Courtney and Chris’ Full-Day Adventure Elopement in Glacier National Park
When you hear the words “adventure elopement in Glacier National Park,” your mind probably immediately goes to a day that involves hiking or intense off-roading. Am I wrong? But the amazing thing about eloping in Glacier National Park is that the places with the most adventurous badass vibes can be found right along the road and just steps from the parking lot! Courtney and Chris’ day is the perfect example of this and I’m so excited to share their story with you.
Review from Courtney:
After saying “I do,” hiring Jessica was the best decision we made! She went above and beyond to give us the absolute best experience!
My husband and I wanted to get married in Glacier National Park, but we had never been there and needed help figuring out where to start. Jess did all the heavy lifting; she helped us select a date, ceremony, and photo locations, advised us on the permit process, and recommended vendors, lodging, and things to do in and near the park.
Since it was only going to be my husband and me on our wedding day, our photographer needed to be someone we trusted and felt totally comfortable sharing such an intimate day with. Jess was exactly that. She felt like an old friend from day one and genuinely supported and celebrated every moment with us. There was no awkwardness, just smiles and laughs all day, and our photos reflect that.
The gallery we received was beyond our expectations. Every photo was beautifully captured and edited. Jess even included some scenic pictures and other goofy moments to help us relive our day.
We have found a photographer for all our future special occasions and a lifelong friend!
Planning Their Elopement in Montana
When I started talking to Courtney and Chris to get to know them more, I asked if there was a song that they would use to describe their love story (which is an absolute favorite question of mine because I love connecting with people through music). They mentioned that when Chris was in Japan after college, he heard a Japanese folk story that people who are meant to find each other are connected by an invisible red thread. This story really stuck with him, so years after on their anniversary, Chris gifted Courtney matching red string bracelets. Does it get much sweeter than that?! If you’re a Taylor Swift fan like Courtney, you probably have already guessed where this is going, but the song they answered with was “Invisible String” by Taylor Swift. I thought this was such a beautiful answer because, throughout the song, Taylor sings about how through all of the ups and downs of life, “isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?”
As we began thinking more about their elopement day itself, they connected with a variety of landscape features that Glacier has including sweeping mountain backdrops, wildflowers, pines or evergreens, and some sort of body of water (lake, stream, etc). The best part about having a full-day elopement is that you genuinely get the opportunity to explore so many locations with the time you have – so we checked off just about everything!
The Story of Their Full-Day Adventure Elopement in Glacier National Park
In the morning, Courtney had her hair and makeup done by Analise at Covet Beauty Bar in Whitefish, Montana (who did an AMAZING job as you’ll soon see). After that, I met up with them at their Airbnb in Columbia Falls where they wrote their vows on the back patio and then helped each other get ready upstairs in the loft area! For his wedding day attire, Chris wore a pair of leather Danner boots with his suit and a tie that was a beautiful emerald green. Courtney on the other hand wore a BHLDN dress by Jenny Yoo with stunning lace appliques (but one of my favorite details was the removable sleeves that you’ll see her put back on for their vow exchange). For her footwear, she wore an iconic pair of white leather Blundstone boots that were so fitting for a mountaintop elopement in Montana!
Once they were ready to go, we ventured into Glacier National Park to begin their elopement day journey at one of the most epic locations in the park – Big Bend. The sweeping views and wide open meadow at this location never fail to take my breath away but even better is that it’s a pull-off along the Going to the Sun Road and requires no strenuous hiking whatsoever! The mid-day sun made the greens and blues of this location pop even more in their photos and when we continued to an overlook at Logan Pass, they were blown away that you’re truly surrounded by amazing views in every direction you look in the park. We continued to the Saint Mary side of Glacier National Park at one of my favorite overlooks of Saint Mary Lake. Although not a full hike, this view was just a quick, half-mile roundtrip walk from the parking area.
It was really important to them that their ceremony location to allowed them the space to not feel like there was an audience of other park visitors nearby (and some amazing views with a lake would be a great bonus). So following all of that upbeat and exciting adventure, we made our way to one of the more intimate and secluded areas of the park, Many Glacier, for their vow exchange. When we arrived at the perfect spot, the two of them took a few moments to not only soak in the views but to get really present in the moment with eachother before beginning their vow exchange. Their vows were full of everything from laughs to tears and once they made it official with signing their marriage licence (on top of their Yeti cooler in true elopement fashion) we ventured through the woods to nearby waterfalls. There we saw two grizzly bears in the distance on a hill across the road playing so naturally we kept making excuses to watch them in the midst of taking photos!
The evening to their perfect elopement day ended with a champagne pop and picnic watching the sun set behind the mountains before we made the drive back to Columbia Falls. If their day has your mind turning about having a full-day elopement, check out my post detailing what full-day elopements are all about.
Want to Elope in Glacier National Park?
If you’re reading this, you’re already doing the first step – researching to find the perfect Glacier National Park elopement photographer for your day. It’s important to find someone you really connect with, so don’t forget to check out my about me page and read up about the experience of working with me!
Here are some great resources for planning your elopement as well:
Your Guide to Having an Unplugged Ceremony
Ultimate Guide to Having a Wedding or Elopement in Glacier National Park
Best Places to Get Marred in Glacier National Park