Fall Country Wedding at Mountainside Weddings in Whitefish, Montana
Fall Country Wedding at Mountainside Weddings in Whitefish, Montana
Tyler + Jamie’s Wedding Film & Photos
Videography + Photography by Montana Diaries
Tyler + Jamie’s Mountainside Wedding
Tyler and Jamie’s Fall wedding at Mountainside Weddings in Whitefish, MT was a picture-perfect example of what it means to plan an intentional, heartfelt, fun, and STUNNING large wedding. This day was everything a traditional Montana should be — from the relaxed day with friends and family to the all-out swing dancing PARTY that night. When chatting about the country ~aesthetic~ of the day, we joked that it was a “turquoise and leather” Montana country crowd more than a “beer and burlap” situation — and boyyyy did they deliver, scroll down to see how beautifully the design came together!
Getting ready at Mountainside Weddings in Whitefish, MT
Tyler and Jamie got ready on-site at their venue — Mountainside Weddings has gorgeous lodging options, and J opted for The Loft at The Roost to get ready with her bridesmaids, while T and his groomsmen spent the morning in a covered tent complete with a deck called The Groom’s Den. Both parties enjoyed drinks and charcuterie while visiting in the hours before the ceremony.
T + J wrote each other love letters to read before their first look, which were delivered by their married friends that were both members of the bridal party. How freaking sweet is that!?
First look on a pond dock
For T + J’s first look, they chose the large fishing pond located in the center of the property. It had been raining all morning, so J’s mom was worried (rightly so haha!) about the slippery dock, but J handled it like a champ in her gorgeous gown. These two were so sweet when they finally saw one another — my team and I pulled way back for wide shots so that they could have some privacy and when we re-connected, T simply said he couldn’t wait to marry J.
Not everyone opts for a first look, but for large weddings where the family and wedding party is really into socializing and down for the dance party, it’s a smart choice so that we can get their formal portraits done before the ceremony because people tend to scatter! I’m soooo glad Tyler and Jamie decided to do a first look and all of their group photos before the ceremony for that exact reason — the rest of the day was SO chill and they were able to enjoy all of their guests without feeling like they were missing out because of pictures.
Outdoor ceremony
One reason Mountainside Weddings is so cool is they let you have your ceremony literally wherever you want — the property includes 20 acres of pine trees and a beautiful pond. Tyler and Jamie chose the trees as their backdrop, but kept the ceremony space close to the reception for an easy walk for their guests. The owners of the venue are so sweet, they have a golf cart on site to help elderly + disabled guests around the property too! The ceremony and reception sites are on fairly flat ground, but there is a ton of grass everywhere so wheelchair users may need some help. Their flowers from Fifty Flowers looked absolutely gorgeous on the antique tables and dressers set up at the bottom of the aisle, and Erin Anderson arranged them beautifully along the aisle and their unique geometric arbor. The fall colors were STUNNING against the green of the pine trees!
Creative Fall wedding portraits
While we did group photos before the ceremony, Tyler and Jamie chose to do some couples’ photos after the ceremony for a bit of “alone” time — I mean, I was there, but we don’t have to talk about that haha! T + J aren’t super into portraits, and I totally get it because I don’t love posing in front of a camera either! I knew it was super important to them to not make their day about photos, so we took a few with their super cool vintage car, walked around the property a bit, and then called it a day. I am so grateful when couples communicate about their priorities so well and ALSO let me get a little weird and creative in the time we carve out for portraits! I always joke: “Okay those were for you, now let me do my art!”
Fall Montana reception
When I tell you this was a freaking PARTY, I mean it! T + J’s reception was everythingggg that’s great about traditional Montana weddings. We’re talkin’ whiskey, delicious BBQ, heartfelt and hilarious toasts, and some amazing swing dancing moves. Mountainside Weddings has a covered pavilion for hosting receptions, and it was perfect for this wedding!
Montana wedding timeline
Before every wedding, my couples schedule a time on my calendar for a final Zoom call to sketch out their timeline. I neverrrr want my couples to have to look at a clock or stress about time, so I make sure that my team is prepared to move the schedule along so they can just focus on having fun!
