iPhone...iDo! A Montana wedding ~ A gift for to your guests!

Montana is a great place to get married!  Great scenery, top-notch wedding vendors, and world-class venues are just a few of the reasons that come to mind.  But on top of all that, a Montana wedding is going to make your guests very happy.  In addition to being one of the top wedding destination in the country, Montana is also a leading vacation destination.  Your wedding may be the highlight of the visit, but your guests are going to love everything else Montana has to offer.  National Parks (2 of the very best!..  Yellowstone and Glacier), fishing on Blue Ribbon Rivers, whitewater rafting and mountain biking, ghost towns to explore, beautiful drives under the big sky, and hike some of the most beautiful terrain in the country, Montana offers something for all your guests to do everyday of thier stay. 

Think about putting together a "local activities" guide for your guests to peruse prior to thier arrival so they can pick out activities and make arrangements.  Many of these recreational opportunites are easily accessable and avaialable for all levels, novice to advance.  So be sure the make the best of the last best place!

These pictures are from a hike just 10 minutes from my house.

Featured Vendor.....Cindy Cieluch (The rest of the Montana Bride cover story)

Let me start out by saying I love my job!  I get to travel the incredible state of Montana, work with wonderful couples, design fabulous events, celebrate the beginning of new love, and work with some of the very best wedding vendors in the world!  Today, we are featuring one of our favorite people and photographers, Cindy Cieluch.  We have worked on several weddings with Cindy and what a joy!  She shines as person and as photographer!  When I was picking the cover for this year's edition of Montana Bride, she was at the top of my list and that was before she even submitted any images.  I knew from working with her she would have something Fabulous! I could go on and on about Cindy, but instead I will let her images speak for her, but I will say, I cannot wait until I have the opporutunity to work with her again.

We have been asked by alot of people about the beautiful cover of the 2012 Montana Bride, so here's a little more of the beautiful bride and her groom from our friend and fabulous photographer, Cindy Cieluch.



 

WHITNEY + ADAM

AUGUST 20, 2011

HOLLAND LAKE, MONTANA

From the Experts.......Fabulous Wine!

We all love fabulous wine, but picking the perfect wine for your wedding can be daunting.  From large established wineries to small boutique labels, the choices seem to be endless.  For a little educated guidance, we went to one of our favorite people, Michael Ochsner.  Michael is owner, managing partner and level II sommelier at Plonk, a Bozeman restaurant and bar celebrated for its exquisite cuisine and exceptional wine selection presented in an “environment designed to engage the senses in an uncompromised celebration of the beauty of life”.

Michael’s recommendations:

Bubbles:
Masfi Brut Rose, Cava, Spain NV"Seductively colored and consistent to the palate, this wines represents all that can be achieved with sparkling Cavas in presentation and value."   $10.25

Perrier Jouet Brut, Champagne, France NV"Of all the big house Champagnes this is hands down my favorite. Clean, sexy and elegant, I could celebrate with this wine all night!!"   $49.00

Rose:
L'Aventure Rose, Paso Robles, California 2010"I was skeptical of this wine at first but turned upside down on the first taste. This rose is bursting with flavor while not being weighty or overwhelming. Have your cake and eat it too with this one."   $22.50

White:
Long Shadow's "Poet's Leap" Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington 2010"Amazing fruit, pears, nectarines, peaches, breakfast wine of the year."   $17.50

Olivier LaFlaive 'Les Setilles' Bourgogne Blanc, Chardonnay, Burgundy, France 2010
"For your more serious wine drinkers, this wine will pair beautifully with a very wide spectrum of foods. Though I would consider it quite a dry white, the Les Setilles wins you from the start with a slightly creamy texture and beautiful weight."   $19.00

Red:
Sokol Blosser 'Meditrina' Pinot Noir Blend, Oregon NV"This is one of the few reds that is fitting for me on a beautiful summer day."   $17.00

Zenato Ripassa, Veneto, Italy 2009"Full bodied and velvety on the palate, this wine seems to find every corner of your mouth."    $28.00

Honeymoon Wine:
Kistler "Kistler Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Somoma, California 2008"Silky, seductive, eloquent, this is the definition of a lover's wine."   $96

Plonk is located at 29 East Main Street in Bozeman MT and open for lunch and dinner.

Photography:  Inspire Photography
Watch:  Bozeman Watch Company
Styled by: Katalin Green Events
Advice: Michael Ochsner of Plonk

iPhone...iDo (Dare to Be Inspired)

Vanilla Gelato, olive oil and sea salt!   I would have never thought it would be on my "To Die For" list, but it climbed right to the top with my first taste.  As I sat with my son at Caffe Dolce in Missoula, both of us ohhhing and ahhhing over this incredible treat, it struck me how important it is to dare to be inspired.  We live in a fast-paced world and it's easy to fall into a pattern of sorts.  How nice to take a moment to sit back with Hunter and step out of the box and into one of the most scrumptous desserts ever! 

