Gorgeous elevated western style cowboy wedding in Miles City, Montana | Bryer + Steph
Gorgeous elevated western style cowboy wedding in Miles City, Montana | Bryer + Steph
Introduction
Ahhh, this is SUCH a special wedding!! Steph + Bryer got hitched in Miles City, Montana and their elevated Western style wedding was *everything.* We’re talking a gorgeous farmhouse by the Yellowstone river for getting ready, the first look, and bridal party photos, a stunning ceremony and reception at the Miles City fairgrounds, and a trip to their fave cowboy bar in between! This was an *iconic* wedding, and I can’t wait for you to watch their wedding film below!
Miles City, Montana Wedding Film
The bride’s reaction to her Miles City wedding video!!
Shayna honestly I am lost for words! Absolutely speechless.. that’s why I haven’t messaged you yet! 😂 Because this is everything I could’ve dreamt of and more! I have been sobbing on the couch all in my feels again. ❤️😭 You are seriously incredible!!!! I am soooo thankful for you. I can not thank you enough for capturing our day in the most beautiful way! My heart is so so happy!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched these already! They’ve been on repeat forever now and will continue on in to the night!! Haha 🙌🏼🤍 You’re the best!!
-Steph Davis, bride
All about Bryer + Stephanie’s Western Wedding Timeline
Bryer and Stephanie’s timeline was perfectionnnn — they built in plenty of time with their loved ones, a special trip to the cowboy bar where they first met, and an entire HOUR for couples’ portraits off site at a state park!! Here’s how they did it:
Getting ready at the Yellowstone Jewel
Bryer, Steph, and their bridesmaids + groomsmen all got ready at the Yellowstone Jewel, which is a beautiful venue by the Yellowstone River right outside Miles City. You can host events and weddings there too! Bryer + Steph just needed a larger venue for their ceremony and reception.
Bryer and his friends got ready in the event center on the property to stay separate from Steph and her party before the first look. I cried twice from meeting Bryer — the first was when he told his mom that Steph was the nicest person he’s ever met in his life, and the second was when he told Jessie Hardy and me that he was so excited that we were there because we were the best and Steph deserved the best. How sweet is he!?
Steph’s getting ready experience was just as sweet — her friends absolutely adore her, and they were the warmest group of ladies!! They kept asking if we had enough food and something to drink haha — Steph was absolutely stunning getting ready, and we celebrated the beginning of the day with champagne toasts in their jammiez. It doesn’t get much better!!
First look
Bryer and Steph’s first look was on the same property at the Yellowstone Jewel — we set Bryer up between the two structures on the property so that they could meet in the middle. When he first saw Steph, it was like only the two of them existed!! Thennnn the bridal party and kiddos came out and cheered them on. We did bridal party and family photos before heading off to the ceremony.
Ceremony at Eastern Montana Fairgrounds
Bryer and Steph held their ceremony at Eastern Montana Fairgrounds in Miles City, Montana — it felt like the entire state of Montana showed up for them!! The ceremony was so sweet and personal with handwritten personal vows, some Montana touches like a cowhide runner, the bride’s uncle officiating, and an entrance with dad in his cool Trans Am!! Here’s what Steph had to say about the car:
“Dad got the coyote car running yay! (This Trans Am brings back all of the childhood memories. We call it the coyote car lol! You'll see why. It was passed down to my dad from his dad. We used to take evening cruises in this thing all the time and I thought I was the coolest kid on the block ;). It has been in my dad's shop now sadly collecting dust for almost 6 years. Well, he's finally knocking the dust off and got it running for the big day! I'm so excited! :)”
A celebratory drink with friends at The Bison Bar in Miles City, Montana
After the gorgeous ceremony, we were picked up in a party bus and headed to the ICONIC Bison Bar for a celebratory shot! I love how intentional Bryer and Steph were about moments like this — Bryer and Steph first met at the Bison, and when we were planning their wedding, they just kept saying that they wanted the whole day to feel fun and like a PARTY for their loved ones. I’d say they did it!!
Adventure Session at Strawberry Hill
Bryer + Steph carved out an entire hour away from their party for couples’ portraits at the most stunning location near Miles City!! We caravaned over to Strawberry Hill so they could take in their day together/take a little breather away from everyone. It was so sweet and the photos/videos turned out beautifully!! This was such a nice time for them to connect and reflect over the wedding day before returning to partyyyy with their loved ones.
Reception at Eastern Montana Fairgrounds
Bryer and Steph’s reception at Eastern Montana Fairgrounds was designed BEAUTIFULLY by Better to Gather — absolutely obsessed with how they interpreted their elevated Western style! The band, Fast Forward, had the dance floor crowded the ENTIRE night! The food and signature drinks were prepared by the family and everything was delicious — seriously, best wedding ever. :)
Planning an elevated Western wedding
With the rise of the “coastal cowgirl” trend last year and the explosionnnn of the show Yellowstone, elevated Western is growing in popularity as a wedding theme all the time! Montana’s cowboy culture is so embedded in our everyday life that it’s been fun to see the style trend all over the country for events.
Leather & silver details everywhere!!
Bryer + Steph’s wedding and outfits included custom leather and silver details everywhere — if you’re emulating their style for your own wedding, consider finding leather workers + jewelry designers local to the wedding destination! Some ideas you can take from them: a custom leather bouquet holder, jewelry made out of grandma’s silverware, locally designed rings, leather koozies!
