This beautiful Montana elopement near Bozeman, Montana, was simple, sweet, relaxed, and full of love. Photography by Danielle Mullens Photography
"Garrett and I met while he was on a skydiving trip in Florida, where I was living at the time. I was working in a wine bar where he and his friends were hanging out on their last evening in town. We ended up chatting about our love for travel and how I had an upcoming trip planned, but had no one to join me. Garrett was leaving the next morning to go back to North Carolina, so we jokingly said we'd meet again in Costa Rica the following month. Well, the joke became a reality and four weeks later we met in the Atlanta Airport to board our flight to Costa Rica. It was a magical week of exploration and fun, and I returned home knowing I had met the love of my life. Together we have traveled the country and spent our free time hiking, camping and enjoying the outdoors. Five years later Garrett proposed in the mountains of Oregon where we have spent so much of our time, and just a few months later we had a quiet, intimate elopement in the mountains of Montana.
Our wedding day was intimate, simple and relaxed. Garrett and I took our dog, Walter, for a hike in the morning then stopped and picked up my amazing flowers from Labellum Flowers in Bozeman. I'm a florist and planned to do my own bouquet, but we spent too much time camping and exploring on our way to Bozeman and I ran out of time! I had to find someone I could trust with something so important to me. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. We got ready at our airbnb, our moms with me and our dads with Garrett. As much as we wanted all of our friends and family to join, we kept our wedding day simple and had only our parents as witnesses to join us. My sisters and girlfriends were all there in spirit and helped me in so many ways from afar to make our day special.
Danielle with Danielle Mullens Photography and her assistant photographer arrived and I can't say enough about them. Garrett and I didn't really have strict plans for the day and they just went along with things as the weather changed and so did our plans. Danielle made me feel so comfortable and from day one she felt like a friend I've known for years. She made it clear that a small elopement is just as important and special as a huge wedding and pointed out that with such a small group we could make the day anything we wanted it to be. That's the kind of photographer you want to have! Once they arrived we finished getting ready and wrote our vows last minute. We shared our first look and had a quiet and sweet ceremony by the lake. My dad gave me away and each of our parents read a little verse that Garrett's sister wrote for us, and I read a letter from my sister that had me in tears. After our ceremony we headed up to the mountain to take our chance on the weather. Danielle rode with us and despite the cold, wind, and rain, got incredible photos of Garrett and I that we will cherish forever.
When we returned to our airbnb there was a fire burning in the fireplace and hors d'oeuvres set out. I set our table the night before with dishes and decorations I brought from home and a lovely arrangement from Labellum. The candles were lit, music was playing, and after a champagne toast and lots of laughter we had our first dance in front of the fire. By then Chef Sarah Duncan of Bozeman had dinner ready to serve. We decided to have dinner fully catered and it was the best decision! Having dinner prepared made our evening feel so special. I didn't have to worry about a thing and Chef Sarah served us the best dinner I've ever had, hands down. It made my night so easy and effortless and she even made me a small wedding cake and decorated with some extra flowers as a surprise! It was such a joy to have our parents there and share stories around the table. After dinner, Garrett and our parents enjoyed the fire for the rest of the evening. It was the best day of my life, and I can't say enough about the photographer, florist and chef from the Bozeman area. They made our day effortless, fun and enjoyable." – Steph, the bride