It's funny how something as simple as a dessert can remind you to always look a little deeper.  So take a moment to order something different, to challange yourself a bit more, to write that poem you have tucked away in the back of your head, to introduce yourself to the person you pass everyday on the street, to try on the wedding dress that you are convinced is not the one, or to order the vanilla gelato with olive oil & sea salt.  Make today the day you Dare to Be Inspired.  We think you will be pleasantly surprised, I know I was!

The Better Way to Get There

We love Montana!  So unlike a lot of wedding blogs that talk about how to pick the dress or the stories behind wedding traditions, we decided to make the Montana Bride blog all about what we love...Montana!  I'm not saying we won't eventually post about dresse and wedding traditions (because we do love a beautiful bride in a gorgeous dress!), but we just keep getting distracted by this incredible State in which we live and work, and that's what we want to share with you. 

The fabric of Montana is its scenic vistas, mountain landscapes, and pristine rivers.  But just take any back road and you will find the thread that holds it all together, the small locally-owned busineses, restaurants, inns, B&B's, and the people that run and work there.  These places and people are the heart and soul of Montana and for us, that's what makes Montana such an incredible place.  One minute you are driving through some of the most beautiful wide-open space in the country, and then seemingly out of nowhere, theres a small town, maybe just a restaurant and a few homes.  The parking lot may be full or there may be the just a truck or two, but in our opinion, its always worth a stop!  We drive all over the state and stop in at these establishments whenever we can.  We are rarely disappointed.  A good hearty meal, some friendly conversation, a colorful story or two and we are always the better for it.  One of favorite drives is the East River Road from Chico to Livingston, and Pine Creek Cafe is a must stop.  We just had an incredible breakfast there the other morning on our drive back from a lovely night at Chico Hot Springs.  So get off the main track, explore a little, and stop into a local joint to find out what Montana is really all about.  Enjoy!

http://www.pinecreeklodgemontana.com/

A Labor of Love....For Love and About Love

The 11th issue of Montana Bride is out and I could not be happier with this year's edition! 

As Montana’s premier wedding resource, we at Montana Bride have seen a lot of changes in styles and trends over the years, but one thing that has remained constant is Montana’s beauty and diversity as a wedding destination.  After a decade of traveling the state, meeting vendors, exploring secluded corners, and planning weddings, we still find ourselves in awe.  Although the state is renowned for its scenic vistas, Montana offers a big, bold personality, sculpted by the self-reliance necessary to living generation after generation in the vast Rocky Mountains and wind-swept prairies.  Century-old barns dot the landscape, some barely standing, while others still serve their original purpose.  Fortunately, many have been lovingly restored and now serve a new purpose befitting their beauty: hosting celebrations.  In towns and cities large and small, historic hotels still stand proud, welcoming new generations to contribute to their history.  Montana’s a beautiful place, but its true personality is revealed in every layer.

Montana offers a stunning backdrop for any wedding, rustic to elegant, but it also offers your guests and family a place to share new experiences.  The state boasts ghost towns to explore, pristine rivers to fish and raft, mountain trails to hike and ride horses, and two of the nation’s most majestic national parks. 

So congratulations on your upcoming wedding.  We know you’re going to love having a Montana wedding, and we are as excited to share its inspiration with you in this edition of Montana Bride as we were in our first edition eleven years ago. 

The 2012 Montana Bride Planner is currently avaialable at Avant Bridal, Alara, Montana Party Rentals, Nove Cafe, Gem Gallery, Plume, Eskay, HeyDay, and Bozeman & Missoula Airports.  We will have free copies available at other fine wedding vendors and retailers in the near future. Our online version will be available the first week of March.

iPhone...iDo! ... Yellowstone 1

I have lived in Montana for twenty years and have always wanted to visit Yellowstone by snowcoach.  So this year to celebrate the next chapter of a very dear friend's adventure in life, we loaded up the family and joined him on a snowcoach tour of Yellowstone!  It was everything I always imagined it would be.  But for me there always those hidden gems that make things even more special! 

There were plenty of gems on this trip (watch for future blog posts), but the standout for me had to be Ranger Rita Garcia at Old Faithful.  Whether she was herding guests away from the bison, or answering questions and offering information, Ranger Rita did so with an incredibley upbeat and cheerful demeanor.  But it was her seemingly overflowing enthusiasm for her job and obvious love for Yellowstone made my stop at Old Faithful the real highlight of the trip for me.  Old Faithful, wrapped in steam, was gorgeous, but it was Ranger Rita that really inspired me.  How fabulous to have to the opportunity to meet such a wonderful woman who takes so much joy in her surroundings and her job, and shares it so willingly and with such a positive attitude.  So 2 Thumbs up for Ranger Rita...thanks for making my dream trip to Yellowstone such a wonderful experience and for leaving me inspired to approach each day with such joy and enthusiasm! 



iPhone...iDo is a series on inspirational moments, places, and people captured on the iPhone of Montana event designer and florist, Katalin Green.

More information on this trip

Snowcoach Trip booked thru Yellowstone Alpen Guides  (we give them 5 stars...excellent)

Our guide was Alice and we highly recommend her!