants, stands and area rug from their living room and set them up as their alter. We had a ton of plant lovers after the ceremony commenting, “Oh look how good her ficus is doing!” Gotta love a good ficus!
9. You know that I am a huge fan of having a plan right after you get announced together forever after you get down that aisle! Go out and do something for just the two of you! We were at the Billings Depot for Allison and Dawson’s wedding, and the second they were announced man and wife we jumped into my car and went to the Big Dipper Ice Cream shop! This was their first date spot and their favorite date spot! So it was fun getting to do it with a new last name! We were in and out in less than 15 minutes, and it didn’t take away one bit from the guests getting to see them. It was just a nice moment for the two of them to soak it all in together before celebrating with everyone else!
10. Jordan built this arch for their wedding day and it was stunning! Then come to find out that he built it for their front porch at their new home in Billings! So they will be able to bring it back home, hook their front porch swing under it, and forever have that memory.
Some Hair and makeup artists that I absolutely LOVE working with and highly suggest for you all:
And some very talented Florists at the weddings I’ve seen:
If you’re also wanting a Videographer, here are a few I LOVE:
Of course, we can’t forget about the food! Some Catering options for you as well:
If you aren’t wanting to plan your entire wedding alone, I don’t blame you! Grab some help with any of these amazing Wedding Planner’s:
We gotta have some delicious Cakes and Dessert:
I’ve seen multiple DJ’s and Bands, and here are a few of the ones that stuck out to me most:
If your venue doesn’t come with it’s own service, here are some Bar Service and Bar options as well:
That’s all I have for you folks! I hope this is helpful for those planning in and around Bozeman! I always love seeing new trends and fun, unique ideas at weddings! If you’ve seen anything that’s stuck out to you lately, please comment below!!