Boho decor
Now you mightttt be thinking that the boho moment in wedding design is over, but it’s still going strong when being adapted for western style!! This is because dried florals, neutrals, and all the details that screammmm boho also work really well with cowboy culture — western style includes a lot of lace, natural elements mixed in with the design, and bold colors contrasted with neutrals. Sound familiar!?
Western wedding outfit details!!
Bryer + Steph KILLED IT with the styling for their Western wedding!! Steph’s gorgeous lace dress is the Martina line from Billings’ local dress shop, Belle en Blanc. Her earrings are from Hyo Silver, and her bracelet was made out of one of her grandma’s pieces of silverware by Girl Ran away With the Spoon!! How cool is that!? Steph’s shoes were from Roper. Steph also had a STUNNING custom leather bouquet wrap from Casey Tew Leatherwork.
Bryer’s hat was from American Hat Co, his boots from Ariat International, cross pendant from S3 Silversmiths.
Steph’s bridesmaids stunneddddd in long terracotta satin dresses from Azazie, black heels, and dark copper earrings. You can find similar ones at Lulus, Aritzia, and Birdie Grey.
Bryer’s groomsmen wore Cinch jeans, white shirts, black jackets from Men’s Wearhouse, satin terracotta ties, and black cowboy hats.
JESSIE HARDY PHOTOGRAPHYtylephotography.com/
All about getting married in Miles City, Montana
Miles City is such a beautiful, historical, underrated city in Montana!! It’s located east of Billings on the Yellowstone River — the surrounding area is gorgeous, and the town itself is so embedded in Native American history, miner history, and rancher/cowboy culture. Miles City is probably most known for the Bucking Horse Sale, which is a major auction of rodeo stock held the third full weekend every May…and it’s a freaking party every year haha!
Why they chose Miles City
Miles City is special to Bryer and Steph for a few reasons — first of all, it’s Steph’s hometown, so obviously that helped haha!! Butttt while Bryer and Steph’s love story *officially* started when they met in Great Falls…they were shocked to find out/remember that Steph had actually bought him a beer YEARS prior at the Bison in Miles City. Bryer still tells the story like the Miles City beer is how it all started! How crazy is that!?
How to get to Miles City, Montana
There are smaller airports around Miles City, but you’ll most likely want to fly into the closest major airport in Billings, Montana. From Billings, Miles City drive time is 2 hr 11 min (145.9 mi) via I-94 E. From Glendive, Miles City drive time is 1 hr 9 min (75.7 mi) via I-94 W.
Miles City Weather + The best time of year to get married there!
According to Weathers Park, In Miles City, the summers are hot and mostly clear and the winters are freezing, snowy, windy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 12°F to 91°F and is rarely below -10°F or above 101°F.
Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Miles City for warm-weather activities is from late June to late August — this is pretty typical for ANYWHERE in Montana!!
Potential roadblocks that you made backup plans for
Be sure to make backup plans for outdoor weddings in case of snow storms, rain, or wildfire smoke! This is true for outdoor weddings anywhere in Montana.
Places to stay for a Miles City wedding
Miles City Hotels:
Miles City House Rentals, Airbnbs, and VRBOs
Getting married at the Eastern Montana Fairgrounds
The Eastern Montana Fairgrounds was an awesome location for Bryer and Steph’s wedding — it’s centrally located in Miles City and close to everything, and it’s HUGE so it was able to accommodate their guest list!! Click here to fill out the form at the bottom of the page to rent out a space for your wedding.
Bryer + Steph’s Miles City Wedding Vendors
Planning by Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor was a beautiful life saver through the entire wedding planning process, and was so helpful and communicative the day of!! We were on the phone together periodically during the getting ready + portrait process to make sure we were staying close to the schedule times + making up time when necessary, and she even made sure that Jessie and I had to go snacks when we left for Steph + Bryer’s couples’ portraits! Absolutely perfect experience, and I hope to work with her again soon!!
Photography by Jessie Hardy
It was such a pleasure to work alongside Jessie Hardy — we had an absolute blast documenting the beginning of Bryer + Steph’s marriage and she CRUSHED it for them creatively! She is based out of Scobey, Montana and has such a beautiful, warm, detail-oriented style that caters to Western tastes so well!! I would be over the moon to film alongside her again, highly recommend. :)
Bryer + Steph’s Miles City Wedding Vendor List
Videography: Montana Diaries
Photography: Jessie Hardy
Planning: Katie Taylor
Getting ready venue: Yellowstone Jewel
Ceremony + Reception venue: Eastern Montana Fairgrounds
Event Design + Decor: Better to Gather
Bride’s Dress: Belle en Blanc
Hair + Makeup: Studio 10 and Wyld Roots, and Sydney Speasl
Floral Designer: Creative Corner
Officiant: David Fiechtner- Bride's uncle :)
Cake/Dessert: Sweets by Sam
Bar: Bucking Horse Saloon and Casino
Party Bus: Blackout 406 Party Bus
Band: Fast Forward
DJ: DJ Shaw
Linens: BBJ La Tavola
Signage: The Best Day Company
Leather Koozies: Leatherworks4u
Wedding Rings: Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers
Your Miles City Wedding and Elopement Photographer and Videographer
Heyyyy, I’m Shay, your Miles City wedding and elopement photographer and videographer for adventurous, laid back couples! I am a story-driven photographer and videographer and I’m obsessedddd with Miles City and Eastern Montana! Click here to learn more about the Montana Diaries experience and be sure to fill out the contact form — I CANNOT wait to capture your day!!
