Adventure Elopement in Polebridge, MT and Glacier National Park
Adventurous Elopement in Polebridge, Montana and Glacier National Park
Alex + Emily’s Montana Elopement to Polebridge + Bowman Lake
Videography + Photography by Montana Diaries
WATCH ALEX + EMILY’S MONTANA ELOPEMENT VIDEO:
a slow morning
We met Alex and Emily at the Firebrand Hotel in Whitefish, MT the morning of their adventurous wedding — they came all the way from Tennessee to start their marriage exploring NW Montana together, and that’s exactly what they did despite the heavy smoke that had settled over the valley thanks to fire season.
These two have visited Montana together every summer since they started dating four years ago, so they already knew they loved it here under the Big Sky before joining us for the best day.
Alex left to go fish the North Fork of the Flathead River while Emily got ready in the hotel room — she had a stack of letters from home to read through while Jessica Burris did her makeup. It was such a sweet way for Emily to connect to her loved ones before she got married; I gave her space to read through all of her notes while capturing other sentimental details like a custom handkerchief and their rings from Kennedy Jewelers.
chick-fil-a in a wedding dress
Emily and I stopped for lunch on our way to meet up with Alex, and first of all — I was dyingggg at how chill and funny Emily was for wanting fast food in her wedding dress, but second of all — it was the right choice because she was treated like a freaking queen at Chick-Fil-A haha!! All of the workers wanted pictures with her, and they even sent her with a brownie for Alex!
the first look
We opted for a first look overlooking the Flathead River, and it was such a sweet moment. Alex and Emily read each other love letters right after they saw one another for the first time, and they couldn’t stop smiling and laughing through the whole experience. They sealed their new marriage with a fist bump…how cool are they!?
polebridge mercantile
You can’t go through Polebridge without stopping at the Polebridge Mercantile for a famous huckleberry bearclaw, and what was supposed to be a quick pit stop turned into such a beautiful experience thanks to the kind workers and management! I was blown away by how excited for Alex and Emily they were and how accommodating they were — I told them we didn’t want to disrupt anything and were just making a quick stop for a bearclaw, and then they went above and beyond by moving traffic cones for us to get some portraits in front of the mercantile. I’m super conscious of being respectful to businesses while showing our couples around, and I never meant to turn their work day into a photo-op, so I have so much gratitude to the Mercantile for their willingness to make Alex and Emily’s experience so special.
Annddddd — the huckleberry bearclaws were incredible as always!
a picnic for two & letters from home
Finally, we made it to Glacier National Park so Alex and Emily could enjoy a picnic for two, including a beautiful charcuterie board from Grazen Boards, while reading the rest of the notes and letters from home. I LOVED how Alex and Emily included their families in this way — it took them over an hour to get through all of the photos and notes, and I recommend that all of my elopement couples consider asking their loved ones to write them letters to read together on their wedding days.
VENDORS
PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEOGRAPHY: MONTANA DIARIES
FLORALS: MUMS FLOWERS
HOTEL: FIREBRAND HOTEL
MAKEUP: JESSICA BURRIS
JEWELRY: KENNEDY JEWELERS
EMILY’S HAT: GLACIER RIM HAT COMPANY
DRESS: RISH BRIDAL
CHARCUTERIE: GRAZEN BOARDS
HUCKLEBERRY BEARCLAWS: POLEBRIDGE MERCANTILE
ALEX + EMILY’S MONTANA ELOPEMENT PHOTOS:
