Jessica + Walt’s June Montana Wedding |
What a Beautiful Day!
Planning an outdoor Montana wedding in early June….sounds risky to me! However, the day couldn’t have been more perfect! A mutual friend referred Jessica to me to photograph her June wedding. Jessica and I met and she selected me as her photographer. This was the fourth wedding I have photographed and I was ecstatic!
The bride and her bridal party were getting ready at the Gallatin Gateway Community Center. Jessica looked so pretty in her colored wedding dress! The bridal party wore teal dresses and the flowers were so bright and cheerful for this Montana wedding.
The wedding was at Hyalite Reservoir, just outside of Bozeman, about 18 miles away from Gallatin Gateway. The drive to Hyalite was so relaxing through the Hyalite Canyon. It gave me the time I needed to mentally go through the photos we were about to take. We were a little behind on the timeline, but I knew we could make it up.
Pre-Wedding Photos
If you haven’t been to Hyalite on a warm summer day, you would be amazed at how many people are up there! Most people were very courteous when we were taking photos on the cute bridge just outside the pavilion. We quickly took the ladies photos and then moved to the guy’s photos. They were pretty entertaining, as the guys usually are. With the cooperation of everyone, we were able to get back on schedule and allow the bride to scoot off before the guests arrive.
The Ceremony
The ceremony was so beautiful right off of Hyalite Reservoir. The weather was an amazing 90 in early June! At least it wasn’t snowing! Jessica’s grandpa walked her down the aisle to Walt. Jessica loved the photo I captured of her grandpa kissing her cheek. During our reveal session, I was so delighted at hearing how much this photo meant to her.
Walt’s sons were part of the wedding party and they found a way to amuse themselves during the ceremony. This photo is one of my favorites from the wedding!
The family had different colored candy pieces to pour into a family container. This represented each family member becoming one family. Unfortunately, the sun had melted the candy and it was pretty hard to get out of the containers. During the reveal session with Walt & Jessica, we laughed about this. Photography allows me to capture these precious moments for the bride and groom to reflect back on. I love my “job”!
Formal Photos
After the ceremony, we took th
e formal family photos and the wedding party combined photos. Everyone was excited to get off to the reception, so we made it quickly through them. I was able to spend a few minutes alone with Jessica & Walt to capture some great couples photos.
Picking a photographer is a leap of faith. A leap that we will have the same vision and a leap that I will be able to capture their precious moments and not blow it. Thank you to Walt & Jessica for picking me and for letting me share your beautiful day! Best wishes for you all!
Tina O’Donnell Photography | 406-580-8814 | Belgrade, Montana
