Dan and I met on AOL Instant Messenger when we were in 8th
Grade (back in the day before Myspace). We finally decided to
meet in person at the Mount Helena Music Festival. Our "first date" must have
gone well, because the next day Dan asked me to be his girlfriend, and we have
been together ever since. Dan and I went to rival high schools in Helena, MT
and then went to college together at Montana State University. After I
graduated from MSU, we moved to Los Angeles so Dan could pursue his music
career and I could attend law school.
Dan and I have always loved cruising, so we decided to spend
our 10-year anniversary on a cruise to Mexico in 2012. On the last day of
the cruise, which was our anniversary, Dan took me up on the balcony to watch
the last sunset where he got on one knee and popped the question.
The Wedding
After moving to California, Dan and I began to appreciate
the beauty Montana has to offer and couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere
else. Both Dan and I’s moms were very involved with the wedding and all the
decorations were handmade. It was truly a “Pinterest-worthy” wedding. The
weather during the day started out beautifully, and about half hour before the
ceremony, the clouds started rolling in. We almost had to move up the ceremony
a half-hour earlier to avoid the rain, but I was not ready yet! We ended up
having the ceremony at the planned time and right as I started walking down the
aisle, the dark clouds quickly swept by us without a drop of rain! Once the
fear of rain had gone and calmed our nerves, the rest of the night went without
a hitch. Lucky for me, my dad owns the Lewis and Clark Brewing Company, so we
had plenty of craft beer and even our own wedding beer brewed especially for
us, Happily Ever After. We had our very good friends from the Clintons play and
my (now) husband and his band surprised me with a compilation of love songs
during the reception.
Advice to Future Montana Brides
Take your
time! Dan and I were engaged for a little over two years, and I loved the
engagement period! By the time the wedding came around, I did not feel stressed
and I felt very comfortable with where we were at. I also suggest having a
wedding at a venue that provides services/supplies like the dinner, tables,
chairs, etc. Chico did a great job and it was so nice to not have to worry
about renting things last minute or not having enough of something. Chico was
also great at reminding you when to do the “cake-cutting” or the “dinner
toasts,” because it’s very easy to lose track of time.
The Vendors
Photography: Lauren Brown Photography
Rehearsal Dinner: Mountain View House, Chico Hot Springs
Ceremony: Field of Dreams, Chico Hot Springs
Reception: Chico Hot Springs
Florist: West Mont Flower & Trading Co.
Catering: Chico Hot Springs
Cakes & Desserts: Chico Hot Springs
Photo Booth: Big Sky Photobooth
Band & DJ: The Clintons
Wedding Dress Designer: Stella York
Gown Shop: Eskay Bridal
Tuxedo Rentals: Eskay Bridal
Lodging: Chico Hot Springs
Officiant: Larry Murphy
How sweet love story! I am glad that you tied the knot after such a long relationship. Well dear, I really liked your wedding decoration. Can you tell me the name of your event coordinator? I would like to book him for my wedding planning!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Sorry for the delay. Our wedding coordinator was actually a part of the Chico Hot Springs package. Her name was Ching Ling Coleman and she did a great job. So if you end up booking with Chico, she should be there to help! Good luck and have fun planning! :D
DeleteAs far as wedding decorations, most of those were done by our mothers :)
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