If you’re curious about how we structure the timeline, we just work backward from the ceremony time and factor in whether or not our couples want a first look! I know some photographers/videographers have a strong preference for how the timeline looks, but it’s honestly just about prioritizing what is most important to our couples for us. We’ve been doing this long enough to work with any structure…as long as there is one!
I also want to mention that it’s super important to be flexible! I checked out their original timeline to help me write this post, and we hadn’t planned on couples portraits immediately after the ceremony. Instead, we had scheduled in sunset portraits, which would have had us stealing them from their party. We could tell that T + J were a bit burned out on portraits by the end of their ceremony, and it was a gloomy day without much hope of a golden hour, so we asked them if they’d like to just bust out their photos early. They said yes and were super grateful to be done and able to just party with their loved ones the rest of the night, so we switched to more documentary-style coverage after the formal portraits.
Fall Country Wedding Inspo
This Montana Fall wedding reflected the couple, the scenery, and the season so well! Mountainside Weddings is a super green venue and their details blended beautifully with their surroundings. The leather accents, emerald green attire, turquoise jewelry, and rich colors to contrast all worked together to create a gorgeous design.
If you are planning a similar wedding, be sure to take a note from T + J’s wedding design by picking elements that reflect your personalities AND the location. Also, keep in mind the time of year — if you’re hosting an outdoor event, be sure to have plenty of heaters and fires to keep your guests comfortable and ready to party all night!
All about Mountainside Weddings in Whitefish, MT
How to get to Mountainside Weddings in Whitefish, MT
CLOSEST MAJOR CITIES/TOWNS:
Driving time from Kalispell: 46 min (31.7 mi) via State Hwy 424 and Farm to Market Rd
Driving time from Whitefish: 28 min (20.6 mi) via US-93 N and Star Meadow Rd
CLOSEST MAJOR AIRPORT:
Glacier Park International Airport: 45 min (32.3 mi) via US-93 N
Do you need to download offline maps? Will there be cell service?
There is cell service at Mountainside Weddings, but it is Montana and service can be sketchy, so it’s always safest to download maps when you have good service!
Accessibility level
Mountainside Weddings is fairly accessible — the main area is flat with no stairs, but there is a large amount of grassy lawn so wheelchair users may need some help! The owners do have a golf cart to help transport elderly + disabled guests.
What’s parking like?
Mountainside Weddings’ parking lot is fairly small, so I would suggest carpooling if possible!
Weather info
NW Montana has a short summer season and this area in particular gets a tonnnnn of snow. July + August are the safest months if you’re hoping for warm weather, and there is a chance of snow during every other month of the year. In a regular year, snow hits in late October and melts by early June.
Lodging
Mountainside Weddings has two lodging options: The Coop and The Loft at the Roost. Both are comfortable and beautifully designed!
Mountainside Weddings Photographer & Videographer
It is such an honor to film + photograph gorgeous weddings at Mountainside! Lorraine, the owner, has put her heart into crafting an incredible experience for couples and it is a joy to work with her and her team. I love how service-oriented they are, how expansive the property is, how many backdrop options there are, how convenient it is that couples can stay and get ready on-site, and that the ceremony and reception can be held in the same place. I highly recommend Mountainside Weddings to anyone wanting to host a large wedding near Kalispell or Whitefish.
If you’re getting hitched at Mountainside and you’re still looking for a photographer, videographer, or both then CLICK HERE to read more about our process and pricing!
Vendors
PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEOGRAPHY BY MONTANA DIARIES
Venue: Mountainside Weddings
Planner/Coordinator: Lorraine Wilson (Venue owner)
Makeup: Whitney Williams
Hair: Brooke Williams
Officiant: Travis Vaad
Florist: Fifty Flowers bulk delivery, arranged by Erin Anderson (sister)
Desserts: Miss Patty Cakes | Patricia Albert
DJ/Band: Big Mountain DJs | Nick Ferrington
Invitations: Minted
